Oxfordshire County Council is working with air quality specialist EarthSense and connected vehicle company Tantalum to gain a better insight into the impact of road traffic on air quality.
Fleet vehicles operated by the council are to be fitted with Zephyr air quality measuring sensors from EarthSense to provide real-time data on both vehicle emissions and the local air quality along the route. This data will be used to optimise traffic light control and coordination, in order to manage and mitigate road congestion and pollution.
“Working with EarthSense and Tantalum we will benefit from research already undertaken as well as new data and, therefore, understanding obtained through the use of the EarthSense sensors,” explained Llewelyn Morgan, service manager for Infrastructure, Innovation and Development at Oxfordshire County Council.
The data will also feed into the county council’s work with Oxford City Council as it prepares to introduce a Zero Emission Zone in the city centre, while Tantalum, working alongside Imperial College London, will use data from the sensors to refine traffic emission models in the collaborative Air.Car project.
Using IoT and smart city technology, Air.Car aims to drive a greater understanding of vehicle pollution, while reducing environmental impact and vehicle operation costs. Solutions include a clean routing app for taxis as well as smart, fair and affordable enforcement schemes for local authorities.
Welcoming the collaboration, Tom Hall, managing director of EarthSense, said: “It is essential to obtain accurate measurements in order to understand and solve air quality problems. This project will demonstrate how the best available technologies, including the EarthSense Zephyr sensors and services from Air.Car, can provide solutions to drive change for improved air quality.”
Tags: intelligent transport, Intelligent Transport Systems, Internet of Things, IoT, Smart Energy