EarthSense, the air quality specialist and its United Arab Emirates Zephyr® distributor, AQM, have installed an air quality monitoring network which will provide real-time air quality data during Expo 2020 Dubai, which opens today.
AQM has installed a Zephyr® air quality monitoring network throughout the Expo 2020 site in the three primary districts of Sustainability, Opportunity, and Mobility. The company has deployed 10 Zephyr® units indoor and in underground spaces, and two further units in ambient, park and plaza settings to measure indoor and ambient air quality concentrations.
Faizal Hasham, General Manager at AQM said: “The theme of Expo 2020 is ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ and represents innovation in sustainability, mobility, and opportunity. We are delighted that Expo 2020 chose EarthSense’s Zephyr® to gain real-time insights into air pollution. The air quality monitors are integrated with the Siemens MindSphere platform to ensure continuous monitoring of health and safety.”
Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region and will run for six months from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. There will be more than 200 participants including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses, and educational institutions. 191 nations from across the world have confirmed their participation at Expo 2020.
The 12 Zephyr® units will take live readings of temperature, pressure, and humidity as well as ambient air pollutants including nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). Measurements have been integrated with the Siemens industrial Internet of Things (IoT) system, MindSphere, which will trigger alerts when air quality concentrations reach pre-established thresholds, helping to manage participant and attendee air pollution exposure.
EarthSense Managing Director Tom Hall commented: “Expo 2020 is a huge convention held across three large districts which lasts for six months. Because of its size and popularity, we’re expecting to see high levels of footfall and traffic, people travelling in and out of the convention, and trucks bringing goods on site which will likely have an impact on emissions and air quality.
“We will be working alongside our new distributor, AQM, to monitor air quality and compare Zephyr® measurements with other air monitoring stations in Dubai, to assess the characteristics of air pollution at the Expo site. We’ll also be comparing concentrations throughout indoor spaces with ambient locations, to understand the interplay between indoor and outdoor air on site,” continued Hall.
Available on a subscription basis, the EarthSense Zephyr® is an air quality monitor that provides its users with real-time air pollution data using an active sampling mechanism which takes readings of air pollution every 10 seconds. The monitor can be used as a static tool for identifying concentrations at specific locations or as a mobile unit for gaining insight into clean routes and pollution exposure.
Air quality data measured by a monitoring network is available on EarthSense’s MyAir® web application, which provides mapped Zephyr® locations to easily identify air pollution at specific locations. The portal also enables in-depth analysis of data which can be downloaded in bulk for identifying pollution sources, episodes, and trends.