EarthSense, the air quality expert, today announced that it has been selected by Nottingham City Council to provide air quality monitoring covering all major orbital and radial routes in Greater Nottingham as part of a new Future Transport Zone (FTZ).
The council is using a network of 20 EarthSense Zephyr® monitors on traffic signals and lighting poles with the data gathered to be integrated into a new data platform that is a key pillar of the council's FTZ strategy to improve the way transport data is collected, analysed and made available. More than 200 AI-powered traffic sensors from VivaCity will also feed into the new data platform, providing data such as average journey times, classified traffic counts, and counts of pedestrians and cyclists in real time.
Simon Dale, Principal Officer – Transport Strategy at Nottingham City Council said: "Congestion and traffic are inextricably linked to air quality so we wanted a better understanding of the air quality situation at key sites on our road network. New technology, such as the EarthSense Zephyr® monitor, are much more portable, cost-effective and accurate than the basic diffusion tube devices we had been using. To my knowledge, we are one of the first cities to have such an extensive network of traffic and air quality sensors feeding into a powerful new data platform that has the potential to revolutionise our understanding of the city's roads. By informing the public about the impact of traffic and congestion on air quality, we aim to help people make more sustainable travel decisions," Simon Dale continued.
The Zephyr® network will give Nottingham City Council the data it needs to identify air pollution trends and hotspots and enable it to work with residents to put in place clean air initiatives and pollution prevention schemes. The council will use the trend data to inform a local transport plan and produce an annual air quality status report.
Tom Hall, Managing Director, EarthSense, said: “This is an exciting project, one of three new Future Transport Zones in the UK where new technologies are ripping up the traditional rulebook, potentially changing the way people and goods are transported. Bringing together data from multiple sources aligns with the holistic approach that is needed for intelligent transportation, so we are delighted to be working alongside Vivacity VivaCity’s powerful traffic monitoring data solution, to bring air quality monitoring expertise to its powerful traffic sensing capabilities Nottingham’s FTZ strategy."
The EarthSense Zephyr® is a real-time air quality monitor that takes live measurements of ambient air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O3), hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10). Measurements are sent back to the MyAir® web application, where air quality data can be viewed, analysed, and downloaded. Used in combination with the MappAir® air quality model, users can pull various insights about areas of interest, such as pollution hotspots, peak times, and identify nearby sources contributing to elevated levels.
About Nottingham City Council:
Nottingham City Council is the local authority for Nottingham, a unitary authority with city status. Nottingham is in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England, but as a unitary authority, the city council is administratively independent from the surrounding Nottinghamshire County Council. Find out more here: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/your-council/about-the-council
About VivaCity: Since 2008 VivaCity has been working with councils and transport authorities across the country to understand the biggest pain points facing the sector. With this insight, VivaCity has developed tech solutions tailored to address them. Offering intelligent traffic systems to transport and urban design professionals that are fit for the 21st century. Find out more here: https://vivacitylabs.com/products/