Development of Cellular IoT-Based, Portable Outdoor Air Quality Monitoring System for Pollution Mapping †

Abstract

In contrast to the existing Wi-Fi-based systems, we have developed a GSM-based, cellular-Internet of Things (C-IoT)-enabled, portable air quality monitoring system that collects critical air quality parameters through advanced sensors in addition to the location of the device using a Global Positioning System (GPS). Our system utilizes sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and Particulate Matter concentrations along with the location information. These sensors are integrated with an ESP32 microcontroller which is interfaced with the GPS module for location information as well as with the GSM module to transmit the sensor data and location information to a central IoT gateway using an existing cellular infrastructure. The developed C-IoT sensor node is powered through a portable power bank, allowing complete mobility of the developed sensor node within the cellular coverage in an entire city. The data collected through the mobile C-IoT system is displayed in a live dashboard as well as over a live map for location-aware air quality monitoring. As a pilot run, we collected localized environmental data through a developed node by moving around a pre-defined urban area to create a pollution map of said area.