What are the pollution types in the city? Only in Europe, 98% of city residents breathe air that is harmful to their health (European Environmental Agency, 2019). However, except for the widely discussed air pollution and smog, there are more damaging factors negatively influencing the quality of city life.

The other types of air pollution are:

noise

vibrations

UV radiation of the sun.

As you assume, they’re even more dangerous the awareness for them is very low. However, according to European Environmental Agency, as much as 20% of the UE population (around 100 million people) is exposed to noise levels that are dangerous for their health. The main risks are sleep disorders, negative impact on the cardiovascular system, metabolic disorders, disruption of the nervous system processes and cognitive dysfunction in children.

Regarding vibrations, traffic plays a huge part in destroying the wellbeing both of people and animals. For the former, it usually scares them away and breaks their natural habitats which can result in lowering the population of endangered species. Vibration, similarly to noise, also presents a risk of sleep, metabolic and nervous system disorders. But much more importantly, it creates an even more concrete life threat as the vibration has a negative impact on buildings and other architectural structures. Most of them are not immune for the constant vibration and in result get into much worse condition in approximately 4-10 years.

And last but not least, there is also UV which impact the daily life of not only humans but also animals. Sun radiation constantly increases the air temperature inside the cities and makes living simply unbearable.

IoT solutions for city pollution Local governments have already started to act because of further social and economical reasons. The worse the air quality in the city is, the more money must be invested in health care and eco-friendly solutions. So, the best way to fight against those threats is not trying to cover up for the damage already done but simply preventing them.

Luckily, for all those threats there is an answer. With the right implementation and methodology, IoT-connected technologies might be the only effective way to fight with all types of solutions. They are easy to set up, fully mobile and their sensors can be programmed to measure not only smog-related pollution but all the factors harmful to the human body.

What are the other benefits of IoT solutions against air pollution? Their main advantage is the shared database where all indicators are measured and later compared and analyzed by scientists. Moreover, IoT is also a fast-developing field, where all devices are created for the sake of ergonomics, mobility and cost-effectiveness. Decision-making can be done in real-time, not to mention the benefit of access to future forecasts. This is why local authorities are so eager to pay for the services that don’t consume the whole budget and yet come with tangible results.

Top IoT startups preventing city pollution Fortunately, the more pressing the problem becomes, the more startups are created to find a solution. Below we present noteworthy companies that measure air pollution-related to noise, vibration and UV radiation.

Crosser (total funding: $8.7M)

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Crosser was founded as early as in 2009. This gives them an advantage of market experience and great technical know-how. Their prime work focuses on providing Streaming Analytics for several platforms which enables data gathering and interpreting. The startup is appreciated for clear visualizations of data and well-processed forecasting maps. They are also one of few trustworthy companies to turn to when there’s a need for noise pollution monitoring.

SenseGiz (total funding: $679.1K)

Founded in 2013, SenseGiz presents edge-cutting IoT solutions for sensor-based condition monitoring. As the name reveals, SenseGiz gathers the data of vibration frequency and analyzes it according to the type of structure that is exposed to this type of vibration pollution. The start-up also created an essential tool to visualize a map of noted frequencies in a certain area. This way authorities can measure the risk and prevent the buildings’ structure damage.

Smart Prototyping (official website)

Created with aid from NOA Labs, Smart Prototyping is a resource mine for all people out there interested in creating their own projects. Although it’s not a regular type of start-up to appear on our lists, it’s still worth mentioning. It’s because of their consistent encouragement towards people who wish to build their own UV radiation monitoring sensor. Smart Prototyping publishes thorough articles with precise instruction to build it and with a list of possible benefits coming out of this.

IoT-based solutions are constantly evolving, and that is no different for air pollution monitoring. In the future, we can expect even more improvement in this area with a great benefit for the environment, and consequently, our lives.