Increasing Air Quality Data through Trainings on Internet of Things and Low-Cost Sensors

Atmospheric pollution is a global threat with increasing social and economic costs. Poor air quality is a concern in African cities, but governments have been too slow to react. Low-cost sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) are increasingly considered as solutions to evaluate the concentration of different pollutants in place of standard monitors. They are cheap and can be easily deployed. However, there is a lack of training and education on how to design and implement them. The IoT4AQ project, funded by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), aims to address this gap by organizing training sessions for researchers and students on low-cost sensors for air quality monitoring. The project started in February 2023 and will last for two years. It will be implemented in African countries, where participants will be trained in IoT techniques, showing how to build and deploy low-cost sensor-based instruments. The specific objectives of the project are:

• To organize hands-on trainings and seminars on IoT and air quality monitoring
• To train researchers, teachers, and students on various aspects of air quality monitoring
• To improve Physics education in Africa through low-cost sensors and IoT

The expected outcomes of the project are:

• To train participants on IoT and air quality monitoring
• To improve the experimental skills of participants
• To increase awareness of the threat that atmospheric pollution represents