Air quality specialist EarthSense is working with Oxfordshire County Council and connected vehicle company Tantalum to gain a better understanding of the impact of road traffic on air quality.
Buses from Oxfordshire County Council's Fleet Services are being fitted with EarthSense's Zephyr air quality sensors to provide data on both vehicle emissions and the local air quality along the route.
Data collected by EarthSense will be used to optimise traffic light control and coordination in order to manage and mitigate road congestion and pollution. The data will also be used by Oxford City Council as it prepares to produce a Zero Emission Zone.
'We have a special interest in projects that will help ensure that Oxfordshire is at the forefront of emerging technologies for air quality monitoring and management, especially in relation to traffic emissions,' said Llewelyn Morgan, service manager for infrastructure, innovation and development at Oxfordshire County Council.
Data from EarthSense Zephyr sensors will also be used to help Tantalum, which is working alongside Imperial College London to refine traffic emission models in the Air.Car project which aims to deliver a greater understanding of vehicle pollution.
'This is a major milestone in our project to develop services which will give power to drivers, businesses and government to reduce emissions and clean up our air,' said Alex Willard, head of Air.Car.
'We are delighted to be working with Oxfordshire County Council and EarthSense to improve our traffic emission models. This will be invaluable in building a service advising drivers to take routes that will reduce their emissions and also their exposure to poor air quality'
Tom Hall, managing director of EarthSense said: 'It is essential to obtain accurate measurements in order to understand and solve air quality problems. This project will demonstrate how the best available technologies, including the EarthSense Zephyr sensors and services from Air.Car, can provide solutions to drive change for improved air quality'
