Internet of things-based real-time monitoring of air quality in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Abstract

Providing accurate measurements and monitoring of air quality is considered to be one of the most prominent features of modern cities. One component of air pollution is particles of diameter between 2.5 and 10 micrometres and less. They are mixtures of small solid particles and liquid droplets produced due to chemical reactions. Having said this, in this paper, an attempt is made to design and program a low-cost air detector accumulating data about the concentration of particulate matter of diameters 2.5 and 10 micrometres in two different places in the city of Sulaymaniyah and at two different times, (i) during the institution of quarantine regulations, due to COVID pandemic, and (ii) after quarantine is lifted. In addition, a website is created simultaneously to both demonstrate and save the data obtained by the air detector. Moreover, using the quantifying method developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the accumulated data can be used for decision making. Lastly, it should be mentioned that all the millstones of this research were carried out practically on a small scale, and the created system was able to provide data with reasonable accuracy. It should be pointed out that the process of data recording was between 20th of February and 10th of May 2020, in two different places namely Sarchnar and Saholak, which was during quarantine. Thus, the concentration of both particulate matter of 2.5 and 10 micrometres till end of April was low with an average of 40 and 60 µg/m3 for 2.5 micrometre in Sarchnar and Saholaka, and 90 and 140 µg/m3 for 10 micrometres in Sarchnar and Saholaka since quarantine regulations were strict. However, from 20th of April till 10th of May as the quarantine regulations got less serious, the number increased to 75 and 70 µg/m3 for 2.5 micrometre in Sarchnar and Saholaka, respectively and 140 and 180 µg/m3 for 10 micrometres in Sarchnar and Saholaka, respectively.