Real-time Route Planning using Mobile Air Pollution Detectors and Citizen Scientists

The increasing urbanization of society is resulting in numerous challenges. One of these challenges is transport congestion and the associated increase in pollution that is widely accepted as driving global warming. For many individuals and especially those with respiratory issues, e.g., those with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high levels of pollution can cause direct health events. The ability to measure pollution accurately in real time at disaggregated levels and subsequently avoid pollution hotspots is thus highly desirable. This paper describes a Cloud-based infrastructure and associated mobile application that utilizes real time, mobile pollution measurement technology to help individuals avoid pollution hotspots through real-time pollution-aware routing algorithms.