KnowAir: A Low-Cost PM2.5 Sensor Citizen-Based Air Pollution Monitoring System for Real-Time

Air pollution poses the world’s most significant environmental health risk to people everywhere. According to certain World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, air pollution exposure results in millions of premature deaths each year, with children under five making up a significant portion of these fatalities. While it is estimated that more than 90% of the world’s population lives in areas of dangerously high levels of air pollution. In order to recognize and understand air quality trends, access to real-time air quality data is essential. Thus, there is an urgent need to fill the gaps in this data with more low-cost air quality monitoring stations. In this paper, a health-oriented air quality monitoring prototype was developed, as well as air quality data collection using low-cost PM2.5 sensors. The study aims to raise citizens’ awareness of the dangers of pollution by giving them real-time readings. And providing community service to protect people with cardiovascular diseases and those directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, by means of an effective tool that avoids exposure to high levels of outdoor air pollution. The study is designed according to the health organization’s guidelines. This study describes the methodology used to develop this system along with some results of the primary data analysis. The city of Benghazi is taken as a case study.