Official launch of City Air, the first air quality monitoring network in schools
The Romanian Association for Smart City launched on Thursday, 17.06.2021, the City Air program, the national network for air quality monitoring in schools. The program aims to become the biggest movement to improve air quality in schools in Romania.
The first stage of the program aims to install 60 monitoring stations in 30 schools selected in the program, and the data are available for free on cityair.ro. Periodically, a working group within the association will make reports and updates with the interpretation of these data.
The official launch of the project took place in the Amphitheater of Regina Maria School, the event was organized in partnership with the City Hall of Sector 6 and the Administration of Schools Sector 6.
In addition to the initiators of the program, the event was attended by City Air technology partners – Claritech, TNT Computers, Inoesy, Nature Talks Association, but also guests who support the importance of air quality for a healthy future:
- Ciprian Ciucu, the mayor of Sector 6
- Octavian Berceanu, General Commissioner of National Environmental Guard
- George Garbacea, President of the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPM)
- Dragoș Preda – Executive Director of SN Radiocomunicații
- Teodora Iacob, President of the Association Nature Talks
- Prince Nicholas of Romania, President of the Association Principele Nicolae
- Radu Țincu, ICU specialist at Floreasca Hospital
- Cristian Croitor – Managing Director Claritech
- Andrei Zamfirescu, Head of Development TNT Computers SRL
- Tudor Gorcia – CEO TNT Computers SRL
- Ovidiu Tudose – CEO SC INOESY SRL
Romania does not have an air monitoring network in schools. 25,000 people die annually from pollution problems. 80 people, statistically, officially, die due to pollution problems.
He also stressed the importance of measuring air quality to identify solutions, but especially the importance of collaboration of local and central authorities and civil society. In this context, he congratulated the openness and transparency of the City Hall of Sector 6 on this issue.
We are in the phase where we test stations, we test technologies, we go into the middle of the community and learn together. We cannot talk about urban development if we do not understand what problems pollution brings. Just as when we feel bad, we go to the doctor so we can get a diagnosis and do investigations, in the same way we have to act when it comes to pollution. That is why City Air is an infrastructure available for central and local authorities, civil society and all those interested in finding solutions. Only in a collaborative environment we can make this platform work and achieve its purpose.
More details about the launch event City Air in the press release published by The Romanian Association for Smart City.
Unfortunately, pollution kills us and kills those who come after us. It is a silent phenomenon, because it does not hurt, does not create any kind of panic, but acts tacitly on our health.
Air pollution causes the appearance of chronic lung diseases, which affect our quality of life and work capacity. It increases the risk of cancer in all areas, and if we talk about future generations, pollution increases the susceptibility of children to develop respiratory allergies, allergies that mean a predisposition to develop chronic pathologies in adulthood.
Claritech, tehnology partner of City Air program
CityAir became possible under the coordination of The Romanian Association for Smart City, with the support of partners Claritech, Inoesy, TNT Computers and the NatureTalks Association, but also thanks to the involvement of the local community. The initial investment is worth 50,000 euros and is 100% private.
As a technology partner, Claritech supports the initiative with the supply, installation, and maintenance of NuboAir monitoring stations, calibrated outdoor sensors for real-time monitoring of pollution levels – particulate emissions PM1.0, PM2.5.
We provide sensors (Nubo Air Sensirion monitoring stations). We searched for a solution that is used in the most important markets in the world and in Europe, sensors that have high accuracy and that naturally complement both the sensors in independent citizen science networks and large stations of sensors in the national air quality monitoring network.
We feel the need to get involved, to invest, because we want to help people realize how important this subject is.
ABOUT CITY AIR
The national air quality monitoring program in schools
The map of the national air quality monitoring platform City Air took shape with the start of the pilot project in the Capital, on June 8, 2021. In the first phase, the implementation of the pilot project involves the installation of two stations for local monitoring of the level of air pollution for each school (indoors and outdoors) from the list of selected schools in Sector 6. The sensors will measure, for a year, the suspended particles from the air breathed inside and outside: PM 1, PM 2.5, PM 10, but also information about humidity, pressure, and temperature.
The collected data can be accessed by everyone on the map.cityair.ro. platform. Air quality is described in a first phase with the indicators: “good”, “average”, “bad”, so that users can understand in a simple way the data collected by the monitoring stations. In the back, however, the complete data are stored and, periodically, reports will be issued showing how air quality has evolved over a longer period in the schools where the stations have been installed.
Also, in the next period a mobile application will be developed, which will issue alerts when the air quality is below the accepted level.
600,000 children die each year globally from indoor and outdoor air pollution.
The main goal of the City Air program is to build the real image of school air quality and thus create the infrastructure needed to show an up-to-date x-ray of the situation.
ABOUT NUBO AIR
Air quality monitoring system, distributed by Claritech in Romania
The Nubo Air monitoring system ensures accurate measurements for air quality in conditions of long service life, especially because of the redundant configuration, factory calibrated sensors and integrated self-configuration and self-diagnostic functions.
Nubo is MCERTS certified and is produced by Sensirion Switzerland, with a tradition of over 20 years in the production of high precision sensors.
More details about Nubo, the main features and benefits here.
Open data from Nubo sensors can also be viewed online on aer.claritech.ro.
