Important Innovations Collection

New NASA, ESA, South Korea Virtual Network to Monitor Air Pollution Source:  European Space Agency Image of Global Pollution Hourly Air Quality, Air Pollution Updates NASA, the European Space Agency and South Korea are joining forces to create a new constellation of satellites with highly advanced instrumentation to monitor global air quality and air pollution.  The system is so advanced it is capable of monitoring, tracking and providing hourly updates on air quality anyplace on Earth. South Korea Launch The environmental watch from space was just kicked off by South Korea's launch of its Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer, aboard its ocean monitoring satellite.  NASA will launch similar instruments in 2022.  The European Space Agency will launch its own satellites and instruments in 2023.  It will be the world's first, real time, air quality monitoring system covering the globe with updates every hour. Global Air Quality Mon...

New Optical Nano-sensors Source:  Chalmers University Small Enough to Mount on Streetlights This is new innovation developed at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Small optical nano-sensors capable of sensing air pollution on  every street corner.  These sensors are small, portable, simple, cheaper and can be mounted on ordinary street lights to monitor the air.  The technology is fascinating.  The sensors detect nitrogen dioxide in the air by measuring the changes in wavelengths when the metal particles are illuminated by light. The sensors can detect other pollutants in the air as well. Sensors Being Deployed in western Sweden According to the World Health Organization, 7 million people a year worldwide die prematurely from air pollution, 550,000 in Europe alone.  The new sensors are deployed in western Sweden.  The University is collaborating with a Gothenburg based company Insplorion on this.  Chalmers has also started wo...

 Breathe London Project - Kids' Backpacks Monitoring Air Pollution Source:  Breathe London Project  State of the Art Sensors in Backpacks Dyson engineers along with King's College London have created state of the art sensors to monitor air pollution from student backpacks, along with a lot more data.  The backpacks with sensors are for 250 London school children and function as normal to carry their books, water and food.  With one addition - the lightweight sensors are measuring air pollution that the students are exposed to in London during their daily routines. That will alert the city of London of air pollution danger areas for children and everyone. King's Scientists The Breathe London Project is led by a team of King's scientists.  The backpack sensors monitor both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels.  The sensors are lightweight and show what the students are exposed to in terms of air pollution and specifically where and ...