On-Road Real-Time Hyper-Local Air Quality Monitoring Based on Mobile IoT Enabled by a Network of Vehicles Equipped with Air Quality Sensors

People are exposed to disproportionately high concentrations of air pollutants daily on and near the road during their ride, walk, and residency. Currently air quality monitoring is performed mostly at background locations far away from the road and distinctive point, line, and area emission sources, failing to report concentrations on the road. This study presents an innovative air quality monitoring method using a network of vehicles equipped with air quality sensors (AQSs). Vehicles are connected to internet through either cell link or apps used by drivers. A cloud server collects the data and updates air quality concentration maps every 10 minutes. The study presents very high temporal and spatial resolution maps at a fraction of the cost of previous studies. These high spatiotemporal resolution air quality maps can be used to reduce public exposure in many ways including but not limited to cabin air flap door control, eco-driving route for navigation, and daily exposure monitoring. The method has a potential to be deployed worldwide.