UP develops low-cost air quality monitoring system

MANILA, Philippines — In an effort to improve the country’s air quality, the University of the Philippines has developed low-cost simulation tools that replicate how pollutants move around in enclosed spaces.

Through affordable sensors and software applications, Project Four of the UP Center for Air Research in Urban Environments (CARE) will provide researchers, state regulatory agencies, local governments and the general public access to air quality monitoring technologies.

The project aims to “make air quality visible” and accessible, UP CARE Project Four leader Julius Rhoan Lustro said at a recent roundtable discussion.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology, UP CARE is an interdisciplinary research program that provides a platform for real-time air quality monitoring using low-cost customized technologies.

UP CARE program leader Richard Hizon said his team has installed 36 sensors nationwide in partnership with local government units.

Data from installed sensors served as the basis for suspending classes in Quezon City based on air quality levels, said Vanessa Claire Vinarao, acting chief of the climate change mitigation division of the city government’s Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department.

The program’s initiatives are aligned with efforts of the Environmental Management Bureau as the agency is currently updating its guidelines and policies concerning air quality, EMB engineer Chadbert Nikko Aquino said.