Case studies Additional Quality Assurance Safety Net for Smart Sense measuring station for air quality monitoring

For several years, European Union has been a trailblazer in making the world a cleaner and healthier place, and one of the pillars of healthy society is the quality of the air we all breathe. Knowing this, EU has adopted regulation on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe¹. In it, among other things, data quality objectives for indicative measurements have been defined.

It comes as no surprise that data quality objectives for indicative measurements are set lower than those for fixed measurements, but we at Smart Sense always tend to achieve better accuracy than defined in regulation. Because of that, we decided to analyse performance of our Smart Sense measuring station for air quality monitoring compared to the reference fixed measurement station, in property of Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health – one of the leading medical excellence centers in the Republic of Croatia, specialized in the field of public health.

In this analysis, data from three different measuring stations measuring station for air quality monitoring has been evaluated. Interval of collecting the data (levels of CO, NO, NO₂ and O₃) was once every hour and one station had been collecting it for six months, while other two for one month. Analysis has shown extremely high correlation between reference fixed measurement station data and data from all three of the Smart Sense measuring stations (R > 0,9). Also, no significant degradation of station performance has been observed, along with low variability between different measuring station stations.

Led by the passion to assure the highest possible data quality to our customers, we have signed the collaboration deal with Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health. In this collaboration, among other things, we agreed to validate every Smart Sense measuring station comparing it to the reference fixed measurement station located at Mirogojska street. Doing so as an internal control procedure, we test every Smart Sense station we make and we do our best to provide our customers with measuring stations, not only compliant with EU regulations, but also with the highest accuracy and reliability on the indicative measurement market. 

Along with cooperation in scientific activites, collaboration in the Eco Map of the City of Zagreb² project serves as a proof of confidence of experts from Andrija Štampar Teaching Institute of Public Health in the quality of Smart Sense measurement stations. In the expansion of this project, six new Smart Sense measurement stations for air quality monitoring are being used to keep track of NO, NO₂, NOX, SO_2, O₃, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, temperature, relative humidity and pressure levels. Also, these six stations give them an option to integrate additional sensors for noise and precipitation levels, wind speed and direction, and level of electromagnetic radiation. We are very proud to have the opportunity to be a part of such project for which we believe will prove itself very useful, not just to experts and scientists, but also to all citizens of our beautiful city.

1 – Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council - LINK

2 – Eco Map of the City of Zagreb - LINK