Tourism and travelling have become an important part of modern-day life, but they, among many positive, have a number of negative consequences. Environmental impact is probably the most obvious one. It consists of many different aspects, such as depletion of natural resources like water and land, discharging waste, pressure on endangered species, noise pollution, carbon footprint and many others. One of the aspects which is hard to notice at first is the impact on the air quality.

Dubrovnik is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Europe, known for it’s beauty and rich history. It is also the most visited city in Croatia when it comes to cruise visits, counting over 500 cruise visits per year (519 visits in 2019¹), almost double than Split, the next city on the list (267 visits in 2019¹). Since cruise vessels are known as high pollutant producers², it comes as no surprise that Dubrovnik officials decided to monitor their impact on air quality in the city. As part of Inter-pass project, Dubrovnik Port Authority has installed our Smart Sense station Sensees.Environment for indicative air quality measurements. 

Sensees.Environment keeps track of multiple parameters, from concentration of particles (PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10) and various gases like CO, SO₂, NO, NO₂ and O₃ to levels of temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure. It can be integrated with additional sensors for noise and precipitation levels, wind speed and direction, and level of electromagnetic radiation. It sends measurement data to central cloud system which enables real-time monitoring and air quality data analysis. 

Importance of clean air is obvious when it comes to health and life quality, but research also show it’s influence on tourist demand. High levels of SO₂, PM2.5, PM10 and NO₂ have strong negative impact on the number of tourist in that area³. This is additional reason why it is extra important for tourist destinations to monitor their air quality and we are glad that we can help Dubrovnik in maintaining balance between pursuing successful tourist seasons and preserving clean environment.

1 – Foreign vessels on cruise in the Republic of Croatia 2019 – LINK

2 – Cruise Ship Pollution is Causing Serious Health and Environmental Problems, Forbes 2019 – LINK

3 – The impact of air quality on tourism: a systematic literature review – LINK

City of Graz is well known for it’s numerous tourist attractions, interesting history and rich culture, but lately it is being named in a rather unattractive manner – City of Dust^1,2. This is a result of inconvenient geographical position in the valley between local mountains which makes it harder for air to flow naturally, especially in cold conditions. Although air quality has been improved in the last 15 years³, city of Graz continues with activities for air quality improvement.

It’s a pleasure to say that we, Smart Sense, are a part of such a project, in collaboration with local ITG and A1 Telekom Austria Group. It’s one of the first projects globally in which dynamic air quality monitoring is achieved with four mobile Sensees.Environment measuring stations mounted on the vehicles of the public transport. Sensees.Environment stations take air samples along the traffic routes of trams and buses resulting in the great sampling area coverage while sampling frequency remains high. Measuring data will later be used in scientific and expert analysis of air quality dependence on traffic fluctuations. 

Mobile Sensees.Environment stations are optimized for mounting and use in public transport, and low-profile metal casing guarantees compactness and durability of the measuring station. Along with temperature and relative humidity, levels of NO, NO₂, PM2.5 and PM10 are being measured. Air sampling is triggered geographically, and to ensure high quality of sampling independent of vehicle velocity and acceleration, we have developed advanced algorithms. Along with geographical averaging of measurements, system contains algorithms for data validation and interpretation and enables air quality heatmap production. 

Prior to mounting, we tested all four mobile and one stationary Sensees.Environment stations by comparing their measurement data gained at Don Bosco fixed measurement station. Test proved, once again, that data from Sensees.Environment stations are of high quality and that these indicative stations have significant value as supplement to fixed measurement stations. 

1 – Graz von Aktivisten zur “City of Dust” ernannt – LINK

2 – Feinstaubhauptstadt Graz: Großes Feuerwerk der Stadt abgesagt – LINK

„We aim to provide each child with a healthy indoor environment in child care facilities, kindergartens, schools and public recreational settings…“. These are the words in which ministers and state representatives of the European Region of the WHO have signed their commitment to improve air quality in children-related public institutions. A research conducted in Croatian schools and led by Croatian Institute of Public Health, serves as a proof that initiative for improving air quality in schools is necessary. In it, it was shown that in large number of classrooms (97,98%) concetration of CO₂ was at levels high enough to decrease concentration and cognitive abilities of the pupils.

As part of CARNET’s e-Schools project, Smart Sense has participated in the development and deployment of AERO – the smart indoor air quality system, used in number of Croatian schools. The goal of AERO is to improve indoor air quality in schools and, subsequently, to optimize learning environment for pupils. Smart Sense Indoor device – My Sensees measures air quality parameters like CO₂ concentration, particles (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10), temperature and relative humidity. Also, it enables integration of additional sensors, e.g. particles, light, VOCs, etc.

Measured data is being sent to central cloud implemented by CARNET – Croatian Academic and Research Network. Real-time monitoring of air quality in classrooms is enabled via mobile and web application, along with data analysis of recorded air quality parameters leading to better understanding and management of indoor air quality trends.

The City of Zaprešić, a town in Zagreb County, was the first city in Croatia that recognized the importance of clean air in schools and decided to invest in cleaner and brighter future. Two of it’s elementary schools started to monitor air quality in classrooms in 2017, at the very beginning of the AERO. It is expected that, in the next phase of the project, Public Health Institution of Zagreb County will contribute in data analysis and setting up recommendations for better air quality management in these schools. We are very proud to be a part of AERO and we will continue to passionately promote importance of indoor air quality, especially in schools.

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

In 2019, Karlovac city started a SenzoriKA – a project aiming to ground the foundation of Smart city Karlovac initiative. In it, a higher efficiency of city institutions and projects is planned to be achieved through building a network of smart sensors and energy metering devices. When it comes to air quality sensors, we are pleased to state that our Smart Sense Indoor device My Sensees has proven itself worthy of the task. 

My Sensees device is being used in the number of schools in Karlovac and it contains sensors for temperature, relative humidity, VOCs and CO₂ concentration. It enables integration of additional sensors like light, PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10 and others. Measured data is being sent to central cloud using LoRaWAN technology where it can be used for real-time monitoring and data analysis. Due to number of research correlating indoor air quality with overall health, concentration and cognitive abilites of people breathing that air, importance of monitoring air quality in institutions like schools become obvious. It is the first step to improving indoor air quality, and consequently to improving learning environment for the pupils.

In the next phase of this project, it is expected that My Sensees device will be installed in other schools, kindergartens and public institutions. However, Smart Sense will contribute not just in area of indoor, but also outdoor air quality monitoring. Our station for indicative air quality measurement, Sensees Environment will be installed in the number of locations around the city enabling real-time monitoring of air quality with greater geographical resolution than with only fixed measurement station. 

Some of the outdoor stations will be installed near schools that have indoor devices, enabling analysis of combined indoor and outdoor air quality data which will lead to even better understanding of air quality trends and provide better air quality management guidelines. We are looking forward to continuation of this project and seeing its results.

As the echoes of excitement from Bett 2024 linger, we are thrilled to announce that Smart Sense has not only revolutionized air quality monitoring but has also clinched the prestigious Kids Judge Bett Award for the Best Product and Stand. The lively atmosphere of Bett 2024 was further amplified by the genuine enthusiasm of the youngest judges who recognized Smart Sense as the standout among educational technology innovators.

As the curtains closed on the highly anticipated Bett 2024 in London, one company stood out among the sea of educational innovators – and yes – it was us! Smart Sense firmly stands at the forefront of revolutionizing air quality and we proudly brought a breath of fresh air to the event with our air quality monitoring products designed for schools, kindergartens, offices, and any indoor or outdoor space.