Locating Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Devices in Low-Resource Regions Is Not Enough to Acquire Robust Air Quality Data Usable for Policy Decisions
Emekwuru, A., Wokoma, A., Ojuka, O., Amadi, I., Moslen, M., Amuzie, C. and Emekwuru, N. (2025) Locating Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Devices in Low-Resource Regions Is Not Enough to Acquire Robust Air Quality Data Usable for Policy Decisions. Environments, 12 (6). ISSN 2076-3298
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Abstract
Air quality monitoring (AQM) is key to maintaining healthy air in cities. This is crucial in low- and middle-income countries due to increasing evidence of poor air quality but lack of monitors to consistently collect evaluate air quality data and effect policy changes, mainly because of the costs of monitoring devices. In participating in a challenge for the development of low-cost AQM devices in low-resource regions, an Arduino-based device with sensors for particulate matter size, temperature, and humidity data acquisition was developed for deployment in Port Harcourt, a city in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, exposed to poor air quality partly due to gas and oil production activities. During the project, challenges to AQM were encountered, including inadequate awareness of air quality issues, lack of necessary AQM device components, unavailability of trained manpower and partnerships, and lack of funding. However, lack of a means of calibrating the device was a major hindrance, as no reference AQM instrument was available, rendering the data acquired largely qualitative, educational, and useless for regulatory purposes. There is an urgent need for AQM in such cities. However, a robust AQM strategy must be designed and used to address these constraints, especially whilst using low-cost devices, for significant progress in acquiring robust air quality data in such low-resource regions to be made.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Received too late to be eligible for the REF. |
| Keywords: | low-cost air quality sensors, air quality monitoring constraints, calibration, local manufacturing, low-resource regions, air quality policies |
| Divisions: | Departments > Engineering Research Centres > Harper Institute of Technology |
| Depositing User: | Miss Anna Cope |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Nov 2026 12:20 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Nov 2026 12:20 |
| URI: | https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18445 |
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