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The significance of air quality monitoring for analyzing impact on public health is growing worldwide. A crucial part of smart city development includes deployment of suitable air pollution sensors at critical locations. Note that there are various air quality measurement instruments, ranging from expensive reference stations that provide accurate data to low-cost sensors that provide less accurate air quality measurements. In this research, we use a combination of sensors and monitors, which we call hybrid instruments, and focus on optimal placement of such instruments across a region. The objective of the problem is to maximize a satisfaction function that quantifies the weighted closeness of different regions to the places where such hybrid instruments are placed (here weights for different regions are quantified in terms of the relative population density and relative PM 2.5 concentration). Note that there can be several constraints such as those on budget, the minimum number of reference stations to be placed, or the set of important regions where at least one sensor should be placed. We develop two algorithms to solve this problem. The first one is a genetic algorithm that is a metaheuristic and that works on the principles of evolution. The second one is a greedy algorithm that selects the locally best choice in each iteration. We test these algorithms on different regions from India with varying sizes and other characteristics such as population distribution, PM 2.5 emissions, or available budget. The insights obtained from this paper can be used to quantitatively place reference stations and sensors in large cities rather than using ad hoc procedures or rules of thumb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of air quality monitoring for analyzing the impact on public health is growing worldwide. A crucial part of smart city development includes deployment of suitable air pollution sensors at critical locations. Note that there are various air quality measurement instruments ranging from expensive reference stations that provide accurate data to low-cost sensors that provide reasonable air quality measurements. In this research, we use a combination of sensors and monitors, which we call as hybrid instruments and focus on optimal placement of such instruments across a region. The objective of the problem is to maximize a satisfaction function that quantifies the weighted closeness of different regions to the places where such hybrid instruments are placed (here weights for different regions are quantified in terms of the relative population density and relative PM2.5 concentration). Note that there can be several constraints such as those on budget, minimum number of reference stations to be placed, set of important regions where at least one sensor should be placed and so on. We develop two algorithms to solve this problem. The first one is a genetic algorithm that is a metaheuristic and works on the principles of evolution. The second one is a greedy algorithm that selects locally best choice in each iteration. We test these algorithms on different regions from India with varying sizes and other characteristics such as population distribution, PM2.5 concentration, budget available, etc. The insights obtained from this paper can be used to quantitatively place reference stations and sensors in large cities rather than using ad hoc procedures or rules of thumb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global burden of disease study estimated 695,000 premature deaths in 2010 due to continued exposure to outdoor particulate matter and ozone pollution for India. By 2030, the expected growth in many of the sectors (industries, residential, transportation, power generation, and construction) will result in an increase in pollution related health impacts for most cities. The available information on urban air pollution, their sources, and the potential of various interventions to control pollution, should help us propose a cleaner path to 2030. In this paper, we present an overview of the emission sources and control options for better air quality in Indian cities, with a particular focus on interventions like urban public transportation facilities; travel demand management; emission regulations for power plants; clean technology for brick kilns; management of road dust; and waste management to control open waste burning. Also included is a broader discussion on key institutional measures, like public awareness and scientific studies, necessary for building an effective air quality management plan in Indian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]