”Message” is the name given to a joint venture between the UK”s Department for Transport and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), who plan to monitor air quality through mobile sensors carried by the public.
The sensors, which are small enough to fit in a pocket, will provide extensive real time data on the effects of weather, street design, and driving behaviour on air pollution. Larger boxes will also be fitted to buses. Ultimately the goal is to reduce traffic pollution by improving public transport and road network management, and make the road freight industry more efficient.
Imperial College London is leading the project, but the Universities of Cambridge, Leeds, Newcastle and Southampton will also monitor the data. Funding and support will also come from a wide range of industry partners and collaborators, such as Transport for London, the Highways Agency, Boeing, Nokia, and IBM.
UK Minister for Transport Stephen Ladyman (pictured above) said: ”we all now live in a data rich world and it is important that we have robust methods for handling this data, in real time. This project will enable the development of technologies to manage our transport systems as efficiently and effectively as possible.”