Urban Emissions Monitoring at the Vehicle Level

Urban emissions have been considered an issue in the UK since as early as the 13

th

century, when the use of coal was banned in London because of the damaging effects to human health. Despite air quality improving in the last century, the establishment of legislative controls and limits, in addition to developments in sensing technology are helping to reduce further the pollutant levels present in the air. Technological advances, such as the emergence of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), and complex computer based tools may allow for both the capturing and analysis of data in order to address the issue of emissions from road transportation systems. This work delves into the possibility of remotely obtaining real-time emissions data at the vehicle level using a combination of WSNs and Geographical Information Systems (GISs). The paper adopts a design science research methodology, discussing the rationale for the novel approach taken and presenting empirical measurements from a vehicle to demonstrate the principle of the work.