Integration of carbon dioxide sensor with GNSS receiver for dynamic air quality monitoring applications

Abstract

Air pollution is a significant problem in big cities due to the rapid increase of anthropogenic activities and severe traffic congestion. Therefore, real-time and micro tools for air monitoring are urgently necessary for fast and better policy decision-making. The current city air monitoring tool is typically static and serves a macro area. This study introduces technology development to integrate the air quality sensor with the satellite-based navigation receiver. This study used a carbon dioxide (CO₂) MH-Z19C sensor and real-time kinematic global navigation satellite system (RTK GNSS) U-Blox F9P with GNSS Trimble NetR9 receiver. The field air quality monitoring (CO₂ observed in ppm) and the movement velocity (vehicle speed observed in km/h) were recorded on two main roads of Jakarta by using a survey vehicle. The study compares the observation results of the non-integrated system (NIS) and integrated technology system (IS). The two systems generated the CSV database (CO₂ and vehicle speed); however, IS generated the automatic synchronized and error-free data output. The statistical regression analysis of CSV data (CO₂ and vehicle speed) between the NIS and IS reported significant results, which means both are reliable. Still, the NIS did not require manual synchronization, with some possibility of error. The R square values show a significant gap (speed 0.99 over CO₂ 0.144), indicating that IS needs further development as the CO₂ data varies due to technicality. The finding presents that integrating the CO₂ sensor and GNSS receiver generates a more effective time synchronization process and a reliable error removal technique in developing the CSV data. This finding is a significant reference in developing the integrated satellite-based receiver system with external environmental sensors.