Application of AI and IoT technologies to control air pollution in smart cities

As smart cities are developing worldwide, so is the concern of air pollution there. It is increasingly becoming a hot topic of concern worldwide. According to the 2023 World Air Quality Report published by IQAir, a Swiss-based air quality technology company, Bangladesh was on the top of the list of PM2.5 concentration (μg/m³) for countries, regions, and territories in descending order followed by Pakistan and India. Not only in smart cities but also in many metro cities, the air quality index (AQI) is reducing every day. Major contributors to this declining AQI include vehicle fuel emissions, fuel oil, fumes from process industries, chemical products, and many others. Today’s AI and IoT technologies however have the potential to provide solutions to many real-life problems including the problem of monitoring and controlling air pollution. AI and IOT help to control air pollution by monitoring AQI, sensors, and remote sensing. It can collect real-time data from multiple locations, which is then analyzed to identify the sources of air pollution. IOT makes monitoring easier and access to that information should be affordable to all. IoT and AI also help to detect toxic substances and fumes that may contain carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and other toxic gases. This paper underlines the burning issue of air pollution worldwide with a focus on the smart cities of the future. Citing a few recent developments in AI and IOT technologies, it advocates that monitoring AQI, application sensors, and remote sensing can effectively contribute to ensuring quality air in future smart cities. Examples of application of these technologies in a few metro cities have also been quoted along with the scope of future research in these areas.