Urban Air Quality Assessment

This project is a collaborative effort of the Center for Applied Geomatics (CAG) with the Space Application Center (SAC), dedicated to revolutionising air quality monitoring across India. Our mission is to tackle urban air pollution challenges by leveraging cutting-edge satellite remote-sensing technology.

In densely populated urban areas, limited air quality monitoring stations hinder effective pollution prevention at a micro-scale level. Traditional monitoring stations, sparsely distributed and insufficient in capturing the dynamic nature of air quality, fall short of mapping atmospheric pollution accurately. The aim is to explore satellite remote sensing—a game-changer in assessing and mapping air pollution. Our research utilises satellite imagery to offer synoptic views of vast areas, providing a comprehensive understanding of pollutant variations and concentrations, explicitly focusing on major pollutants such as NO2, SO2, PM 2.5, and O3.

This groundbreaking project delves into diverse aspects, including analysing methods responsible for releasing toxic gaseous components into the atmosphere and their impact on climate change and human health. Via this project, crucial questions surrounding air pollution, from available data sources for measurement to tools enhancing pollutant identification, establishing the correlation between air pollution and urban areas, and showcasing the invaluable role of satellite imagery in identifying the Air Quality Index (AQI), are studied.

Furthermore, the project emphasises the validation and accuracy of AQI derived from satellite data, ensuring reliable and precise information for informed decision-making regarding air quality management.