Global Technology for Local Monitoring of Air Pollution in Dhaka
The World Health Organization attributes about 3.3 million annual premature deaths to outdoor air pollution in low- and middle-income countries. Comprehensive pollution monitoring in urban areas has been too costly for many developing countries; ye...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/583491602078309833/Global-Technology-for-Local-Monitoring-of-Air-Pollution-in-Dhaka http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34600 |
| Summary: | The World Health Organization attributes
about 3.3 million annual premature deaths to outdoor air
pollution in low- and middle-income countries. Comprehensive
pollution monitoring in urban areas has been too costly for
many developing countries; yet sparse information has
hindered cost-effective pollution management strategies.
Global information technologies offer a potential escape
from this information trap, but their accuracy remains
uncertain. This paper uses ground-based measures of fine
particulates and nitrogen dioxide, provided by the CAMS-3
Darussalam monitoring station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to test
three global technologies: the European Space Agency’s
Sentinel-5P, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer, and Google Traffic. The results indicate
that all three global technologies can provide useful
information for extension of air pollution measurement
beyond the few areas that are currently monitored by ground
stations. Each technology tracks ground-based fine
particulates measures with high significance, and the
European Space Agency’s Sentinel-5P and Google Traffic
perform similarly for ground-based nitrogen dioxide
measures. Google Traffic can provide accurate tracking at
higher spatial and temporal resolution than the satellite
sources, but only for emissions from motor vehicles in major
metro areas. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer and the European Space Agency’s
Sentinel-5P capture the effects of emissions from other
sources at all locations. |
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