Air quality sensor network offers highly detailed pollution map in Camden

Air quality sensor network offers highly detailed pollution map in Camden

A ground-breaking street-level, real-time air quality sensor network has launched in Camden to fundamentally transform how government, businesses and the public monitor and manage air pollution in urban spaces.

The air quality specialist, AirScape, has installed more than 225 award-winning AirNode air quality sensors across the borough, in partnership with Camden Council and The Camden Clean Air Initiative.

The network provides 45x more spatial resolution and refreshes 60x more regularly than the existing network of air quality reference stations in Camden, capturing and reporting hyper-local air quality data every minute to map the issue in real time.

AirScape aims to replicate this approach across London and in every major city around the world, to enable real action on air pollution.

Dr Matthew Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer at AirScape, said: “Air pollution is one of the most profound issues facing humanity today. Tackling this crisis requires policy makers, businesses, and the general public to have a real-time, accurate understanding of air quality through accessible, publicly available data.

“Through this project, AirScape is making the invisible, visible. Our air quality sensor network in Camden delivers ultra-high-definition detail of local air pollution. The network is supporting policy makers to make data-driven choices to protect the health and wellbeing of the local community, whilst giving the public the ability to make informed decisions every day to reduce their exposure to air pollution.

“Camden is a vital first location for the deployment of AirScape, and our ambition is to install networks across every major city in the world, to enable a giant leap in our ability to tackle the air pollution crisis.”

Initial data from beta testing over the past month has already revealed a number of interesting findings. On a micro level, the platform can identify daily ‘incidents’ which occur on one street but not another, and extreme pollution differences in time, shown in rush hour NO2.

Findings include:

  • Tuesday, 1st March, the day of tube strikes in London, led to high increases in rush hour NO2, as more people relied on road transport.
  • Friday, 17th June, the hottest day of the year so far, saw unhealthy levels of Ozone across the Borough.
  • Friday, 17th June, a large fire on Chalk Farm Road took place, which could be seen igniting and being extinguished on the AirScape platform, with a plume of harmful PM2.5 moving with the south westly wind to the northeast (images showcasing these findings can be found in the notes to editors below).

Local community groups are already showing interest in using the information from the platform. A local school group has used the data to conduct a lesson on air quality and local cycling groups are using the information to help choose the cleanest times and routes for cycle rides.

World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.[i]

A recent report by the National Audit Office highlighted that the UK government is not on track to cut air pollution and is not effectively informing the public about the issue, so AirScape could be the ideal solution to meet both challenges by making detailed and impactful air pollution data available to all. [ii]

As the first local authority to adopt the AirScape network, Camden Council is leading public engagement on air quality in the UK, and the network is a blueprint for other local authorities to follow suit. The council was also the first to adopt WHO air quality standards, with a host of initiatives already in place to help realise its vision for a healthy and resilient borough.

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet member for a sustainable Camden said: “Reducing air pollution is absolutely vital to improving the health and well-being of everyone in Camden. The detailed data from this network will revolutionise how we can engage with our community, giving us the power to make smarter, informed decisions to tackle air pollution. 

“I’d like to thank AirScape, Camden Clean Air Initiative, Camden’s in-house team of air quality experts and street lighting team for their sterling work in getting this network set up. Making this data freely accessible to all members of our community further demonstrates the council’s longstanding commitment to the open sharing of data in the public interest.”

The revolutionary AirScape approach has been designed to engage a range of stakeholders and the general public in this critical issue. AirScape and The Camden Clean Air Initiative are working together closely to encourage local groups, businesses, NGOs and members of the public to engage with the platform, now publicly and freely accessible at https://airscape.ai.

The data generated from the network can be used in a myriad of ways, enabling the public to choose less polluted routes from A-to-B, feeding into local traffic management policy and providing NHS Trusts and schools with information to help raise awareness of air pollution and protect vulnerable communities.The future possibilities of how the data can be used are vast and AirScape is aiming to engage with potential partners, clean air groups and councils to explore future collaboration.

Public funding to roll out an initiative of this scale to the rest of London and in cities around the world is limited, so AirScape is raising private funding and sponsorship from multiple sources – from individuals to large corporates – to accelerate change and save lives.

Jeffrey Young, CEO of The Camden Clean Air Initiative, said: “Those living, working and visiting the Borough of Camden must be protected from exposure to toxic air pollution. In order to improve air quality, we must first understand its sources – exactly what the ground-breaking AirScape project allows us to do.

“By partnering with AirScape, The Camden Clean Air Initiative has put Camden on the map for GreenTech, giving people across the Borough the opportunity to make informed decisions on how to dramatically reduce exposure to air pollution. The AirScape project aligns directly with The Camden Clean Air Initiative’s vision to fill the Borough with real-time air quality sensors and place Camden at the forefront of the London’s sustainability agenda.”

With at least 40,000 premature deaths each year in the UK due to air pollution, toxic air is a known contributor to cancer, heart disease, strokes and asthma. Causing over 20x more deaths than road traffic accidents[iii], poor air quality costs society, businesses and our NHS services more than £15 billion a year. To reflect the increasing scientific evidence of the harm to health caused by toxic air, the WHO sharply reduced its guideline limits for air pollution last year.[iv]

Recent research produced by the non-profit group, the Central Office of Public Interest (Copi), and Imperial College London found that more than 97% of addresses in the UK exceed WHO limits for at least one of three key pollutants, while 70% of addresses breach WHO limits for all three.[v]

[i] WHO https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution

[ii] NAO https://www.nao.org.uk/press-release/tackling-local-breaches-of-air-quality/

[iii] Brake.org https://www.brake.org.uk/get-involved/take-action/mybrake/knowledge-centre/uk-road-safety#:~:text=Road%20deaths%20and%20serious%20injuries%20in%20the%20UK&text=The%20number%20of%20road%20deaths,five%20a%20day%2C%20on%20average.

[iv] WHO – New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution

[v] London.gov – Toxic air reducing far more slowly in outer London than central London

CGI & Smartmatic successfully deliver e-counting for London elections

CGI & Smartmatic successfully deliver e-counting for London elections

London, United Kingdom – May 24, 2021 – For the Mayor of London and London Assembly elections on 6 May 2021, the Greater London Authority (GLA) successfully deployed an electronic vote-counting solution to process approximately 7.9 million hand-marked paper ballots.

Global IT and business consulting services firm CGI and election and voting technology specialist Smartmatic, together with other partners including Hamilton Rentals, provided end-to-end services, software and technical infrastructure for the election.  In the elections, which were delayed from May 2020 due to the pandemic, voters elected the Mayor of London, 14 Constituency Assembly Members and 11 London-wide Assembly Members.

The centralised processing of the voter-marked ballots began on 7 May and was split over two days to ensure a COVID-19 safe environment. Using high-speed scanners in three count centres, with stringent cyber security measures in place, the count was delivered with streamlined ballot processing, enhanced auditing and reduced staffing requirements.

With a voting population of nearly 6.2 million scattered across 32 boroughs, London has one of the most complex local election landscapes in the United Kingdom. Approximately 10.6 million votes were counted as the Mayoral election used preferential voting and each voter selected two options. The GLA had to employ three different counting systems: first-past-the-post, a supplementary vote system, and a form of proportional representation.  The electronic count was validated by the Constituency Returning Officer and the Greater London Returning Officer.

Deputy Greater London Returning Officer, Alex Conway said, “With CGI, Smartmatic and partners, we knew the count was in safe hands. The commitment of their teams meant the rapid shift to delivering a COVID-safe election was a real success.”

Donna Kelly, Senior Vice President, South and Midlands Business Unit at CGI in the UK said, “We are delighted to have worked with the GLA and London Boroughs to plan, test, train and successfully deliver the e-counting solution for the recent London elections. Our focus was on helping to deliver a transparent, secure and accurate election in a safe environment.”

Commenting on the e-counting process, Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica stated, “The technology was key to simplify and speed up the counting process while making it more auditable. Counting for all elections was performed simultaneously thanks to the electronic counting platform.”

About Smartmatic

Smartmatic specializes in the design and deployment of election system technologies. As the global leader in providing secure, transparent, accessible, verifiable voting systems, Smartmatic is setting the standard for election integrity and inclusivity worldwide, including encrypted results transmission, paper ballot back-up, extensive auditing and Internet voting.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 77,000 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2020 reported revenue is C$12.16 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

About Hamilton Rentals

Incorporated in 1972 Hamilton Rentals is the UK’s largest and longest established technology rental company, which specialises in the build, delivery, deployment and support of temporary hardware solutions.

Hamilton’s heritage is in helping businesses manage their IT assets and meet their temporary technology demands, providing the latest hardware on flexible rental contracts coupled with unsurpassed installation and engineering support. Our expertise allows us to work as an extension to customer focussed solution teams to provision relatively “simple” IT such as PCs or AV, as well as, complex infrastructure and networked solutions. www.hamilton.co.uk

SGO Statement: The Open Society Foundations Tabs Malloch-Brown

SGO Statement: The Open Society Foundations Tabs Malloch-Brown

London, UK – December 4, 2020 – SGO Companies wish to congratulate Lord Mark Malloch-Brown on his new appointment as President of The Open Society Foundations. Although we will miss him, we are happy the world will be gaining a tireless leader, who will put all his knowledge of the private, public and non-profit sectors to the pursuit of fairer and more just societies.

As part of his commitment to sever all ties with private-sector companies, Lord Malloch-Brown is stepping down as Chairman of SGO on December 4.

Malloch-Brown has been instrumental in the growth and development of our several companies, with a strong focus on social impact.

AirLabs, a London-based company with an R&D center in Copenhagen that is pioneering in air quality and purification, including the removal of airborne virus particles, for which it was named by Unreasonable Impact as one of the 10 most impactful and entrepreneurial companies addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Smartmatic, the world’s leading elections technology company, whose systems have securely processed more than five billion votes on five continents with zero security breaches.

Folio, a digital identity company enabling and empowering citizens around the world with technologies such as a Mobile Health Passport to help governments safely re-open economies.

Sterisafe, a health-tech company delivering revolutionary sterilization and hygiene technologies to remove pathogens from medical facilities and operating rooms. Infuser, a Danish company improving indoor air quality with unmatched technologies.

5 ways Folio’s digital wallet will make your life easier

5 ways Folio’s digital wallet will make your life easier

Digital identity is an idea whose time has come and the technology to power it and secure it is already here in the form of Folio.

1. IT’S ALL IN ONE
Just like a normal wallet, Folio stores everything you need in one place. That doesn’t just mean your credit and debit cards, but also your ID, store loyalty cards and any other important documents, too. That means the originals can stay safe at home.
Setting it up is simple. Take a selfie and a photo of your ID. (This can be your driver’s license, passport or national ID card.) The app uses its real-time checks to verify that it’s you. Then use the app to snap photos of the items you want aikdd to Folio. That’s it. You can use Folio to pay online, prove your age, or claim those crucial loyalty points at your favourite coffee shop or retail store.
2. IT’S MORE SECURE
If your debit card is lost or stolen, crooks can use it easily with contactless technology. Sorting it all out and saving your credit is a huge hassle. Getting into Folio is a whole different matter. If somebody finds your phone and somehow manages to unlock it, your valuable information is still safe.
Folio creates a biometric key from your selfie, but with far more comparison points and details than the facial recognition phones use. It also uses encryption to protect all your data that only you can access. It doesn’t get much safer than that.
3. YOU CAN’T LOSE IT
Losing your wallet or card is frustrating and time consuming to fix: Calling your bank, cancelling your cards, waiting for replacements. That’s not a problem if you lose your Folio-enabled phone. Folio allows you to backup all the app’s data in case it goes AWOL. As soon as you get a new phone you can safely restore your data in seconds from a secure backup.
4. IT’S MORE HYGIENIC
In the age of coronavirus, handling cash can be hazardous to your health. Think about how many people have handled that money before you. Yep, cash is filthy. There’s never been a better time to go cashless.
Things like Apple Pay and Android Pay mean you only touch your phone to buy stuff. Folio lets you pay cashless and avoid handing cashiers and clerks ID cards, rewards cards and other documents. That helps keep you safe.
5. IT SIMPLIFIES SHARING
Digital alternatives to traditional documentation are being widely accepted by businesses and governments around the world. Fewer and fewer people own printers and scanners, and fax machines are essentially dinosaurs used only by a few industries. Folio’s share function allows you to securely share documents and data with only who you choose and trust 100% – and only they ever see it. What’s more, it’s all done with a single tap. Folio is free to use on both iOS and Android. Find out more at folio.id.
*The original version of this article was published on www.stuff.tv

Giving election officials tools for healthy elections

Giving election officials tools for healthy elections

Smartmatic has teamed with The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS) to help election officials provide safe facilities for election workers and voters. TIPS is a nonprofit organization that exists to advance innovations, ideas and processes that make a difference in global health. Smartmatic, an SGO company and the global leader in election technology, has processed nearly 5 billion votes in elections on five continents.
After a customized risk-mitigation assessment, the combined team will provide election administrators a customized set of protocols to reduce the health risks to employees, volunteer poll workers and voters. All solutions meet guidelines and recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and/or local government health organizations. The solutions help election administrators apply high-level government guidance to their local election process.
The joint effort is offered through Smartmatic’s Election Continuity program. Through the program the company also offers disinfection technologies, hygiene supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure that jurisdictions can put prevention strategies into practice. For more information about Smartmatic, visit smartmatic.com

About TIPS:

The Infection Prevention Strategy (TIPS) launched in 2015 is a not-for-profit that exists to advance innovations, ideas, and processes that make a difference in global health. TIPS extends to 30+ countries and is the key strategic partner for many notable organizations, initiatives, and events. In the past few years, TIPS has contributed millions of dollars’ worth of scientific impact through various programs and initiatives. Currently, TIPS is conducting 20+ COVID-19 efficacy studies for innovations and processes for air, water and surfaces. For more, visit ic.tips