Case Study: NAQTS
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More Than Just Hot Air - Iman Hussain
We can see dirty water and choose not to drink it, but the choice isn’t as clear when it comes to the air we breathe. Students and teachers all over the globe may already be sitting in classrooms that aren’t safe enough. There is a clean air crisis, as the links between bad air quality, virus transmission and poor attainment levels become greater and greater.
Our research at National Air Quality Testing Services (NAQTS) focuses on creating sensors that talk to each other to help understand and explore the challenges in managing indoor air quality (IAQ) within schools. My focus was on the balance between energy usage, stakeholder requirements and IAQ. This balance is trickier than just turning up the heating and opening windows, which leads to greater energy bills and involves people at different levels; including policy makers, teachers and children.
These conflicts form a trilemma, each corner (what stakeholders want, energy usage and air quality) all opposed. We explore how this trilemma can be understood, managed and balanced using distributed sensor systems – to create healthier and efficient learning environments.
In my PhD, I’ve been collecting data and feedback from classrooms across the country. Teacher’s often comment on the air using phrases like “stenches of year six are common”, with students agreeing that classrooms feel “stuffy” and “agitating”, leading to difficulties in concentrating. This is then paired with quantitative data on what the air is like in real classrooms to understand the effects of IAQ.
Company Profile
National Air Quality Testing Services (NAQTS) provides independent, reliable and holistic air quality information to inform choices and improve quality of life. NAQTS seeks to improve awareness of air quality through widespread public and commercial monitoring using its high-quality air pollution monitoring technology.
The Project
The World Health Organization has called air pollution the largest environmental health risk. Outdoor air quality is typically the focus, despite people spending ~90% of their time indoors. Indoor air quality (IAQ) can be worse than outdoors because energy efficiency initiatives have
mandated high levels of air tightness that can ‘trap’ air pollution indoors. COVID-19 has driven an emphasis on increased ventilation rates, potentially undermining energy efficiency gains. This project aimed to simultaneously decarbonising buildings, promoting good IAQ, and reducing the likelihood of airborne virus transmission. The project focused on designing, testing, and validating an Internet of Things network of sensors to improve IAQ, reduce ventilation related energy demand, and drive better understanding of stakeholder use of IAQ data.
Researcher Profile
After graduating with a first class Masters in Computer Science from the University of Wolverhampton, Iman wanted to continue his research of cutting-edge sensors. Iman is now using his skills in networked computing and his previous experiences at IBM, CapGemini and Highways England to help bring a positive change to air quality.
Academic Supervisors
Prof Adrian Friday
Dr Julien Doulcet
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