SAQnet: Experiences from the design of an air pollution monitoring system based on off-the-shelf equipment

Nowadays, air pollution is monitored with accurate, but large-sized measurement stations, leading to an overall limited number of monitored locations. Combining these stations, with a higher number of less accurate stations can provide additional information, such as with regards to pollutant distributions. In this paper we present the design, implementation and initial results of such stations based on Wireless Sensor Network technology. For the implementation of the network purely off-the-shelf equipment was chosen, which allows us to analyze the current status of commercially available Wireless Sensor Network technology. While the system was fully implemented and demonstrated operationally, the experiences found during the project showed a limited matureness with regards to the off-the-shelf equipment and uncovered flaws in typical assumptions underlying Wireless Sensor Network research.