The project will consist of an interactive augmented reality app and information screens on the streets

Stockholm may be one of the cities with the cleanest air in the world, but even there statistics show that nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and microparticles (PM10) are an occasional problem that keeps popping up. For that reason, the City is working on the implementation of a project that will visualize in real-time the levels of these pollutants straight into residents’ mobile apps.

The implication here is that it will help interested groups, such as walkers and cyclists plan their trips around the Swedish capital accordingly in order to avoid the most polluted areas on any particular day.

Two-pronged benefit

The name of the project in development is CitizAir and the claim of its organizers is that it will actually benefit the local citizens in two ways.

“Stockholmers can make informed decisions about which road to take or which mode of transport they should choose. In the long run, they will also be better equipped to be able to discuss and themselves influence decisions and policies concerning the environment,” said Mario Romero, associate professor at KTH and project manager for CitizAir.

The thing is levels of air pollution in Stockholm, much like in all other cities, vary greatly geographically and over time, depending on climate conditions and seasons. Nitrogen dioxide, for example, has been above the local limitation norms for 20 days in 2019, and microparticles have hovered above the threshold limit for 30 days overall in that same year.

The goal is to create an interactive augmented reality, which connects current air data and information screens in the urban environment with an app in Stockholmers' mobile phones. The project started at the end of 2021. In 2024 it will be possible to see the quality of Stockholm air on interactive screens.

“The visualizations will be developed together with the people of Stockholm so that we start from their interests and needs. The purpose is to engage and involve us who live and stay in the city in our immediate environment,” explained Maria Hagardt, project manager at Vetenskap & Allmänhet, one of the project partners.