An ad-hoc Wireless Sensor Networks with Application to Air Pollution Detection

Wireless sensor networks have been deployed for environmental monitoring over the last twenty years. However, this application is not frequently deployed to solve the environmental problems (e.g. air pollution detection) encountered by many African countries. This paper develops an architecture based on a Wireless Mesh Network of Sensors (WMNS) to measure air pollution in African cities. We are motivated by the fact that air pollution in African cities is emerging as a key threat to health, environment, economy and the quality of life for millions of Africans as the level of urbanization, motorization and economic activity increases. We develop a model that takes into account the structure of African cities and the lack of Internet access in some urban or rural areas. As a result, the model could help with the implementation of regulations concerning air quality in Africa.