Ministry opens AI lab to help residents check air quality
dubai — A newly launched artificial intelligence lab will enable residents to check air quality across the country, an official said on Wednesday.
The lab, launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, monitors and predicts air quality across the country, displaying instant readings and calculated forecasts of the air quality index (AQI).
Aisha Al Abdooli, director of the green development department at the ministry, said the satellitemonitored system will enable authorities to get data in real-time and identify sources of air pollutants up to three days in advance.
“When we have access to data, it enables us to take the right action immediately.” She added: “If we detect and predict that there will be dust in the air, for example, it empowers us to send early warnings to the public, especially those with allergies
or respiratory conditions, to avoid going outdoors.”
She stressed that the system, available on the ministry’s smart app, does not ignore dust storms, but enables relevant authorities to be better prepared for it.
The system displays colour-coded pollutant values to make the information understandable to the public where “green” indicates clear air.
The system measures concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide
and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) up to three days in advance ranging from 0 to 500.
Al Abdooli said the UAE currently achieved an air quality rate of 77 per cent according to the World Health Organisation standards, with aims to achieve 90 per cent by 2021. The UAE currently has 41 stations monitoring air quality, but they don’t cover air quality at rural and remote areas.
Al Abdooli said the ministry is locating the sources of carbon
emissions in transport, industrial areas and service sectors to establish the right policies and regulations that limit pollutants.
For now, the lab gives an indication of the right steps to take to reduce pollution, such as plantations using local species to absorb emissions.
Launched in collaboration with Khalifa University of Science and Technology and the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the lab is located at the ministry’s headquarter, with its online platforms accessible to the public through the app. The AI also identifies solar energy locations and predicts the quality of marine water in coastal areas of the UAE.
Meanwhile, the marine environment monitoring system will produce daily assessments of water quality. Using data generated by satellites of Nasa and European Space Agency, the system tracks and predicts ocean currents and pollution including oil leaks and algal bloom events.
If we detect and predict that there will be dust in the air, it empowers us to send early warnings to the public.”
Aisha Al Abdooli, director of the green development department, MoCCAE