Denver wins $1 million prize to build air sensor network
Denver will receive $1 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund a network of airquality sensors at local schools — a “smart city” technology on a larger scale than any other U.S. city has directly attempted, according to city officials.
The city was to be announced as one of nine winners of the U.S. Mayors Challenge on Monday morning.
In an interview, Mayor Michael Hancock said that the new technology could help manage the health consequences that people in Denver’s lowincome neighborhoods suffer from industrial infrastructure and highways — an issue for which he’s taken criticism from some neighborhood advocates.
“Young kids who are from lowincome communities are disproportionately impacted with health challenges … and they have less resources to respond,” Hancock said.
What will it do?
Right now, the state and city governments operate six permanent air sensors within Denver’s borders, which are used to issue ozone alerts and other warnings. With the Bloomberg money, Denver plans a web of 40 solarpowered, wireless devices that could deliver more specific information.
“What it’s allowing us to do is give schools the ability to make decisions about the health of their kids using measurements taken basically in their playgrounds,” said Michael Ogletree, air quality program manager for the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.
The program is underway, funded by $100,000 from an earlier phase of the competition. The customized sensor devices, developed with Colorado aerospace startup Lunar Outpost, are about the size of a shoebox. Eleven have been deployed at schools.
Each box measures the density of particles in the air — such as dust or smog — and humidity and temperature. The project includes software to combine the airquality information with data from various sources. Eventually, the city might overlay traffic and airquality data to redesign traffic patterns, Ogletree said.
The grant also will pay for a sensorrelated STEM curriculum and other school programs.
What will it change?
The city hasn’t said where each sensor will go, but the locations will be based in part on health and socioeconomic considerations. It’s likely to track along Denver’s west side and I70, where pollution and economic inequality have worsened lives.
“We’re all aware of the environmental injustice that has occurred in this country, targeting people of color, targeting people of lowincome means in this country, where we build highways and roads through their community,” the mayor said.
Hancock has been criticized because the state is spending billions to expand I70 through north Denver. That wasn’t a city decision, but the administration ultimately didn’t challenge CDOT’s ruling.
The city did push for residents’ health by negotiating and paying for residential upgrades near the highway, Hancock said.
“Those things that are happening over there today are the direct results of the city,” he said.
The city also has explored other tech solutions, including a wireless system to keep freight trucks out of neighborhoods.
Hancock was less optimistic about the idea of ridding the city of some of its industry — such as the Nestle Purina petfood plant.
“That was not an idea that was pursued very heavily this time around,” he said.
Instead, he pointed to new filters that the city negotiated with the company to install.
“What’s being emitted from Purina today is much better filtered today than it was even 10 years ago. You don’t smell it like you did, when we were growing up.”