The Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research (SOCAAR) is teaming up with the City of Oshawa to launch a one-year TeachingCity research study that will monitor air quality and traffic movements in Oshawa’s downtown core. A.U.G. Signals Ltd., and North Line Canada are also part of the project team.
Eight compact sensors have been installed along the King Street and Bond Street corridors to collect air quality and traffic movements between March 2019 and February 2020. Four of the sensors, known as AirSENCE™, have been supplied and installed by AUG and will collect key air quality pollutants while the other four, supplied and installed by North Line Canada, will collect detailed data on vehicle classification and volumes.
“This is an excellent project that will focus on improving community experience in the downtown core,” says Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. “It is this type of initiative that continues to support and strengthen Oshawa’s innovative and collaborative reputation. I look forward to seeing where TeachingCity Oshawa takes us next.”
SOCAAR at the University of Toronto, a world-class centre for environmental research, will provide the City with a report based on data collected by the sensors, specifically looking to understand the relationship between air quality and traffic movements. This report is expected to inform the City’s Community Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan and identify opportunities to increase the quality of a visitor’s experience in the downtown core.
“We are happy to contribute to this initiative with our expertise in assessing air quality. This collaboration will help us better understand the relationship between traffic and air pollution while at the same time provide our students with a new learning experience,” said Professor Greg Evans, Director of SOCAAR at the University of Toronto.
TeachingCity provides an exceptional opportunity for students from the U of T Engineering to put their studies to use in a practical environment using real-time data. Prospective students will also benefit as project data and findings will be made available for future projects.
Learn more about TeachingCity at HERE.