Air quality forecasting – the cornerstone of a partnership between Airboxlab and LIST

Airboxlab, based in Luxembourg, is developing Foobot, the indoor air quality monitor. Designed for private homes, Foobot uses the Internet of Things to offer advanced services via mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) enabling users to reduce their exposure to pollution.

To improve the performance of Foobot and enhance the information provided to users based on continuously recorded temperature, humidity, volatile organic compound and fine particle measurements, Airboxlab is calling on researchers at the Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) department of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). To this end, the e-Science research unit, dedicated to the analysis and visualisation of data with a particular but not exclusive interest in environmental applications, is developing original algorithms for predictive analysis.

Initially, these algorithms will allow for a type of weather report on indoor air quality to be produced. Thereafter, Airboxlab envisages creating a Wikipedia of air quality, drawing on the input of its user community by means of crowdsourcing. Foobot owners can flag periods of pollution, and then qualify them in order to compile a database and allow for refinement of the algorithms. LIST researchers' cutting-edge data analysis expertise proves to be crucial here in creating a service with high added value based on this inflow of information.

Targeting the international market from the outset, Airboxlab has already run an extensive test campaign in 24 countries. The first phase of collaboration with LIST, which began in April 2015, makes use of the data collected in preparation for the next version of Foobot. A long-term partnership is already planned in order to improve new generations of Foobot over time.

Photo: on the left, Foobot Beta-unit for tests ; on the right, the final product