The Breathe London network uses Airly air quality sensors installed across London to show live information on air pollution across the capital.
Information from the sensors is transmitted through the Vodafone network to CERC, where automated quality assurance, quality control and calibration is carried out on the data before it is sent to the Breathe London website to populate the map.
Find out more
The network
The network is made up of 136 Airly sensors. These have been installed across the 32 London boroughs and the City of London, and have been installed near roads, hospitals, and schools.
Our map also displays results from a series of reference sensors.
If you would like to purchase a sensor and join the network, please get in touch with us for more information.
The Breathe London sensors
The Breathe London network uses Airly sensors which are easy to install, compact, versatile and designed for use is cities and urban areas. We are using them to measure PM2.5 NO2 and ozone.
The LED light on the sensors informs people in real time of the air quality around them, and the built in Vodafone sim cards broadcast the air quality levels back to us for display on the website.
What each part of the sensor does
Antenna: Uses mobile phone signal to send the air quality information to our servers.
Particulate sensor: The mesh covered area at the front of the device, detects how much PM2.5 is in the area.
Gas sensors: Contained within the block at the bottom of the device, the gas sensors detect how much NO2 and ozone (O3) is in the area.
Light strip: The coloured LED strip across the front shows the levels of air pollution around the sensor.
Technical information
The sensors are housed in durable and weatherproof stainless steel casing, that is small and light weight. The sensors can be fed with solar or mains power, allowing sensor holders to pick what is most suitable for the particular location and ensure one minute sampling resolution with both methods. Both methods are easy to install on external walls and lampposts and have GSM connectivity with the built-in Vodafone global Sims that broadcasts the data back to the team
The sensors are MCERTS certified for PM2.5 and PM10. Scotswolds ensures that the installation of the sensors is compliant with the PAS4023 standard, the publicly available standard on the installation and operation of small sensor networks.
Reference monitoring sites
Reference monitoring sites utilise advanced, high-cost technologies compared to the more accessible sensor systems that form the Breathe London network. Typically, these reference sites include large, walk-in, air-conditioned cabinets equipped with specialized instruments that measure individual pollutants. They are meticulously managed, calibrated, and maintained to ensure the highest data quality standards. Their primary purpose is to monitor long-term changes in air quality and to ensure compliance with national and international air quality standards.
However, due to their size, expense, and the necessity for mains electricity and planning consent, these reference sites cannot be deployed in all locations where monitoring would be beneficial. In contrast, the small sensor systems utilised in the Breathe London Network offer a more practical solution. They are significantly more affordable to purchase and operate, typically do not require planning consent, and can be powered by low-voltage batteries or renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Recent advancements have greatly improved the accuracy and reliability of these small sensors, enabling them to produce data comparable in quality to that of reference monitors.
In our network we make use of Reference Monitors by placing some of our small sensor systems at the same location, and using techniques developed over several years we are able to regularly and automatically calibrate each and every sensor in the network traceable to the Reference data.
The new Breathe London programme will continue to launch through 2025.
If you need to get in touch with the new Breathe London team, have a specific question about your air pollution sensor or on taking action on air pollution, please get in touch using the form below or call us on 020 4591 5660.
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