DPD Germany is launching the Breathe project in Hamburg to measure air quality in the Hanseatic city. Laser-based sensors at 19 branches of the Budnikowsky drugstore chain, which is a strategic partner, on 100 delivery vehicles and at DPD's Hamburg depot provide the data in real time. DPDgroup aims to measure air quality in 20 European cities by the end of 2021.
(Aschaffenburg) By measuring air quality, the international parcel and express service provider DPD would like to contribute added value to the air quality debate and document future improvements. The big advantage: The data is public and accessible to everyone.
“Pollution of our air is one of the greatest environmental and health risks of our time. We see it as our responsibility to actively contribute to solving this problem. We want to practically show where air pollution is particularly severe – and therefore where action is needed to intervene in traffic management,” says Björn Scheel, Chief Operating Officer of DPD Germany.
BUDNI branches as an area for the sensors
“The parcel service in our branches and the collaboration with DPD has given us the unique opportunity to take a look at the air quality in the Hamburg metropolitan region. In order to reduce CO 2 emissions and make future reductions measurable, we should know the status quo. We are opening up this opportunity for all BUDNI customers in the area around the first 19 test branches to know exactly the air quality on their own doorstep by making our locations available as areas for the sensors,” explains Christoph Wöhlke, Managing Director of Budnikowsky GmbH & Co. KG.
BUDNI branches as an area for the sensors
“The parcel service in our branches and the collaboration with DPD has given us the unique opportunity to take a look at the air quality in the Hamburg metropolitan region. In order to reduce CO² emissions and make future reductions measurable, we should know the status quo. We are opening up this opportunity for all BUDNI customers in the area around the first 19 test branches to know exactly the air quality on their own doorstep by making our locations available as areas for the sensors,” explains Christoph Wöhlke, Managing Director of Budnikowsky GmbH & Co. KG.
Citizens can use the service as they can access the air quality at their doorstep or any other location within the city via the DPD website. For example, certain places can be avoided precisely on days with high levels of particulate matter.
Precise and real measurement insight into air quality
The introduction in Germany is part of a Europe-wide program by DPDgroup. The initiative has already started as a pilot project in Paris, Lisbon and London. The comprehensive data obtained in Lisbon, for example, enabled the authorities to introduce a low-emission zone in the heart of the city. In the future, around 2,400 sensors will be used throughout Europe.
The sensors collect current measurement data every twelve seconds, which is used to visualize urban air quality on a high-resolution map. The data provides a precise and real measurement insight into Hamburg's air quality. This is an important indicator for avoiding health risks caused by high levels of fine dust pollution. Even the finest particles in the size “PM2.5” can be detected by the sensitive sensors. This means that the particles have an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. They can penetrate deeper into the airways, stay there longer and cause lasting damage to the lungs. The sensors thus provide important data that can serve as a basis for sustainably improving air quality in Germany's second largest city.
Full Article (De) : LogInfo24