Modern life is increasingly organized around large cities. Such cities often suffer from poor air quality, which has significant societal and economic ramifications, as air pollutants are responsible for premature deaths and significant financial losses. Existing monitoring methods often lack the necessary resolution and accuracy to provide actionable information to citizens, administrators, and policymakers. This project aimed to support the commercialization of a novel air quality monitoring instrument that can help monitor particulate pollution over large urban areas with high accuracy, consistency, and low lifetime cost. The instrument utilizes cutting-edge laser remote sensing technology and AI to revolutionize how air quality is measured, thus improving urban well-being throughout Europe. To effectively transform scientific novelty into an innovative product, the project supported the design of a low-cost monitoring system, evaluated its performance against existing air quality monitoring systems, developed an effective strategy for protecting and exploiting relevant intellectual property rights, and helped shape a strong value proposition for both customers and end-users. As a result, the researchers and industrial partners have secured funding to develop a prototype system for evaluation by regional authorities of a major urban center in Greece.
