About the Breathe London network
Who runs the Breathe London network?
The Breathe London network is run by the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London - the same group who run the London Air Quality Network. The group combines air pollution science, toxicology and epidemiology to determine the impacts of air pollution on health and has over 20 years of experience running large urban air quality monitoring networks.
The Breathe London Nodes are provided by our partners Clarity Movement Co, an air quality sensor company based in California. The Clarity team leverages expertise in air sensing technology, IoT devices, and data analytics to provide a reliable low-cost hardware + software air quality monitoring solution. The Clarity Node is currently deployed in over 85 cities across 50+ countries.
How is the network funded?
In February 2020, the Mayor of London decided to fund a four year continuation of the pilot phase of the Breathe London network. This was put out to competitive tender in September 2020. This funding covers the roll-out of 100+ sensors at schools, hospitals and co-location sites across London for four years.
Bloomberg Philanthropies have donated funding to sponsor Breathe London Nodes for under-served demographic groups in London and for Imperial to research and evaluate the impact of the community-led monitoring programme on the lives of Londoners.
How is the Breathe London network different to other air quality networks?
For the last few decades, most air quality monitoring around the world has been undertaken by central or local governments using reference-grade instruments. These reference networks have served as the foundation stone for research, policy development, health impact analysis and continue to play a vital role in our understanding of air quality. Data from reference networks in London such as London Air, Air Quality England and Defra are shown alongside Breathe London data on the homepage map.
Reference-grade analysers are accurate but they are expensive to buy and maintain, usually requiring roadside infrastructure to house them. This has meant that air quality monitoring has been out of reach for most citizens and community groups.
The Breathe London network aims to address this by offering affordable, easy-to-install and maintain air quality sensors to anyone. Small sensors are not as accurate as reference-grade analysers, but by combining their data with the London Air reference network, we aim to provide Breathe London users with the best possible data set from their Nodes.
A hybrid network of reference-grade analysers alongside citizen and community-led monitoring is a paradigm shift in air quality monitoring and one which we hope will serve as a blueprint for cities around the world.
Who makes the Breathe London Nodes?
We have partnered with Clarity Movement Co, a sensor company based in California. Clarity developed the Node-S a light, compact device measuring PM₂.₅ particulate and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) which can run on either mains or solar power. The Node-S has been deployed in 85 cities in more than 50 countries around the world and undergone evaluation by South Coast Air Quality Management District in California and Airparif in Paris.
All Breathe London Nodes are co-located with London Air reference monitors before being deployed. You can read more about network quality assurance on our network accuracy page.
What happens to the data?
All scaled and processed data will be available to download here on the individual Node info pages and through the API. You can read more about how we process data on the network accuracy page.
I’d like to join the network, what do I do?
There are two ways to join the network:
For groups, individuals and organisations with funding, you can head straight to the Breathe London Shop.
Alternatively the Breathe London Community Programme is open for groups to apply for up to 60 fully funded Nodes over the next three years.
Breathe London for Individuals
What is the air quality like on your street? How does it vary through the day? What effect has that recent road closure had on air quality?
With a Breathe London Node now you can know.
Navigating the terrain of small sensors available on the market can be challenging: there’s no recognised certification scheme, sensors can break and its hard to know if your data is comparable with other sensors out there.
The Breathe London network solves this by providing an affordable, easy to maintain sensor backed by a dedicated team of researchers at Imperial College London and data improved by correction to the London Air Quality Network of reference analysers.
If you have funding in place you can head to the Breathe London shop to purchase your Node today.
Alternatively, our Community Programme is giving away 60 funded Nodes over the next three years to groups across London.
We’re excited to see how groups and individuals can use community-led air quality monitoring to advocate for grassroots improvement in air quality across the city.
Breathe London for Community Groups
All around the world community groups are taking action to make their communities cleaner and greener. From play streets to parklets, the school run to fun runs, grass-roots communities are finding ways to reduce the impact of poor air quality in new and inspiring ways every day.
Whether you’re looking to measure the impact of road closure schemes, cycling and walking campaigns or just looking to highlight air quality in your community; the Breathe London Node is a great way for communities to deploy a small, reliable air quality sensor backed by a dedicated team of scientists at Imperial College London.
Every Breathe London Node is co-located at a London Air Quality Network (LAQN) reference site and checked by researchers before deployment. Once deployed, the data from every Node is continually cross-checked against the LAQN reference network so that users receive the best data set possible. Being part of a larger network also allows groups to benchmark their data against the wider network to help provide context.
If your group has funding in place you can head to the Breathe London shop to purchase your Node today.
Alternatively, our Community Programme is giving away 60 funded Nodes over the next three years to groups across London.
We’re incredibly excited to see how groups with a passion to improve air quality use Breathe London Nodes to help make their communities cleaner and greener.
Breathe London for Business
Over the past few years, as our understanding of the impact poor air quality has on health has increased, businesses right around the world have stepped up to show leadership in reducing emissions and improving the health and wellbeing of staff and the communities in which they work.
Whether its monitoring air quality across your estate or donating Nodes to the communities in which you work, the Breathe London Node offers an easily deployed, low-cost sensor backed by a trusted name and dedicated team of scientists at Imperial College London.
The low annual fee includes pre-deployment tests for every Node, guidance and support on deployment and continual data improvement by combining data from the Breathe London Nodes with the London Air Quality Network regulatory analysers.
If you’re looking to set up a hyperlocal network or would like to donate sensors for communities in London, we’d love to have you on board as a strategic partner organisation.
Breathe London for Local Government
Local government has been at the heart of air quality monitoring and action to improve air in the UK for decades. Regulatory monitoring has and will continue to be the cornerstone of compliance assessment and public information. But as budgets have been squeezed, Councils’ ability to install new monitoring stations has been constrained.
As the health impacts of poor air have become clearer in recent years however, demand has grown from community groups and residents to monitor and take action at schools, playgrounds and routes to school across boroughs.
The Breathe London Node provides a trusted, affordable, easy to deploy, all-in-one solution to increase coverage across your borough and respond to communities and residents quickly and at scale.
Every Breathe London Node is co-located at London Air reference sites and checked by researchers at Imperial before deployment. Once deployed, the data is continually cross-checked against reference sites on the London Network in real-time to ensure the data from every sensor is as good as it can be.
The Environmental Research Group has worked hand-in-hand with the boroughs of London monitoring air quality for over 20 years. We’re incredibly excited to continue our partnership as we build this new network into the best hybrid air quality monitoring network in the world.
Breathe London Strategic Partnerships
The Breathe London network offers a way to engage citizens in the issue of air quality as never before and catalyse a move towards a zero pollution future.
If you are an organisation looking to either deploy a network of Breathe London Nodes or would like to donate Nodes to communities, we’d love to hear from you.
