In recent years, public awareness of health has significantly increased. Coupled with the limited effectiveness of traditional methods for monitoring air pollution, the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) has been actively developing technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and sensors since 2017. This initiative aims to integrate aspects like infrastructure development, smart applications, and research and innovation. The MOENV collaborates with local governments to promote an IoT-based air quality monitoring network, emphasizing smart governance applications. In 2019, they achieved a milestone with approximately 10,000 air quality sensors deployed nationwide, boasting the world's highest sensor density. This project pioneered the integration of IoT with smart environmental inspection, significantly enhancing the efficiency of air pollution control. Real-time localized air quality information is provided to the public.
By 2023, the MOENV has established a network of 10,406 air quality sensors, covering 3,804 industrial zone sensors, 3,584 community sensors, 945 traffic sensors, 89 auxiliary sensors, and 1,984 special sensors. The system monitors approximately 80,000 registered factories. The MOENV has developed big data analytics and AI technology, resulting in over 10,742 smart inspections, over 1,333 reported violations, a fine amount exceeding 257.69 million NTD, and the recovery of approximately 420 million NTD in air pollution fees.
Starting in September 2019, the MOENV expanded its efforts to water quality monitoring using IoT. Collaborating with 18 local governments, they deployed 195 mobile water quality sensors and 360 handheld water quality sensors. From 2021 to the present, they have successfully conducted inspections, leading to over 16 instances of legal action with fines exceeding 10 million NTD. The smart inspection efforts effectively deter illegal emissions, contributing to improved living environments and validating the effectiveness of supplementary environmental governance.
This year's project builds upon the foundation of previous environmental IoT projects, assisting the MOENV in enhancing the intelligent environmental management system for air pollution sensors. The goals include analyzing international technology and application information, developing and optimizing mobile sensors and application analytics, ensuring the quality of environmental sensing data through cloud data verification, assisting local governments in implementing IoT sensor networks, and showcasing project highlights through participation in exhibitions and online platforms.
Overall, this project effectively supports the MOENV in implementing policies related to integrated environmental IoT. Specific achievements include the following:
1. Analysis of International IoT Development Information: (1) Focus on developing innovative application services with a "human-centric" and "multifaceted environmental data-based" approach for smart cities.
(2) Considerations for gas sensors include cost, size, sensitivity, gas selectivity, and the ability to detect ppb-level concentrations, which is crucial for general environmental monitoring.
2. Development and Application Analysis of Mobile Sensors (MoT): (1) Successfully maintained and expanded the fleet of 100 existing mobile sensors and added 50 new sensors, completing performance verification.
(2) Continue to optimize mobile sensor (MoT)performance, when the vehicle speed is in the range of 0~67 km/hr, the deviation effect does not exceed 10%, the coefficients of determination (R2) are also higher than 0.6, the median of the relative error (Bias) is within the range of ±25.0%, it shows that in a medium concentration environment, the mobile sensor is not affected by vehicle speed and can be used in future field applications.
(3) Combined with multiple mobile vehicles, conduct a variety of test applications in different fields, and develop new application service models for environmental management.
3. Guidance on Practical Application of Environmental Sensing Data Quality: (1) Assisted local environmental protection agencies in effective data quality control, reducing operational costs.
(2) Conducted practical education and training courses on improving the quality of handheld water quality and air quality sensing data, empowering local agencies in equipment maintenance and data quality management.
4. Assistance in Local Government IoT Implementation: (1) Tracked the progress of joint projects, funding execution, and ensured the stability of local government data services.
(2) Integrated and optimized the deployment experience, providing clear guidance on data collection, processing, and analysis for environmental protection agencies.
5. Integration and Verification of Environmental IoT Implementation: (1) Applied sensor data to address various environmental issues, analyzing data to find solutions.
(2) Managed the progress and funding execution of the smart IoT project, resolving execution issues and improving the overall execution rate.
(3) Participated in international exhibitions to showcase project highlights, increasing visibility and public awareness.
This project has proven to be instrumental in supporting the MOENV 's efforts in environmental monitoring, contributing to the improvement of air and water quality and promoting smart governance practices.This project team aims to achieve various benefits by promoting and creating applications and services in the realm of smart environmental Internet of Things (IoT). These include improving the quality and applications of sensor data, expanding IoT services for the environment, safeguarding the living environment of the people, and collectively creating a sustainable and livable environment. Gradually implementing the "Constructing an Open Government and Smart Urban-Rural Services" pillar under the forward-looking digital construction plan, the goal is to achieve "widespread use of smart services by citizens to improve their quality of life." This aligns with President Tsai's vision of achieving an innovative, inclusive, and sustainable smart nation by 2030, fostering the overall digital transformation of the country and establishing a new paradigm for a smart nation.
Simultaneously, leveraging the outcomes of the environmental IoT project, the team aims to facilitate a dual transformation—digital and green. This effort contributes to attaining the national goal of "2050 Net Zero Transformation." It involves using the results of the environmental IoT project to drive the digital and green transformation, assisting in achieving the country's vision for a sustainable and innovative future.
This project has proven to be instrumental in supporting the MOENV 's efforts in environmental monitoring, contributing to the improvement of air and water quality and promoting smart governance practices. This project has proven to be instrumental in supporting the MOENV 's efforts in environmental monitoring, contributing to the improvement of air and water quality and promoting smart governance practices.
