Darmstadt has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution in Hessen according to the latest studies by the German Environment Agency. Road traffic is responsible for a large proportion of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in cities. Students at the Business Administration and Industrial Engineering faculty at Darmstadt University have set up a project to develop solutions for the city’s traffic problems.
The aim of the research project was to investigate whether integrating additional sensors and interfaces into existing infrastructure elements could help us to understand the interaction between traffic and environmental impact. They intend to use their findings in later projects to develop emission reduction measures. VITRONIC supported the project over a long period of time. It involved existing fixed measuring units in the Darmstadt urban area, popularly known as “speed enforcement pillars”, as well as mobile measuring units to capture additional air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides.