Algorand-Backed Startup PlanetWatch Launches Global Air Quality Monitoring Network

On October 27, French air quality monitoring startup, PlanetWatch, announced the activation of over 100 sensors in the Italian cities of Milan and Taranto. Earlier this year, the company received a grant from the Algorand Foundation, which they plan on using to create a global air quality monitoring system in order to observe and sustain public health.

In the announcement, PlanetWatch announced its plans to combine city-specific partnership networks and the global community of individual air sensor owners in order to scale on an international level and extend its area of work. The sensor deployment in the Italian cities is said to be the first step towards this goal, with Algorand and Milan’s Wiseair being one of PlanetWatch’s first partners in this endeavour.

Claudio Parinello, CEO of PlanetWatch, expressed his gratefulness towards the company’s corporate partners and stated:

“The activation of dense sensor networks in Taranto and Milan is a major milestone for PlanetWatch. We are delivering cost-effective air quality monitoring solutions for cities worldwide. By leveraging citizen communities and associations, together with corporate partners and advanced technologies, we believe we can raise the standards of environmental monitoring and help protect public health. We are very grateful to the Algorand Foundation, Wiseair srl and the Taranto citizen association for their support towards our endeavours.”

The project also received strong support from a variety of community organizations and citizens, with Salvatore Fersini, a member of the Italian anti-pollution syndicate, Comitato Cittadini e Lavoratori Liberi e Pensanti, saying that the newly-deployed devices will assist in monitoring activities of highly polluting industrial plants.

The data collected from the air quality sensors deployed all over the cities of Milan and Toronto will be validated and made accessible to all citizens in a new model to fight against air pollution. Along with Algorand’s huge capabilities for data processing, PlanetWatch will try to scale its platform globally.

“We are delighted to support PlanetWatch in their global air quality monitoring network,” said Sean Lee, CEO of the Algorand Foundation. “By building on a blockchain with the speed and scale of Algorand, PlanetWatch can be confident that as their network scales to millions of devices and daily measurements, Algorand will be able to comfortably handle data volumes, while making the data accessible to all.”