Urban air pollution is a much bigger problem than many people realize. The WHO estimates that outdoor air pollution causes over 4 million premature deaths worldwide every year. And the particulate matter behind those deaths is not the only form of pollution city residents are exposed to; they also inhale toxins like carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. City officials are aware of the problem and are attempting to address it, but the challenge lies in knowing exactly what toxins are present and where they’re concentrated, so that prevention measures can be targeted accordingly.
That’s where Sparrow’s air-pollution sensors come in. In the form of a small box that can be installed on the roof of taxis or car-sharing vehicles, they roam the city and create a network of devices which collect data continuously across the entire area. Sparrow co-founder and COO Maxim Interbrick explains how his firm’s technology can not only reduce urban air pollution, but also play a role in setting international standards for the transition to smart and sustainable cities.
How do your smart sensors help cities combat air pollution?
City officials face two big hurdles in their efforts to reduce air pollution. The first is collecting the right kind of data. Most cities rely on just a handful of measurement stations installed permanently in select locations. These stations can collect data only within a set radius around the station, meaning you don’t get an accurate picture of pollution levels across the entire city. The second hurdle is implementation. Municipal budgets are limited and subject to lengthy approval procedures. New technology is developed much faster than cities can buy and install it; revamping a city’s entire infrastructure to make it smart and sustainable can take years.
Sparrow’s sensors address both of these challenges. First, they can be installed easily on existing vehicles – no investment is required in major new infrastructure. And second, they’re installed on vehicles that already crisscross the city on a daily basis, so you get a comprehensive, high-resolution pollution map at a relatively low cost. The maps are generated by our proprietary software program, which compiles the raw data collected by our sensors and turns them into useful information for city planners.
Can you tell us more about your work with the ITU-T to set standards for measuring urban air pollution?
The ITU-T is the standards-setting body of the International Telecommunications Union, which is a UN agency. We contacted them because we feel our technology – thanks to its low cost and ease of installation – can be employed by cities around the world and support efforts to benchmark and reduce urban air pollution globally. When we presented our system to the ITU-T, they said it could serve as an extremely important, necessary tool for creating KPIs for smart and sustainable cities. We joined ITU-T as an associate member in 2020 and immediately got involved in shaping the standardization process. The goal is to develop a new ITU standard for next-generation measurement methods for urban air pollution.
Why did you choose to set up your business in Vaud Canton?
We developed our initial prototype in Geneva with engineers at the Geneva Institute of Technology, Architecture and Landscape (HEPIA), and then tested it on 300 taxis in that city. But when it came time to spin off our research group into a new business, we decided to move to Vaud for two main reasons. First is the support we got from Innovaud. I’d already been working with the agency for several years, dating back to when it was still Vaud Développement Economique. I like teaming up with these kinds of local organizations because they’re very helpful in giving you practical advice about how things work on the ground and in putting you in touch with the right people. In fact, our contacts at Innovaud helped us get funding from the Canton of Vaud and FIT. The second reason is it puts us close to EPFL. HEPIA was excellent for developing the first prototype, but EPFL has a wider array of resources for scaling up our system and taking it to market. That said, we still have close ties to Geneva – its department of air pollution and noise exposure is one of the best in Europe. Their support will be key as we field test further improvements of our system and contribute to standards development.
What are your future business development plans in Vaud and internationally?
As we explore the market for our system, we’re finding that the main potential lies in the B2B and B2C segments. In B2B, we plan to help companies meet their ESG targets and give professionals like realtors granular data on air-pollution levels in different neighborhoods. In B2C, our goal is to supply data to Google and Apple Maps. These companies are data aggregators and distributors – but for now there’s no real urban-pollution data for them to aggregate. That’s what we hope to provide, so that eventually the consumers using those apps can benefit. These are the two areas where we’ll focus our business development. In terms of geographies, we plan to keep our R&D in Vaud because of the unique competencies located here; we’re already in touch with a local engineering firm made up of EPFL graduates. But we also plan to open offices internationally. We’re currently looking into an opportunity in Israel, for example.
Are there any business challenges that keep you awake at night?
We’ve set ourselves the goal of conquering 100 cities around the world in the next 18 months! That’s an ambitious challenge. We know how to approach cities and are confident they’ll work with us, but the logistics at that scale can be tricky. However we believe having a broad presence is the best way to get the attention of the bigger players like Google and Apple Maps.