Hella and BreezoMeter develop cloud-based air quality management system

Lighting and electronics expert Hella and the Israeli cloud-based air quality analytics provider, BreezoMeter, are entering into a strategic partnership. The objective of the cooperation is to create reliable real-time data on the air quality in and around the vehicle and to make this data available to the occupants of the vehicle.

The cooperation also intends to provide personalised solutions for an active health management based on this cloud-based technology. The two companies are presenting the first cloud-based air quality management solution at the IAA 2017.

Pollution by particulate matter in the range of up to 2.5 micrometres (PM 2.5) is of high importance when it comes to air pollution. These pollutant particles are small enough to penetrate deeply into the lung. They get deposited there and can be the cause of short- and long-term health risks.

The environmental outlook from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that in 2050 around 3.5 million people around the world will die because of particulate matter pollution. "Achieving the best possible air quality is therefore gaining in importance. This applies both for inside the vehicle and the personal environment," says Carsten Peterßen, Strategic Sales Manager at Hella. "With the strategic cooperation with BreezoMeter, we are meaningfully combining our sensor system expertise from the automotive industry with competence in cloud data management."

Dr. Rolf Breidenbach, Hella president and CEO, announced the strategic cooperation with BreezoMeter at IAA 2017. 

In this context, Hella has developed a sensor that measures the level of particulate matter in the vehicle interior as well as in the ambient air in real time. This data is enriched with information from BreezoMeter on additional pollutants (such as carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM10).

Derived from governmental sensors, satellites, weather, traffic information, and other sources, BreezoMeter uses innovative technology in machine learning, big data analytics and pollution dispersion models to calculate air quality forecasts for over 67 countries. Thanks to the cloud solution, over 1.6 TB of BreezoMeter data is validated and organized every hour, 7.1 billion compound calculations are performed and 420 million geographical data points with air quality information are being generated. The forecasted air quality data is transmitted to the vehicle through an interface, processed centrally within the vehicle and then displayed in the vehicle's information system.

"Thanks to the cooperation with Hella, air quality information can be determined directly in the vehicle and integrated into the routing, for example. In return, the mobile sensor measurements complement our data. This will make it possible to create the most detailed map for air quality in the near future," says Ziv Lautman, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of BreezoMeter. Based on this information, it is possible to enhance the automatic air quality management system of the vehicle interior – from a currently reactive system to a system that will proactively improve the protection of the occupants before the vehicle enters a polluted area.