The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has acquired some low-cost air quality monitoring devices (AQMD) through a grant provided by the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute’s Clean Air Programme.

In a statement on Tuesday, LAMATA revealed that the development is in a bid to measure air quality along major transport corridors.

The agency said the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute’s Clean Air Programme is an initiative under the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) that focuses on addressing air pollution through rigorous research, policy engagement, and practical interventions.

“It is particularly associated with the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), a major tool developed by EPIC to measure the impact of air pollution on life expectancy.

“The devices, sourced from multiple manufacturers including IQAir, AirBeam, AirGradient, and Star Kres will enable LAMATA to gather data on LAMATA-regulated buses in line with the agency’s strategic direction on sustainability and public health.

The data sourced will enable LAMATA to develop a credible and reliable data bank for informed decision-making, and promote home-grown knowledge and expertise,” the agency said.

To ensure transparency and broader impact, LAMATA said data from the devices will be publicly accessible through the “OpenAQ” platform, a non-profit organisation and open-source platform that aggregates and shares real-time and historical air quality data from around the world.

“Its mission is to democratize access to air quality data to drive awareness, research, and policy change,” LAMATA stated.

The agency projected that about 45 units of the device would be deployed in Lagos to generate useful reports on emissions monitoring across Lagos’s transport corridors.