Hosts sought for 100 air quality sensors across Wiltshire
Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Wiltshire Council's Wiltshire Community Air Network (WCAN) is launching a one-year project to monitor PM2.5 air pollution across the county and is seeking hosts for 100 low-cost air quality sensors.
The air quality sensors will measure PM2.5 air pollution, small particles in the air that can increase the risk of health problems and that can be damaging to the environment. This is part of the council's Wiltshire Community Air Network project and the sensors will provide real time data which members of the public will be able to access online.
We have 100 sensors available and applications are open to anyone in Wiltshire. To ensure a wide range of places and communities are part of the project, we have allocated a number of sensors to each of the 18 community areas of Wiltshire. This is based on the size of the population. In each area, we will be prioritising applications from:
1. Schools, including nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions.
2. NHS medical settings, including healthcare centres, hospitals, or GP surgeries.
3. Supported housing providers.
4. Locations near known or suspected sources of PM2.5 pollution.
The sensors need to be placed outdoors, plugged in to a mains power supply and connected to a stable internet connection. The sensors are easy to use, and volunteers will be supported to set up and maintain them. At the end of the one-year project, hosts can choose to keep the sensor for their own use or return it to the council for recycling.
The approximate location of the sensor will be visible on a publicly available online map.
The closing date for applications is Monday 23 June 2025.
To host a sensor people need to:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Have a suitable outdoor location to place the sensor for one year, without being disturbed. It must be placed outside, between 1.5m and 3m above ground level. The sensor can be secured to a wall, fence, or drainpipe using provided cable ties or screws.
- Confirm that the sensor will be continuously connected to mains power and a reliable Wi-Fi connection (including overnight and during holidays). This is important as the sensor will not work without power and internet connection.
- Have permission from the bill payer to pay the cost of power and Wi-Fi used by the air quality sensor. The sensors only use a small amount of power and bandwidth, costing under £3 to run for a whole year.
Alternatively, email Wiltshire Community Air Network at CommunityAirNetwork@wiltshire.gov.uk
