Drones Help Crack Down on Polluters

Smog is a major health problem in Poland, killing tens of thousands of Poles each year.  Now the Polish government is cracking down on polluters, using Scentroid Flying Labs to detect law-breakers.

Poland is home to 33 out of the 50 cities in Europe that are most affected by smog, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report.  Millions of Poles heat their homes with low-quality coal, which is the main source of air pollution ahead of cars and industry.  And in the city of Katowice, a large coal and steel center, mining coal and smog go hand in hand.

Scentroid is a leading provider of air analysis systems.  With the development of the Flying Labs, Scentroid has placed their sophisticated sensors where they are needed most: in the air. The solution can not only put the sensor equipment on top of a stack or output mechanism, it also protects the operator from exposure.

Law enforcement in Katowice is fighting polluters by using a Scentroid DR1000 Flying lab attached to a drone to monitor and analyze ambient air, detecting pollutants like ammonia, hydrogen chloride, and formaldehyde.

Drones scan large areas of the city to determine “the likely use of use of unauthorized fuel,” says a Scentroid press release.  Based on this information, dispatchers decide which properties warrant a full indoor inspection, often leading to prosecution of violations.

“All you need to do is to fly the drone up to the stack height, and you will have full information including all sensors reading, humidity, temperature and GPS position,” says Scentroid. “DR1000 flying laboratory can also provide continuous monitoring of PM 1, 2.5 and 10 using a laser scattered particulate counter.”

With the environmental uses of drones continually on the rise, the Scentroid Flying Labs offer a new and efficient way of cracking down on polluters, providing a valuable tool in the fight for clean air across the globe.