A Multi-Tier Sensors-based Environmental Monitoring Approach to Assess the Quality of Bike Paths in Urban Areas

Large cities are paying a lot of attention to the dramatic challenges resulted from increasing air pollution and the global warming, struggling to find new promising solutions to face them. As a result, alternative transportation in urban areas has been sought, trying to reduce urban pollution while also addressing mobility issues in crowded cities. Actually, although bikes have been considered as a promising resource for more efficient and cleaner urban mobility, there are several concerns that must be considered when using bike paths already implemented in urban areas. In fact, some environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, noise pollution, ultraviolet radiation and light intensity can bring several problems to the health of cyclists who are constantly exposed to them, thus requiring constant and historical analysis of these conditions. In this context, this paper proposes an environmental monitoring system based on low-cost mobile sensors-based devices attached to bikes, which allow the identification of the most recommended areas for cycling in relation to possible damage to the health of cyclists. For that, the electronic components chosen for the construction of those devices must be highly accessible and affordable, supporting large-scale development. Additionally, the proposed approach is based on a hybrid communication model that does not require any urban communication infrastructure, easing its practical exploitation. The proposed approach seeks then to provide better support to governments when assessing the conditions of the currently installed bike paths and also when planning the implementation of new paths, potentially bringing important contributions to the management of modern cities.