The Ministry of Environment on Wednesday said that it received a smart city award in the US for an air quality monitoring project submitted as part of a competition involving more than 700 smart city projects worldwide.
The Smart 20 Awards was organized by Smart Cities Connect, a US organization that holds an annual conference and expo bringing together influential figures in smart city solutions.
The award “annually recognizes global smart cities projects, honoring the most innovative and influential work,” information on its Web site says.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment via CNA
The ministry’s project, Advanced Air Quality Monitoring — Innovations and Applications of Mobile Air Quality Sensors, was one of 20 recipients of this year’s Smart 20 Awards.
It is the first Taiwanese central government agency to have received the honor and was invited to attend the awards ceremony in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday, the ministry said.
The ministry said in a news release that since 2017, it has employed advanced technologies such as sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence big data analysis for air quality monitoring.
The ministry has collaborated with 18 local governments to deploy about 10,000 air quality sensors, establishing an air quality sensing IoT network that provides “high temporal and spatial resolution and more real-time air quality information” to enable smart environment governance, the release said.
To further enhance the scope and mobility of air quality sensing, the ministry has since 2020 worked with the Green Energy and Environment Research Laboratories of the Industrial Technology Research Institute to develop mobile air quality sensing devices and systems, the statement said.
The award-winning project demonstrates how mobile air quality sensors can identify potential sources of pollution and locate spots for on-site inspections, the ministry added.
The mobile sensors have been deployed to collect data for environmental governance applications in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Chiayi County and Hsinchu City, it said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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