Cyberjaya, May 9 – Cyberview Sdn Bhd and Atilze Digital Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yen Global Berhad, have announced Cyberjaya as the first smart city in Southeast Asia to utilise a city-wide LoRa network to connect various Internet of Things (IoT) sensors.
LoRa is a ready and available low power, long range (LoRa) wide area network technology which is designed to meet the demands of today’s Internet of Things (IoT) applications and services.
Following the collaboration between Cyberview and Atilze to build, operate and commercialise the LoRa network in Cyberjaya in August last year, eight (8) environmental sensors have been successfully installed in Cyberjaya with two more slated for installation by end May.
This development would enable the provision of detailed and reliable data on key environmental parameters which include temperature, humidity, and air quality using PM2.5 sensors.
The installation of the temperature and humidity sensors enable the measurement of the surrounding air which would then prevent elements like periods of heat wave affecting the community.
A heat wave is an extreme weather condition with prolonged periods of abnormally high temperatures, which may be accompanied by high humidity. It is usually measured relative to the usual weather in the area and relative to normal temperatures of the season.
A severe heat wave is dangerous as the heat and sunlight may overheat human body which could potentially cause deaths. A study from Harvard and Columbia University has estimated that Southeast Asia’s 2015 haze crisis may have caused 100,300 premature deaths.
Hence, the PM2.5 sensors installed in Cyberjaya enable the monitoring of Air Quality Index (AQI) in real-time and can communicate this valuable information to the community. This would then prevent individuals with medical problems like asthma, chronic lung disease, chronic sinusitis and allergic skin conditions from experiencing severe attacks as a result of a far from ideal weather condition.
“The installation of the environmental sensors improve and enhance the quality of living standards in Cyberjaya by providing accurate and detailed real-time data. The Air Quality Index (AQI) data provides localised and accurate AQI information to everyone, including schools, businesses, and governments. With this information, informed decisions can be made for the well-being of the people. The environmental sensors are just the beginning and we are working very hard to deploy more IoT applications onto the Cyberjaya LoRa network and achieving our aim in positioning Cyberjaya as a living lab for smart city solutions,” said Gerard Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Atilze.
Users are now able to view the real-time data extracted from the environmental sensors from the public dashboard www.cyberjayamalaysia.com.my/aqi.
In addition to these environmental sensors, Atilze and Cyberview will soon make available a Smart Parking solution that uses LoRa-based parking sensors that will allow residents and visitors of Cyberjaya to detect available parking spaces and make the information available either through a smart phone mobile app, in-car app or using digital signage.