Project Example: City of Wiesbaden (Germany) – Conditioning, Procurement, and Harmonization of Environmental Data

“The Breeze Technologies team stands out due to its exceptional expertise in the field of environmental data. During our collaboration, they proactively drew our attention to fascinating insights derived from existing air quality data. All agreed-upon project goals were achieved; we are highly satisfied with the collaboration.” – Rebecca Wilhelm, Senior Program Manager, Smart City Wiesbaden

PROJECT CONTEXT

The City of Wiesbaden pursues a comprehensive smart city strategy aimed specifically at systematically enhancing urban quality of life and sustainability. At its core are data-driven decision-making processes and modern digital infrastructures that foster closer connections between the administration, the business community, and the citizenry.

A particular focus lies on applications relevant to the environment and public health. As part of its smart city initiatives, several projects aimed at improving air quality have already been launched. Among other measures, a network of environmental sensors is operated throughout the city area to capture various metrics regarding urban air quality. Furthermore, official monitoring stations maintained by the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology are also in place.

Through these measures, Wiesbaden positions itself as a forward-looking, resilient, and livable city that leverages digital innovation to address ecological, social, and economic challenges in a sustainable manner.

PROJECT GOALS

The City of Wiesbaden maintains various data sources and repositories through which environmental data is made available internally within the administration. The objective of the project was to review, harmonize, and – where appropriate – supplement and ultimately analyze the available air quality data. The detailed objectives were:

Data Quality Assurance: Structural analysis of the data, e.g. regarding potential measurement errors, calibration, and overall data quality.

Acquisition of External Environmental Data: Evaluation of potential external data sources to meaningfully enrich the existing datasets; this included, among other things, the acquisition of satellite data.

Data Harmonization: Establishment of a unified data environment that can serve as a foundation for future work (including independent analysis).

Data Analysis: Examination of the data for patterns, trends, and other potential insights, and – where appropriate – the derivation of preliminary recommendations for action.

PROJECT RESULTS

Breeze Technologies’ environmental science team began by reviewing the city’s existing air quality data and classifying it according to the various methods of data acquisition used. An analysis of the datasets – drawn from diverse databases and sources – was subsequently conducted, highlighting any anomalies or discrepancies. By correlating this information with data acquired by Breeze from external sources, the quality of the existing air quality data was analyzed and structurally evaluated. This process identified issues such as potential measurement errors and calibration requirements, while also outlining the necessary next steps.

The data was enriched with external information (including satellite-based air quality data). This formed the basis for establishing a unified data environment, enabling the city administration to independently conduct data analyses in the future. As the data from the various sources was originally in disparate formats, it first required processing and harmonization to ensure its subsequent usability.

Finally, the environmental data was analyzed to identify anomalies in the city’s air quality – such as exceedances of limit values, specific patterns, and trends. The Breeze team subsequently compiled a comprehensive audit and analysis report.

PUBLICATIONS

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