A Method for Optimized Monitoring of Indoor Air Quality in Public Buildings

A huge effort has been directed towards research and development of new measurement systems for maximizing comfort and safety in public buildings by monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ). In fact, according to World Health Organization, exposure to chemical, biological, and physical agents in poorly ventilated spaces can lead to psycho-physical discomfort as well as respiratory and neurological diseases. Recent advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) have paved the ground for the design and implementation of distributed measurement systems with higher sensor density and computational capacity. While these systems provide accurate assessments of individual rooms, they do not account for personal exposure to varying air quality levels over time. In public buildings such as schools, universities, and workplaces, occupants frequently move between rooms according to predefined schedules, resulting in heterogeneous exposure patterns. To address this issue, this paper proposes an innovative IAQ measurement technique for public buildings, shifting the focus from room-based assessment to occupant-centered assessment. Unlike wearable or portable personal monitors, the proposed technique infers occupant location from the institutional timetable and combines it with the fixed sensor infrastructure already installed in the rooms, requiring no additional devices to be worn. Individual conditions are quantified through a new personalized metric that integrates instantaneous air quality, cumulative individual exposure over time, and thermal comfort into a single index that is evaluated against occupant-specific thresholds. The technique is validated using real-world data, demonstrating higher potential to ensure safety and comfort compared to the state of the art.