Elche, a municipality of Spain with 235k inhabitants, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. is accelerating its journey toward a healthier, greener urban future by deploying an intelligent air quality monitoring network. As part of the preparation for its upcoming Low Emission Zone (LEZ), the city has installed advanced environmental sensors from Bettair Cities to gain detailed, real-time insights into urban air pollution.
The initial rollout includes 12 sensor units positioned across three priority areas: El Altet, Torrellano, and, most intensively, Elche’s city center—where population density and activity peak. These nodes continuously measure a broad spectrum of pollutants, including NO₂, O₃, NO, CO, SO₂, H₂S, NH₃, CO₂, and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM10), along with other environmental variables, offering a fine-grained picture of pollution dynamics under real mobility pressure.
A distinguishing feature of the system is its ability to include trace gases often missing from other urban networks in Spain—such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and ammonia (NH₃)—alongside standard pollutants. This makes the solution exceptionally comprehensive for urban air quality surveillance.
The collected data will enhance the evaluation of sustainable mobility policies, from traffic restrictions and sensitive area protections (e.g., near schools) to emergency response during pollution episodes or large-scale events. Furthermore, it supports compliance planning for upcoming European air quality regulations, which are expected to enforce more stringent thresholds from 2030 onwards.
With this initiative, Elche elevates air quality to a core urban management metric—on par with mobility, noise, and energy use. Continuous, high-resolution monitoring equips the city to make evidence-based decisions for a more resilient, healthier future.
