TÜV Süd confirms Hawa Dawa the accuracy of the “indicative measurement”
IoT measurement method meets legal requirements to prove compliance with air pollutant limits. Hawa Dawa has been the first provider in Europe to be certified by an independent state-approved body for the legally prescribed measurement accuracy of its IoT sensor measuring networks. TÜV Süd certifies: Hawa Dawa achieves the quality objectives of the 39. BlmSchV (the national implementation of the EU directive 2008/50/EG ).
In the evaluation, TÜV Süd used measurement data of a period of 12 months. For this purpose, the NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) values measured by Hawa Dawa were compared with the values of an official measuring station.
The data of Hawa Dawa were obtained within a BMVI funded project of the Mainzer Stadtwerke AG. The official measurement station is operated according to the EU reference procedure (and certified) by the State Office for the Environment Rhineland-Palatinate (LfU).
The measuring equipment used for this test by Hawa Dawa and LfU was located at the same location, a major road in Mainz city centre. The comparative values of the measuring station were provided by the LfU, the operator of the Rhineland-Palatinate central air quality measuring network (ZIMEN). The aim was to test to what extent the Hawa Dawa IoT measuring devices, together with the applied analysis method, are suitable for achieving the same accuracy as the analogue passive collectors (NO2 tube collectors) with the target to replace them as a digital solution in the future.
In Germany, stationary measurements for the determination of NO2 are usually carried out by the federal states deploying legally prescribed measuring stations. Suppose further measurements have to be made in an area. In that case, indicative measurements following the 39th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImSchV) are possible and are therefore also used in legal disputes. Until now, only the tube collector method has been available for indicative measurements of nitrogen dioxide that supplement the area. Although tube collectors only give weekly or monthly average values, they are currently regarded as state of the art and, if suitable quality assurance methods are applied, meet the requirements of the 39th BImSchV for indicative measurements with a maximum (extended measurement) uncertainty of 25%.
TÜV Süd certifies that the Hawa Dawa measurement results have an extended measurement uncertainty of rounded 17%. The conclusion of the TÜV report of 19.07.2021 says, “The quality objectives of the 39th BImSchV for the indicative measurement of nitrogen dioxide are therefore fulfilled. As a preliminary result, it can be stated that the measurements offered by Hawa Dawa, in the sense of indicative measurements, are suitable for checking compliance with the annual limit value for nitrogen dioxide at urban, traffic-related measuring locations. This means that the measurements with the low-cost measuring boxes can replace measurements with tube collectors and provide current measured values and a better time resolution as added value. ”
Frank Felten, Chief Product Officer at Hawa Dawa, explains: “In our own comparisons, we have seen for some time that the quality of the processes, which we are constantly improving, is getting closer and closer to the results of the reference methods. Nevertheless, we were surprised that in the comparative study of the TÜV, we have almost achieved the field of equivalence measurement methods, which require a maximum of 15% uncertainty. This is certainly the next possible step. And this development also explains why our sensor networks are playing an increasingly important role in the field of court-proof measurements.”
About TÜV Süd
TÜV SÜD is a corporation striving to add value to governments, businesses and consumers worldwide. They aim to inspire trust in technology, enabling progress by managing technology-related risks and facilitating change. TÜV SÜD is a trusted partner of choice for safety, security and sustainability solutions. Over the last 150 years, TÜV Süd has added value to partners and customers through a comprehensive portfolio of testing, certification, auditing and advisory services. TÜV Süd enabled progress in society and businesses by staying true to their purpose of protecting people, the environment and assets from technology-related risks.
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