As part of a VLIR-UOS ITP project, a team of students and lecturers from AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Antwerp traveled to Dar es Salaam to set up a LoRaWAN network in collaboration with Ardhi University. The aim? To monitor air quality across the city and lay the foundations for a sustainable smart city ecosystem.
This initiative brings together multidisciplinary IT teams from AP with students from Ardhi University and the Karume Institute of Science and Technology (Zanzibar). Each group plays a key role in building this innovative infrastructure:
- IoT students are responsible for configuring the LoRaWAN gateways and developing sensor modules that collect real-time air quality data.
- IT infrastructure students are setting up a cloud environment to store and manage the incoming data.
- Software development students are building user-friendly interfaces to visualize the data, enabling researchers, policymakers, and citizens to gain insights into the air quality in Dar es Salaam.
Thanks to the ITP program, we were able to purchase essential equipment for the LoRa setup, sensor hardware, and cloud infrastructure, and build Ardhi University’s Internet of Things (IoT) lab.
We’re not only contributing to environmental monitoring but also empowering students in Tanzania with hands-on experience in real-world cases.
