To enhance local economic growth, Miaoli County has developed many industrial zones and industrial parks. The industries in Miaoli County have gradually transformed from agriculture to a modern industrial city. Currently, there are 2,001 registered factories and 658 listed factories in Miaoli County, including about 20 petrochemical companies, mainly located in Zhunan Town and Toufen City.

However, there are many factories, and the public complained about the serious problem of air pollution and odor. To improve the air pollution problem complained by the public, the Environmental Protection Bureau of Miaoli County developed the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) frontline command center and UAV comprehensive automatic navigation monitoring and sampling system in 2023.

When the system receives a LINE notification message, the UAV is immediately dispatched to automatically detect suspected pollution. Navigate around the factory area monitor PM2.5 and TVOC concentrations, and simultaneously record the coordinates and altitude.

When the UAV detects a high value of TVOC concentration, it will trigger automatic sampling and return. After the UAV returns, the portable mass spectrometer (EcoSpy-p) equipped with the air quality monitoring vehicle will be used to analyze the components of land and air samples, and further compare the correlation between the data from air, ground, and permit data to effectively track the sources of pollution and require operators to improve by the law.

According to statistics, the number of air pollution complaint cases in 2021 is 1,829. After the Environmental Protection Bureau introduced the UAV system in 2023, the number of complaint cases dropped to 1,627, a decrease rate of 11%, and detected 7 illegal acts, the president was fined NT $ 1,229,980.

This innovative work can effectively reduce environmental load, maintain air quality, and protect people’s health. This system is highly convenient and scalable. In the future, it can be actively promoted in industrially developed countries and used in factories, animal husbandry monitoring, etc., which will help improve air pollution problems and protect the air quality in various regions.

Category:Green Government and InstitutionsAward Year:2024Location: Miaoli County, TaiwanLead Designer:Jian-Zhi LinDesigners:Environmental Protection Bureau of Miaoli County GovernmentClient:Environmental Protection Bureau of Miaoli County GovernmentPhotographers:Ming-Xiang Liu