5.3. AR for Urban and Industrial Pollution Awareness

Researchers in Italy have implemented an AR system to enhance public awareness of air pollution. The system overlays Air Quality Index (AQI) metrics and pollutant sources onto physical locations using GIS and mobile AR.

Case Study:

  • Marche Region, Italy (Sanità et al., 2024): The system integrated satellite data, urban sensors, and AQI models, allowing users to "walk through" polluted zones and visualize levels of NO₂, PM2.5, and ozone in real time.

Relevance to Bioremediation:
Though developed for urban air pollution, this use case illustrates the visual power of AR in showing invisible environmental threats. Similarly, AR can be adapted to microbial field sites to show underground plumes of heavy metals or oil, microbial activity hotspots, or evolving redox zones that affect pollutant bioavailability.