# Low-Cost IoT Air Quality Monitoring Station Using Cloud Platform and Blockchain Technology
## 5 Blockchain Platform Simulation
#### Blockchain Platform Software GUI  
The blockchain GUI is shown in Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 shows the Ganache GUI of the first created workspace IoT air monitoring station that was used to simulate blockchain on the Ethereum platform. It shows an overview of the Ethereum accounts provided by Ganache for development purposes. Each account typically has an address and a test Ether (ETH) balance for simulating transactions. Figure 13 shows the Ganache logs of information at the start of the software code, which helps diagnosis if it is not successfully started and if something is not working smoothly.  
design, which makes its application easy and scalable. The disadvantages to note are a relatively long latency time when using Ethereum Blockchain to transfer data, the lack of air quality prediction, which could help in making early warnings to the public, and trend analysis, for which artificial intelligence (AI) is used to identify long-term trends in air quality data.  
This reliable access to real-time air quality data empowers individuals and organizations to address air pollution effectively. The integration of cloud platforms streamlines data management, while blockchain ensures data integrity and security. These technologies provide a strong framework for decision-making, public engagement, and sustainable urban planning to combat air pollution and its consequences. Continuous research, cost reduction, and collaboration are vital for further progress in this area, promising a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future.  
Our solution can overcome many challenges, as follows: the lack of availability and stability of internet network connections in remote areas; extreme weather with very high or low ranges of temperature, which may affect sensor measurements and necessitate other sensors with a higher cost, like the NDIR CO\({}_{2}\) sensor with exceptional accuracy and reliability for measuring CO\({}_{2}\) levels [23]; the electrochemical CO sensor has enhanced accuracy for CO measurements [24]; the particulate matter sensor (PM2.5/PM10) detects fine particulate matter; the high-precision sensor can be used for temperature and humidity; and the scalability issues of blockchain when applied to wide-range areas with multiple nodes.  
These solutions can be further developed in future work. It will be a great benefit to add a real blockchain network transmission and to use AI algorithms to predict the pollution percentage according to the measurement trends. We think this technology can be implemented by adopting the predictive analytics concept using AI models that can forecast future air quality levels based on past data, present readings, and outside variables, like the weather. This might make it easier to notify the public in advance. In addition, carrying out trend analysis and adaptive sampling by applying AI to find long-term trends in data on air quality and modifying the sampling rate in response to changes in the reading variability or the identification of pollution spikes can be important for environmental studies and the development of public policy.  
Conceptualization, M.M.A. and A.M.T.A.-E.; methodology, A.K.H. and M.M.A.; software, A.K.H.; validation, M.M.A. and M.S.S.; formal analysis, A.K.H., A.M.T.A.-E. and M.M.A.; investigation, A.K.H., M.S.S. and M.M.A.; data curation, A.K.H., A.M.T.A.-E. and M.M.A.; writing--original draft preparation, A.K.H., M.S.S. and M.M.A.; writing--review and editing, A.K.H. and M.M.A.; visualization, M.S.S., A.M.T.A.-E. and M.M.M.A.; supervision, M.S.S., A.M.T.A.-E. and M.M.M.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Not applicable.  
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.