What good is this camera at the top of Toulouse’s tallest tower?
By Philip Salvador
Published on
The device installed on the roof of the Parc de Bagatelle tower in Toulouse seems to come from space. And that’s the case. It is a multispectral tomographic imager, resulting from a technology developed at the National Center for Space Studies in Toulouse (CNES). Éric Péquignot, who worked there for a dozen years, was then able to develop the concept for land use, within his start-up WaltR. “This ground camera, as we call it, can detect the light signature of polluting particles and greenhouse gases,” he summarizes. It has been in place since last December.
The green lung of Toulouse
Combined with sensors on the ground, “air sniffers”, satellite data and a modeling system, the machine makes it possible to measure air quality. And it is an area of about thirty square kilometers, above the island of Ramier, which is scrutinized. WaltR has indeed been selected by Toulouse Métropole, as part of the European Life program for the environment and climate, which aims to create a green lung within the Grand Parc Garonne. “This project served as an open-air laboratory for us to succeed with our technology,” recognizes Éric Péquignot. He has since been approached to implant similar devices in Angers, in the port of Nice and Charles-de-Gaulle airport, in Roissy.
Know if the fight against pollution is effective
“For the first time, it is possible to make city-wide diagnostics, a neighborhood or a street. And return them in real time. You can literally see the pollutants moving across the three-dimensional image,” adds the engineer-entrepreneur. This is the whole point of this technology: its precision. It makes it possible to measure the effectiveness of certain environmental devices. To know, for example, whether pollution from Low Emission Zones is carried elsewhere or if it is actually reduced. Or to follow the plume of smoke from an explosion to know the most impacted areas.
“Walt’R identifies and locates the source of polluting emissions. Essential information to act”
In September, a second camera de WaltR will be installed on the roof of another skyscraper in Toulouse, located in the Minimes district.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow Actu Toulouse in the My Actu space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.