// THESIS GUIDANCE PORTAL · Engineering
Air Quality Monitoring and Prediction in Kathmandu Valley
1. Introduction & Problem Statement
Overview: Develop an IoT-based air quality monitoring network across Kathmandu Valley with ML-based prediction models. Kathmandu consistently ranks among South Asia's most polluted cities.
Background Context (Nepal): Kathmandu Valley faces severe air pollution — AQI regularly exceeds 200 during dry season. Brick kilns, vehicle emissions, and open burning are major contributors. Real-time monitoring and prediction can support policy interventions.
2. Research Objectives
- ›Deploy IoT sensor network across 10 locations in Kathmandu Valley
- ›Build real-time dashboard for AQI monitoring
- ›Train LSTM/Prophet model for 24-hour AQI prediction
- ›Analyze pollution sources using statistical methods
- ›Provide policy recommendations based on data
3. Proposed Methodology
- Sensor hardware selection and calibration
- IoT network setup — LoRaWAN or NB-IoT
- Data pipeline — MQTT, time-series database (InfluxDB)
- Dashboard development with real-time charts
- ML model training for prediction
- Statistical analysis of pollution sources
4. Thesis Chapter-by-Chapter Outline
Chapter 1: IntroductionTU/KU standard
Air pollution in Nepal, existing monitoring, research objectives
Chapter 2: Literature ReviewTU/KU standard
IoT in environment monitoring, air quality prediction models, Kathmandu studies
Chapter 3: System DesignTU/KU standard
Sensor network architecture, data pipeline, dashboard design
Chapter 4: ImplementationTU/KU standard
Hardware deployment, software development, ML model
Chapter 5: ResultsTU/KU standard
Data analysis, prediction accuracy, pollution pattern findings
Chapter 6: ConclusionTU/KU standard
Key findings, policy implications, future work
5. Recommended Tools & Technologies
To implement the practical, technical, or analytical portions of this thesis topic, the following software tools, libraries, or APIs are recommended:
6. Core References & Citations
- [1]DoEnv Nepal — Air Quality Monitoring Reports
- [2]WHO Air Quality Guidelines 2021
- [3]Shrestha, I.L. et al. — Air Quality Studies in Kathmandu Valley