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JAIT 2026 Vol.17(3): 429-437
doi: 10.12720/jait.17.3.429-437

M-Care: Online Air Quality Monitoring System Utilizing LoRa Communication Technology

Surapol Vorapatratorn * and Vittayasak Rujivorakul
Center of Excellence in AI and Emerging Technologies, School of Applied Digital Technology,
Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Email: surapol.vor@mfu.ac.th (S.V.); vittayasak@mfu.ac.th (V.R.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received May 26, 2025; revised June 23, 2025; accepted July 7, 2025; published March 10, 2026.

Abstract—Air pollution, particularly fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), poses serious health risks and environmental challenges. Traditional monitoring stations, though accurate, are limited by high costs and sparse coverage. This study presents the M-Care system, an Internet of Things (IoT)-based air quality monitoring solution that integrates low-cost sensors with Long Range (LoRa) and Wi-Fi communication technologies for real-time data collection. The system measures PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations along with temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. It is supported by web and mobile applications developed on the Yakkaw platform, offering users intuitive access to geospatial visualizations and historical trends. Field deployment in Chiang Rai, Thailand, demonstrated that M-Care achieved a communication range of up to 200 m with 97% packet delivery under optimal conditions. Comparative analysis against reference-grade data from the Thai Pollution Control Department, OpenWeatherMap, and Dustboy sensors showed that M-Care had the lowest Mean Absolute Error (MAE) at 4.10 µg/m³. Statistical validation confirmed the system’s reliability, with no significant difference compared to official data. These results establish M-Care as a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective solution for real-time air quality monitoring in both urban and rural contexts.
 
Keywords—air pollution, air quality monitoring, Long Range (LoRa)-based communication, internet of things, mobile applications, web applications

Cite: Surapol Vorapatratorn and Vittayasak Rujivorakul, "M-Care: Online Air Quality Monitoring System Utilizing LoRa Communication Technology," Journal of Advances in Information Technology, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 429-437, 2026. doi: 10.12720/jait.17.3.429-437

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).

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