State PCS - West Bengal (WBCS)

• 10 Jun 2025

DRUM Web App

Why in News? 

A team from IIT Kharagpur developed the Dynamic Route Planning for Urban Green Mobility (DRUM) web app, which functions like Google Maps but with an added advantage—it lets users choose routes based on air quality and energy efficiency.

Key Points 

• Purpose of the App:  
  • The DRUM app offers five route options which are calculated using real-time air quality and traffic data. 
    • Shortest route, Fastest route, Least Exposure to Air Pollution (LEAP), Least Energy Consumption Route (LECR), Suggested route (a balance of all four factors). 
  • DRUM uses GraphHopper, a Java-based routing engine, and Mapbox for live traffic updates. 
  • The team tested DRUM across Delhi’s major corridors, factoring in traffic, road conditions, and pollution levels. 
    • The system supports multiple vehicle types and is designed to scale to other cities beyond Delhi. 
  • It eliminates high-pollution and high-energy routes to suggest a balanced path based on time, distance, air quality, and energy use. 
• Technical Challenges: 
  • Integrating real-time traffic and air quality data into the app was a major technical challenge, requiring efficient data fetching and processing to ensure quick response times. 
  • The team used the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)and World Air Quality Index data, applying segment-wise interpolation to estimate pollution in sensor-free zones. 
• Future Plans and DRUM 2.0: 
  • Field Testing & Data Expansion: IIT Kharagpur’s MUST Lab plans real-world DRUM trials and aims to integrate crowdsourced data from low-cost sensors on vehicles, street poles, and commuters, enabling support for micro-mobility modes. 
  • DRUM 2.0 Development: A predictive version using machine learning (like Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Prophet) is in progress to forecast air quality, traffic, and energy use, offering smart, real-time route and timing suggestions for urban commuters. 

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 

• About: 
  • The CPCB was established in September 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. 
  • In 1981, it was also empowered under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981. 
  • It functions as a statutory authority and a field formation for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). 
  • It also provides technical support under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. 
• Functions: 
  • Under the Water Act, CPCB is responsible for maintaining cleanliness of streams and wells through prevention and control of water pollution. 
  • Under the Air Act, it works to improve air quality by preventing, controlling, and reducing air pollution across the country.