  The increased concentration of aerosols in the air caused by ever-rising
urbanization and the development of various industries has horrendous
consequences on human health, environment and climate. The first step to
counter adverse effects of air pollution in any region is to identify locations
with a high concentration of aerosols, termed aerosol hot-spots. We
specifically focus on the region of Lahore, Pakistan, a city that has
consistently been ranked among the top ten most polluted cities in the world.
In order to identify aerosol hot-spots in the city, we utilize two-year
(2017-18) Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) data from MODerate resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. We propose a method based on
the Glowworm Swarm Optimization (GSO) algorithm that discovers several aerosol
hot-spots over Lahore comprising of major highways and industrial areas.
Furthermore, we formulate two quantification metrics to gauge the amount of
aerosol content over each hot-spot. We also analyze the temporal variation of
aerosol content that suggests the addition or suppression of pollution sources
in the hot-spots. Unlike previous studies, our work provides novel insight into
the regional aerosol concentration of Lahore and calls for maintenance of air
quality of the regions falling under the identified aerosol hot-spots.
