Abstract View
Communication of Real-Time Air Quality by Blending Model, Regulatory Monitor, and Low-Cost Sensor Data
Nico Schulte, Xiang Li, Jo Kay Ghosh, Philip Fine, SCOTT A. EPSTEIN, South Coast Air Quality Management District
Abstract Number: 126
Working Group: Translating Aerosol Research for Societal Impact: Science Communication and Public Outreach
Abstract
With the proliferation of low-cost sensors, the public has become increasingly interested in the air quality conditions in their neighborhood. Understanding air quality levels is particularly important in the greater Los Angeles area, a region with 17 million people that typically records the worst air quality in the United States. Low-cost sensor data can be a powerful tool to understand local scale air quality, especially in areas far from regulatory monitors. However, sensor data is commonly misinterpreted, as the accuracy, siting, pollutants measured, and any necessary calibrations are not typically considered by the public. To provide more granular air quality information to the public, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) developed a real-time air quality index (AQI) map that blends data from a chemical transport model, regulatory monitoring data that we collect, and calibrated/quality controlled low-cost PM2.5 sensor data. Each data source is weighted by its relative uncertainty to provide AQI values calculated with PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, and CO concentrations at 5 km resolution throughout the jurisdiction. These AQI values are more accurate than values calculated with previous methods, especially during wildfires, and the map also helps to avoid public misinterpretation of sensor data. This interactive real-time AQI map and corresponding plain-language recommendations for how to minimize exposure during periods of poor air quality are currently available on the South Coast AQMD website and the South Coast AQMD mobile app.