EPA Brings a Low-Cost Air Sensor Network to Memphis
By Michaela Burns
Sensors installed at the Memphis Area Transit Authority facilities.
Outdoor air quality can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood within the same city. All sorts of things can contribute to this variation, including traffic patterns, local industry, and even the way air moves between buildings.
Communities are increasingly interested in learning more about what pollutants are in the air. Knowing about the air quality in your community can help you decide what actions to take to protect your health. That is where new air sensors come into play. They are low-cost, highly portable, and offer new ways to measure air quality in and around a community.
However, this new monitoring technology may not be as precise as more traditional technology used by state and federal governments for regulation. How can scientists use data from these sensors, even if they are not as accurate as traditional models?
To help answer this question, EPA is collaborating with the Shelby County Health Department and the Memphis Area Transit Authority to conduct the CitySpace Air Sensor Network project. EPA researchers will install and field test a city-wide-network of low-cost sensors to measure air pollution across the greater Memphis area, which includes counties in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
The goal of the CitySpace project is to examine the value of using a low-cost air sensor network to estimate the distribution of local air quality conditions and how emerging technologies perform in this type of research.
In October and November, researchers installed air sensor pods at locations in the greater Memphis area based on the input of local communities and other local stakeholders. Sensors are located in neighborhoods, industrial areas, and rural settings. The sensors use emerging technologies that allow environmental data to be measured and instantaneously streamed to a secure EPA website.
All of these sensors will collect data on particulate matter (PM), a common air pollutant, and meteorological conditions such as temperature, humidity, and wind patterns.
Want to know one of the best parts of the study? A majority of the air sensors are 100 percent solar powered and self-sustainable. They won’t require a lot inspection or maintenance, so scientists can focus on reviewing the data.
Hopefully, the work won’t stop in the Memphis metropolitan area. The success of this study could encourage other cities to use low-cost air sensor networks in evaluating local pollution. Through air research efforts like this, EPA is helping to fulfill its mission to protect air quality.
Learn more about the City Space project:
Read our factsheet on the CitySpace project.
About the Author: Michaela Burns is an Oak Ridge Associated Universities contractor and writer for the science communication team in EPA’s Office of Research and Development.