OAR Perspective on Air Sensors

1. OAR Perspective on Air Sensors Kristen Benedict National Tribal Forum on Air Quality 5/13/14

2. Agenda • Defining Sensors • State of Science/Examples • OAR Perspective • Current Monitoring Requirements • Potential Applications for Sensor Data • Challenges/Needs • Upcoming Conferences

3. Sensors • Technologies that include small portable, low-cost devices

4. Assessing and supporting new technology Emerging air monitoring systems (informal classification) Group 1: Regulatory or regulatory-equivalent air monitoring stations Cost: 100Ks (in thousands), Data reliability = A+ existing emerging Group 2: Smaller-footprint monitoring systems for community screening and research studies Cost: 1-10Ks, Data reliability = B+ (target) Group 3: Very small, very low cost systems enabling dense sensor networks, citizen science Cost: 0.1-1Ks, Data reliability = ? (slide courtesy of Gayle Hagler)

5. State of Sensor Monitoring • Sensor technologies in research, development, and evaluation stage • Sensor Evaluation Open House • No sensor technologies have applied for Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) status

6. Collaboration with Office of Research and Development (ORD) • Evaluating performance of sensors • Determining applications related to citizen science • Village Green Project • Developing guidance documents • Draft Roadmap for Next Generation Air Monitoring (NGAM) • Air Sensors Guidebook (June 2014)

7. Air Sensors: Examples

8. Air Sensors: Examples

9. Air Sensors: Examples

10. OAR Perspective – Current Monitoring Network Requirements • Criteria Pollutants • Federal Reference Methods (FRM)/Federal Equivalent Methods (FEM) • HAPs • Guidance Materials by Pollutant Class (e.g. VOCs) • Source Testing • Test Methods/Alternative Test Methods

11. OAR Perspective – Potential Applications of Sensor Data • Informing Network Design • Locate monitor in high concentration areas • Determination of gradients • Permitting • Help understand background pollutant concentrations • Risk assessment • Characterization & Modeling • Provide insight into near road concentrations (NO2)

12. OAR Perspective – Challenges • Data use, quality, and collection • Defining data quality and collection needs for various users and applications • Limitations of sensors (e.g. readings at extreme meteorological conditions) • Interpretation of short term data • Communication

13. Messaging Challenges AQI focuses on health effects experienced within a few hours or days

14. Research Needs • Collocation studies • Sensor monitoring technologies collocated with Federal Reference Method (FRM) instruments • Collection of data in areas without network monitors

15. OAR Perspective –Brainstorming Collection Needs

16. OAR Perspective –Brainstorming Data Quality Objectives

17. Next Steps • Case Study on Ozone • Define current monitoring requirements and use of monitoring data • Interpretation and messaging of short term (e.g. 1-min data versus the 8-hour primary standard) • Data analysis (as needed) • Identify and describe potential applications for sensor data • Determine data quality/collection needs to supplement monitoring data • Provide outreach and guidance to citizens and communities

18. Conferences