Designing a Community Scale Air Monitoring Project

This worksheet includes specific, step-by-step questions to help you define targeted air monitoring objectives 1 and develop air monitoring approaches to meet those objectives.

What is the reason for conducting air monitoring? Having well thought out questions about air quality ensures that the data you collect will be meaningful.

Extensive document guiding the reader through understanding air pollution to planning and deploying an air sensor monitoring network to taking local action.

Presentation about creating an air quality sensor network. Includes information on developing a goal, choosing a monitor, quality controlling data, and more.

Technical information on monitoring technologies, applications, and approaches for different pollutants.

Website providing the latest science on the performance, operation and use of air sensor monitoring systems for technology developers, air quality managers, citizen scientists and the public.

Short video (3:31) describing the advantages and limitations of sensor, satellite, and modeled air quality information.

Site of the Air Sensors International Conference with location and registration information.

EPA’s evaluation of the performance of a variety of low-cost air quality sensors.

Information on the performance of commercially available low-cost air sensors. Helpful for choosing an accurate sensor.

Locating a sensor properly ensures that you’ll collect data that are meaningful and represent what you’re seeking to measure. Locating any air quality measuring device can be challenging due to atmospheric conditions, local emissions, and logistical considerations.

Tool that helps users compare data from low-cost sensors with data from regulatory monitors and interpret their results. Includes an instruction guide.

Summary of the most important elements of quality assurance and quality control. View Resource: English Spanish Tagalog Vietnamese

Air quality levels change hour to hour and sometimes minute to minute. Instruments and sensors measure these changes, but these technologies can malfunction and produce erroneous data that can look like real data.