Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Protection Agency United States

Our mission is to protect human health and the environment. Homepage

Sensors

  • Research

  • Personal Exposure Monitoring

  • Supplementing Existing Monitoring

  • Source Identification and Characterization

  • Education

  • Information/Awareness

Air Measurement Technologies

  • Traditional

    • Expensive instruments

    • Specialized training required

    • Large physical footprint

    • Large power draw

  • Low Cost

    • Stationary / Mobile

    • Public demand

    • More personalized information

  • Experimental

    • Do It Yourself

    • Education/Outreach

    • Low Cost

    • Measurements

Desirable Direction

  • Lower Cost Systems

  • Higher Spatial Resolution

Sensor Applications

  • Stationary Mode

    • Source Fence line

    • Community measurements

    • e.g.

      • Multipollutant sensor stations in near road

      • Community setting

  • Mobile Mode

    • Personal monitoring

    • Community group monitoring

    • Mapping spatial trends

  • Education Outreach

    • EPA ORD’s particle sensor kit

    • Instrumented kits measuring VOCs

    • Hacking fiber optic flowers to light up based on CO2 sensor readings (EPA ORD)

Additional Factors

  • Reliability of the manufacturing

    • Many are produced in batches

  • Data communications

  • Ease of operation

  • Power draw

  • Lifetime of sensor

    • Some likely to fail within 1 year

Before Collecting

  • Basics

    • Purpose

      • Government - School - Company Sandbox Learning Project

      • ?

    • Number of Pollutants

  • Monitor

    • What sensor?

    • How often data collected?

    • Calibration

      • Certified Entity

      • Collocation

    • Additional data?

      • Noise

      • Temperature

  • Location

    • Where?

      • Moving /Stationary

      • Indoor / Outdoor

    • Other Sources

      • Industry

      • Construction

    • Wheather Conditions

  • Data Analysis

Evaluation of Emerging Air Pollution Sensor Performance

The US EPA has focused a majority of its attention on sensors costing < $2,500.00 as it is believed such a cost would be at the upper limit to that which citizen scientists, as well as many others might be able to afford.

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