Description:

Air quality is a significant human health concern globally. However, in many regions, the cost to install and maintain high-grade sensors is prohibitive, thus many people have little or no information about their local air quality. Growth in the development of low-cost sensor technology has provided new opportunities for monitoring air quality in previously under-monitored communities and has facilitated an increase in community-driven networks and science initiatives. Low-cost sensors can provide unprecedented information on the spatial and temporal variability of air quality at hyperlocal scales. However, accuracy of sensor data can be of concern; thus, significant research has also gone into sensor evaluation and into development of methods to improve data quality. Topics in this session may include development and evaluation of low-cost air quality sensors, results from community deployments (including successes and challenges), and methodologies for combining and comparing low-cost sensor data with more traditional air quality measurements and observations.