Facilitating Data Exchange and Decision Making with High Frequency Air Quality Data

Air quality monitoring is critical for protecting public health, especially in the face of increasing environmental challenges. EPA sponsored State and Local Air Monitoring networks exist due to measures put in place by the Clean Air Act and have been instrumental in guiding national air quality policy towards cleaner air. Continuing developments in technology have improved the ability to sample air quality with a trend towards higher resolution sampling both spatially and temporally and an increased number of monitored species. While existing data tools and protocols for sharing state-level air quality data have proved beneficial, handling the influx of this large volume of data remains a persistent challenge. Ingesting high density observations requires a central aggregation source, and open, hosted tools for visualizing such high resolution air quality data in space and time are lacking.

To address this challenge, Synoptic Data PBC, in partnership with several state departments of air quality, including Maryland and Oregon, has initiated a pilot program for high frequency air quality data. This program focuses on exchanging one-minute air quality data across numerous species, significantly expanding upon existing data sharing efforts. Synoptic employs a comprehensive technical stack to ingest, store, quality control, visualize, and distribute these data via an intuitive API and data viewer. The enhanced platform provides real-time and historical visualization and data sharing capabilities, improving situational awareness and decision-making processes for participating states. By facilitating the access, sharing, and actionable use of high-frequency air quality data, this initiative aims to bolster public health preparedness and regional collaboration in air quality management.

This presentation will delve into the technical aspects of data curation and the collaborative efforts with state agencies. It will highlight the benefits of high-frequency data for air quality monitoring and demonstrate how Synoptic’s advanced visualization tools enable more effective data utilization. The successful outcomes of the pilot program underscore the potential for broader implementation of these technologies to enhance air quality monitoring and decision-making across the US.