may 24, 2012

May 24, 2012 1

Improving Air Quality Mapping by Adding NASA Satellite Data

Big Picture: Project Objectives

• Improve operational air quality maps currently in AIRNow and make them available 24 hrs a day every day

• Provide satellite data products in AIRNow-Tech• Improve tools for air quality forecasting

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Without satellite data, contouring would not be possible in the hatched areas.

Outreach

• Evaluation of the economic and societal benefits of using satellite data

• AIRNow Stakeholder buy-in

• Other videos, papers, conferences, etc.

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Socio-Economic Benefits Analysis

• Applied for an augmentation to the contract– Contracting with an independent firm – Strengthen our results by adding in the $ saved,

jobs created, etc. to the statistics• Literature review, detailed selection and

review of areas for study, describe changes, describe benefits and impacts

• Start in early January 2012 and continue through 2013.

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Stakeholder Buy-in

• Plan for 2012:– Educate stakeholders

• How does the satellite measure air quality?• How are different data sources weighted? • Develop fact sheet to be distributed internally and externally

– Engage stakeholders from the ground level• Form subcommittee of ~5 stakeholders to:

– Evaluate ASDP products– Share results on monthly conference calls– Brief AIRNow Steering Committee periodically on progress

– Evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of the ASDP• Incorporate EPA and stakeholder feedback during testing and

development5

ASDP Overview

Testing

Fusion

Pre-processing

Core Sites

Test Sites

AIRNow Obs

Obs

ObsUnc

Sat

SatUnc

FusedFusedUnc

Fusion

Kriging

Pre-processing

Test Extraction

Satellite Data

Stats

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Preliminary Results: Smoke and No Monitors (Kansas)

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• Smoke in Nebraska (MODIS and AOD) • No Monitors• ASDP adds information (Moderate) • Next Steps: How good is this information

(scientific and socio-economic POV)

Observed Data Satellite Data

Fused Data

MODIS & AIRNow Observations

Preliminary Results: Isolated Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

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• High AOD (smoke?) in central Indiana• Large USG area due to interpolation• ASDP constrains the monitor influences• Next Steps: How good is this

information? (scientific and socio-economic POV)

Observed Data Satellite Data

Fused Data

MODIS & AIRNow Observations

Preliminary Results: Next Steps

• Scatter plots • Spatial statistics – How much information was added

with satellite data?• Statistical metrics – RMSE, standard error, etc.

9RMSE = root mean square error

ASDP Website

Linked to AIRNow-Tech user information (i.e., only the home page is currently accessible without logging in)

– Project and method description– Project team roles and contact information– Experimental maps– Comments

http://asdp.airnowtech.org

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Issues, Needs, and Next Steps

• ASDP– Establish a real-time data feed– Integrate the ASDP modules into AIRNow– Determine where the algorithms will run (begin conversations

with NOAA)

• Socio-Economic Evaluation– Gather data needed and contract with firm to begin

evaluation

• Outreach– Additional videos (awaiting award from NASA)

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Plans for Year Three - 2012

• Complete testing and evaluation• Establish a real time AOD data feed• Finalize a software specification document• Integrate the ASDP within AIRNow ops• Engage AIRNow stakeholders• Begin to gather data for the economic and

societal impacts investigation• Develop a long term operations plan

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