Dan Costa, Sc.D., DABTNational Program Director

Air, Climate, and Energy Research ProgramOffice of Research and Development

April 8, 2016

Air Monitoring and ResearchUsing Citizen Science for Environmental Protection

1Costa.dan@epa.gov

Air Pollution has a Compelling History

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Donora – 1948 London –1952 New York City – 1966

Birmingham – 1972 Los Angeles – 1988 Atlanta – 1996

Citizen “Air” Science is Not New

• Citizen Science has been and will continue to bean important element in promoting environmental health and well-being

• Public outcry on visibility and acidification in the 70s and 80s

o Regional Haze Programs

o Acid Rain Program

• Community driven local actions

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Grand Canyon National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

Next Generation Air Monitoring

• Sensors technologies are revolutionizing the way we can measure and monitor air pollution o Gold Standard Monitors - regulatory implications (~1700)o Growing community science, outreach and educationo How good must data be?o Stimulating and guiding technologyo A vision of the future…..

Mobile monitoring for geospatial mapping of pollutants (GMAP) 4“Village Green” park bench

monitors air quality

Jointly funded Innovation Project with NIEHS

Village Green and Student Outreach

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Highlights:

• Sensors for PM, O3, and meteorology; operating only on solar power

• Plans to add BC, NO2.• Original site – Durham,

NC opened in 2013• New sites added in 2015:

Kansas City, KS; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Chicago; Hong Kong

• Additional sites planned in Oklahoma City, OK; Hartford, CT

• Live stream data (http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.villagegreen)

• National and international visitors tout VG as the highlight of their visits Hong Kong

June 22, 2013 – Opening Day at Durham South Regional Library

System Schematic

Citizen Science: Getting There from Here

• How do we make the best use of citizens science as a tool in protecting public health and the environment?

• It cannot be about “EPA” or we may lose the “community” trust• Keys to success:

o Embracing the community needs and issues

o Outreach and mentorships to build trust

o Collaborative mentality

o It’s not just “data” – it’s understanding

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Community Air Monitoring Training

• EPA hosted A Glimpse into EPA’s Air Sensor Toolbox on July 9, 2015o 30 community and tribal action group representatives participated in-person [800+ via webinar]

• Workshop Goals:

o To share tools, best practices, and resources from EPA’s Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists o To educate interested groups and individuals on how to conduct successful air monitoring projects

• Follow-upo Training has inspired participants to consider:

Appropriate redesigns of air monitoring projects, including alternative sensor choicesRecruiting air quality experts to assist with quality assurance/quality controlEstablishing partnerships with local environmental experts to help with data interpretation (e.g., EPA Regional Offices; local universities)

o Workshop presentations videotaped and available on-line [http://www2.epa.gov/air-research/air-sensor-toolbox-citizen-scientists]

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Popularity of Resources

977Views since launched

on Aug. 18th 2015

Air Sensor ToolboxWebpage on EPA.gov

176,735Reaches

4,694,816Impressions

Twitter metrics for #AirSensorMtg

Training Video Serieson YouTube

http://www2.epa.gov/air-research/next-generation-air-measuring-research

Hits to Toolbox main page and resources since launch

on June 1st, 2014

13,580~150 per week

Ongoing

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Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) Projects• Region 2 - Citizen Science Toolbox - Collaboration between

ORD/R2/ Ironbound Community Corporation to provide Ironbound community with a “Tool Box” appropriate for initiating a community-based, participatory environmental monitoring study

• Region 1, 4, 7, 8 – Community Air Sensor Network (CAIRSENSE) -Direct low cost sensor colocation with Federal Reference Monitors in Atlanta and Denver

• Region 5 - Application of lower cost air monitoring technologies for local-scale air quality investigation in an environmental justice community

• Region 7- Field evaluation of lower cost continuous measurement of air pollutants

• Region 2 - Efficacy of Citizen Science Air Monitoring for Building Awareness of Exposures for Citizens in a US Caribbean Urban Neighborhood Impacted by Heavy Industrial Contamination

Citizen Science Collaborations (1)

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Ongoing

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Regional Sustainability and Environmental Sciences Research Program (RESES) Projects

• Region 10 - Making a Visible Difference in N/NE Portland:Engaging Communities; Using Citizen Science to Assess and Address Children’s Environmental Health from Transit and Air Pollution

• Regions 4, 6, 7 - CitySpace and Air Sensor Network:Evaluating Spatial Gradients of Urban Air Pollution with Low-Cost Air Sensor Technology

Additional Projects

• Ron Williams (NERL) and Amanda Kaufman (ORISE-ACE/NERL) serve as primary contacts for citizen science groups trying to understand sensor technology and asking questions about the Air Sensor Toolbox for Citizen Scientists

Citizen Science Collaborations (2)

TECHNOLOGY 21st Century Skills COMMUNICATION

Making Sense of Air Quality

Kids make a hand-held air sensors

True or False: Before the industrial revolution, there was no air pollution.

FALSE

Name one of the major causes of air pollution.

a. Solar Panelsb. Watering Lawnsc. Carsd. Biking

Name the main component of air.

a. Arsenicb. Nitrogenc. Leadd. Helium

True or False: Air pollution is a problem only in big cities.

FALSE

What does AQI stand for?

a. Air Quality Indexb. Air Quality Informationc. Ambient Quality Indexd. Air Questions Information

Which two air pollutants pose the greatest threat to human health?

a. Lead and Ozoneb. Particles and

Nitrogenc. Ozone and

Particlesd. Sulfur and Carbon

Monoxide

WOW! Making Sense of Air QualityLesson plans with game cards

Investing in the Future - Education

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Sensor Activities – Outside EPA

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• Sensor Evaluations• South Coast Air Quality - LA• O3, NO2, PM, and VOCs

• Google/Aclima/EPA map street-level air quality• Mapping air pollution in 3 California areas

(LA, San Francisco, and Central Valley) using Google Street-view cars

• Building off of a 2014 pilot study in Denver• Environmental Defense Fund

• Planning a major effort using low cost and high end monitoring equipment

• Working with Google to make data publicly available

• Exploring connection with health outcomes

https://aclima.io/blog/posts/aclima-google-map-air-quality/

SBIR Sensors Research Microsite

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• The Federal government is a significant driver of sensor innovation: investing in low cost, portable, easy-to-use technologies to facilitate the collection of real time, reliable measurement information.

CCoordinated by EPA, the new SBIR Sensors Research Microsite: • is a central web location to promote collaboration across SBIR agencies in the area

of sensor technology.• makes it easier for sensor developers to locate relevant SBIR and/or STTR funding

opportunities across federal agencies.

Participating agencies:

Visit the site! https://www.sbir.gov/Sensor-technology-for-the-21st-century

SBIR – Small Business Innovation Research -https://www.sbir.gov/

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Proliferation of Apps and Public Info

Be careful – we don’t know how to relate most sensor data for personal use

Considerations Moving Forward

• Three major focus areas to be aware of… o Sensor Technology Development and Evaluation

o Rapid progress but widely variable in qualityo Getting in front of the technology – design sensors to fit what we know

o Data management (i.e. Big Data) –o widespread use of sensors will generate enormous amounts of data.o We need new statistical models to deal with information

o Interpretation & Communication of the datao Relating sensor data to what we know

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