An objective methodology is presented for determining the number and disposition of ambient air quality stations in a monitoring network for the primary purpose of compliance with air quality standards. The methodology utilizes a data base with real or simulated data from an air quality dispersion model for application with a two-step process for ascertaining the optimal monitoring network. In the first step, the air quality patterns in the data base are collapsed into a single composite pattern through a figure-of-merit (FOM) concept. The most desirable locations are ranked and identified using the resultant FOM fields. In the second step the network configuration is determined on the basis of the concept of spheres of influence (SOI) developed from cutoff values of spatial correlation coefficients between potential monitoring sites and adjacent locations. The minimum number of required stations is then determined by deletion of lower-ranked stations whose SOI's overlap. The criteria can be set to provide coverage of less than some fixed, user-provided percentage of the coverage of the SOI's of the higher ranked stations and for some desired level of minimum detection capability of concentration fluctuations.