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Highlights on U.S. EPA Efforts on Developing Performance Testing Protocols and Targets for Air Sensors
Citation:
Duvall, R., A. Clements, K. Barkjohn, AND S. Frederick. Highlights on U.S. EPA Efforts on Developing Performance Testing Protocols and Targets for Air Sensors. 2022 Air Sensors International Conference, Pasadena, CA, May 11 - 13, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
The use of air sensors has grown exponentially for a variety of applications. There is still significant variability in data quality from air sensors and understanding sensor performance is important. The U.S. EPA developed reports outlining testing protocols, metrics, and target values to evaluate the performance of ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air sensors for use in non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications. This work is important as it will provide a consistent approach for sensor performance evaluations, help increase confidence in data quality, help stimulate improvements and development in the marketplace, and help consumers choose sensors appropriate for applications of interest. Groups that would be interested or could apply the results from this work include state/local/tribal agencies, EPA Regional Offices, other Federal agencies and departments, international organizations, academia, sensor manufacturers, sensor testing organizations, and the general public.
Description:
As the development and use of air sensors continues to expand rapidly, understanding the performance of sensors remains a critical need given the variability in sensor data quality. To help support consumers and developers of air sensor technologies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) published reports in 2021 outlining recommended testing protocols, metrics, and target values to evaluate the performance of ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air sensors used in non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications. The U.S. EPA is expanding these efforts to cover additional pollutants including particles with diameters of 10 microns or less (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The goal of this work is to provide a consistent approach for evaluating sensor performance while also helping provide confidence in sensor data quality, encouraging technology improvements and development in the marketplace, and assisting users select appropriate sensors for their application of interest. This presentation will provide highlights on the U.S. EPA’s completed and future work in developing guidance for evaluating the performance of air sensors.