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Quality Assurance Considerations to Deliver Credible Data from Air Sensors: Workshop Summary.
Citation:
Barkjohn, K., A. Clements, C. Mocka, C. Barrette, A. Bittner, W. Champion, B. Gantt, E. Good, A. Holder, B. Hillis, M. Landis, M. Kumar, M. MacDonald, E. Thoma, T. Dye, J. Archer, M. Bergin, W. Mui, B. Feenstra, M. Ogletree, C. Schroeder, AND N. Zimmerman. Quality Assurance Considerations to Deliver Credible Data from Air Sensors: Workshop Summary. Air Sensor Quality Assurance Workshop Summary, Riverside, CA, May 01 - 03, 2024.
Impact/Purpose:
Sensor use has increased in recent years but quality assurance is needed to ensure data is useful for the intended purpose. In July 2023, US EPA hosted an international workshop bringing together experts to discuss air sensor quality assurance strategies. This presentation will summarize key concepts from the workshop to an audience of sensor users at the Air Sensor International Conference (ASIC) in May 2024 in California.
Description:
In July 2023, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a workshop bringing together experts to discuss air sensor quality assurance (QA). This workshop focused on particulate matter (PM) sensors, fenceline and near-source community volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors, as well as gas sensors measuring ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide. These three types of sensors are in different places developmentally with PM sensors being used to provide higher spatially and temporally resolved data with a common set of QA procedures, VOC sensors in use for regulatory purposes in some places (e.g., Colorado), and gas sensors proving helpful for some applications but still needing more work to consistently provide accurate data. Sensor applications discussed at the workshop included near-source, ambient air monitoring and management, community benefit and environmental justice, validation of satellite and models, indoor use, and research purposes including health and climate research. Different levels of QA will be required for different applications and desired outcomes. Many common QA practices were shared, including field collocation, harmonization, calibration, correction, data analysis methods, and siting. Sensor limitations were also discussed, including sensor lifetime and degradation, bias, precision, and the influence of interferent pollutants and meteorology (e.g., temperature, relative humidity). This talk will provide a summary of the 2023 sensor QA workshop and resources created from these findings. Although this abstract was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.