Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment
The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) is known to vary spatially across a city landscape. Current networks of regulatory air quality monitoring are too sparse to capture these intra-city variations. In this study, we developed a low-cost (60 USD) portable PM<...
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/7/2767 |
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| author | Mingjian Chen Weichang Yuan Chang Cao Colby Buehler Drew R. Gentner Xuhui Lee |
| author_facet | Mingjian Chen Weichang Yuan Chang Cao Colby Buehler Drew R. Gentner Xuhui Lee |
| author_sort | Mingjian Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) is known to vary spatially across a city landscape. Current networks of regulatory air quality monitoring are too sparse to capture these intra-city variations. In this study, we developed a low-cost (60 USD) portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> monitor called Smart-P, for use on bicycles, with the goal of mapping street-level variations in PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentration. The Smart-P is compact in size (85 × 85 × 42 mm) and light in weight (147 g). Data communication and geolocation are achieved with the cyclist’s smartphone with the help of a user-friendly app. Good agreement was observed between the Smart-P monitors and a regulatory-grade monitor (mean bias error: −3.0 to 1.5 μg m<sup>−3</sup> for the four monitors tested) in ambient conditions with relative humidity ranging from 38 to 100%. Monitor performance decreased in humidity > 70% condition. The measurement precision, represented as coefficient of variation, was 6 to 9% in stationary mode and 6% in biking mode across the four tested monitors. Street tests in a city with low background PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentrations (8 to 9 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) and in two cities with high background concentrations (41 to 74 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) showed that the Smart-P was capable of observing local emission hotspots and that its measurement was not sensitive to bicycle speed. The low-cost and user-friendly nature are two features that make the Smart-P a good choice for empowering citizen scientists to participate in local air quality monitoring. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:26:04Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:26:04Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-edc4cca0d1124a9cba9461a98fd187832023-12-01T00:05:15ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-04-01227276710.3390/s22072767Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile DeploymentMingjian Chen0Weichang Yuan1Chang Cao2Colby Buehler3Drew R. Gentner4Xuhui Lee5Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaSchool of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USAYale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, ChinaDepartment of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USADepartment of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USASchool of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USAThe concentration of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) is known to vary spatially across a city landscape. Current networks of regulatory air quality monitoring are too sparse to capture these intra-city variations. In this study, we developed a low-cost (60 USD) portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> monitor called Smart-P, for use on bicycles, with the goal of mapping street-level variations in PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentration. The Smart-P is compact in size (85 × 85 × 42 mm) and light in weight (147 g). Data communication and geolocation are achieved with the cyclist’s smartphone with the help of a user-friendly app. Good agreement was observed between the Smart-P monitors and a regulatory-grade monitor (mean bias error: −3.0 to 1.5 μg m<sup>−3</sup> for the four monitors tested) in ambient conditions with relative humidity ranging from 38 to 100%. Monitor performance decreased in humidity > 70% condition. The measurement precision, represented as coefficient of variation, was 6 to 9% in stationary mode and 6% in biking mode across the four tested monitors. Street tests in a city with low background PM<sub>2.5</sub> concentrations (8 to 9 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) and in two cities with high background concentrations (41 to 74 μg m<sup>−3</sup>) showed that the Smart-P was capable of observing local emission hotspots and that its measurement was not sensitive to bicycle speed. The low-cost and user-friendly nature are two features that make the Smart-P a good choice for empowering citizen scientists to participate in local air quality monitoring.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/7/2767low-cost sensorair qualityhotspotpublic healthportable monitorcrowdsourcing |
| spellingShingle | Mingjian Chen Weichang Yuan Chang Cao Colby Buehler Drew R. Gentner Xuhui Lee Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment Sensors low-cost sensor air quality hotspot public health portable monitor crowdsourcing |
| title | Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment |
| title_full | Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment |
| title_fullStr | Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment |
| title_short | Development and Performance Evaluation of a Low-Cost Portable PM<sub>2.5</sub> Monitor for Mobile Deployment |
| title_sort | development and performance evaluation of a low cost portable pm sub 2 5 sub monitor for mobile deployment |
| topic | low-cost sensor air quality hotspot public health portable monitor crowdsourcing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/7/2767 |
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