Air Sensors
Choosing Sensors
Often the first step is to look for a sensor for what you're hoping to measure. In the community posts below, we're collecting info on different kinds of air quality sensors, and their:
- cost
- sensitivity/accuracy
- links and documentation
Can you afford a sensor? Can it detect what you're looking for? Where can you learn more about it?
Posts about choosing and evaluating an air sensor
What different electronic particulate pollution sensors are available and at what cost?
Post by @warren 4 | almost 7 years ago
Expected ranges and useful detection limits for pollutants of interest
This table from an EPA Air Quality Monitoring and Community Science webinar lists the six criteria air pollutants and a couple additional pollutants, with background levels you might see in the environment in the “Range to Expect” column and useful detection limits for sensors.
Wikis about air sensors
| Title | Updated | Version | Views | Likes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air-polluting gases and monitoring methods | almost 3 years ago by fongvania | 5 | 693 | 1 | |
| DustDuino | about 4 years ago by bhamster | 27 | 7,476 | 7 | |
| Simple Air Sensor | about 4 years ago by a1ahna | 47 | 4,153 | 7 | |
| PurpleAir | almost 5 years ago by joyofsoy | 16 | 10,278 | 2 | |
| Optical Monitoring of Particulate Matter | almost 5 years ago by stevie | 24 | 6,423 | 4 | |
| MiniVol TAS Particulate Matter Monitor | over 5 years ago by Bronwen | 45 | 3,902 | 1 | |
| MACA | over 6 years ago by nanocastro | 4 | 850 | 5 | |
| pDR-1500 | over 7 years ago by mathew | 6 | 1,381 | 2 |
Air sensor projects
Public Lab pages and posts tagged air-sensor-projects will appear here
| Title | Author | Created | Updated | Likes | Views | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Sensor Project | @johnb1003 | almost 6 years ago | 4 | 1 | note |
| Pollution to Solution: First Research Note 1, 10/14/14 | @epongrat | about 10 years ago | 2 | 1 | note |
Questions
Further reading and resources
- Environmental consultant Tim Dye’s “4 questions to ask before buying an air quality sensor” neatly summarizes what to consider when choosing an air sensor.
- Snuffle.org: lots of information on low-cost sensors for various air pollutants.
- Air Quality Sensor Performance Evaluation Center (AQ-SPEC): from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, this program tests and evaluates air sensors “in the field, under ambient conditions, and in the laboratory under controlled environmental conditions.”
- Air Sensor Toolbox: from the US Environmental Protection Agency, this toolbox includes guidance on how to use air sensors and their data, plus information on sensor performance and evaluation results.