This is a draft wiki page that will change frequently!

Understanding air quality data

Question: What are some of the first things you do with air quality monitoring data to better understand it?

Different kinds of air quality data

Becoming familiar with the kind of air quality data you have can help you on the way to figuring out what you eventually want to do with the data.

Here are some questions to consider about the data:

• Is the data from a sensor?
  • Is the data from a stationary sensor 📍 or a portable one 🚶🏽🚴🏽 that was used at different locations?
  • Is the data collected continuously over time ⏳ 🔁 or only at certain times and dates 🕑 📆 (intermittently)?

• Is the data for a general outdoor area 🏙️ (ambient air) or a specific emission source 🏭 (e.g., fenceline monitoring)?

• Is the data from a lab report ⚗️📄 for an air grab sample taken at a specific place and time?

• Did you collect the data yourself 🙋🏾‍♀️ or is it from an existing database with publicly accessible data 🔓 💻?

  • If it’s from an existing database, is the data from regulatory monitors or another monitor network (e.g., community monitors, low-cost monitor networks)

• Considering the equipment used to collect the data, what are its detection limits and data resolution? (This could look like minimum and maximum levels for measurements ⬇️⬆️, and how small a change ↔️ the equipment can measure)

• Is your data from indoor air 🏠 or outdoor air ☀️ (ambient)?

• Is the data mostly not numerical (qualitative)?

  • An odor log or odor report? 👃🏽
  • An oral history? 💬
  • A visual observation? 👀 (e.g., soot, colored dust, smoke)

What other questions can help with understanding air quality data? Please edit this page to add more!

Image: A variety of different kinds and sources of air quality data, by @renee.