McKercher Grant R, Vanos Jennifer K
a Department of Geosciences , Texas Tech University , Lubbock TX , USA.
Environ Technol. 2018 Jun;39(12):1505-1514. doi: 10.1080/09593330.2017.1332106. Epub 2017 Jun 5.
The complex nature of air pollution in urban areas prevents traditional monitoring techniques from obtaining measurements representative of true human exposure. The current study assessed the capability of low-cost mobile monitors to acquire useful data in a city without a monitoring network in place (Lubbock, Texas) using a bicycle platform. The monitoring campaign resulted in 30 days of data along a 13.4 km fixed concentric route. Due to high sensitivities to airflow, the apparent wind velocity was accounted for throughout the route. The data were also normalized into percentiles in order to visualize spatial patterns. The highest estimated pollution levels were located near frequently busy intersections and roads; however, sensor issues resulted in lower confidence. Additional research is needed concerning the appropriate use of low-cost metal oxide sensors for citizen science applications, as measurements can be misleading if the user is unaware of sensors specifications. The simultaneous use of several low-cost mobile platforms, rather than a single platform, as well as the use of high-end cases, are recommended to create a more robust spatial analysis. The issues addressed from this research are important to understand for accurate and beneficial application of low-cost gaseous monitors for citizen science.
城市地区空气污染的复杂性使得传统监测技术无法获取代表真实人类暴露情况的测量数据。当前研究评估了低成本移动监测器在没有监测网络的城市（得克萨斯州拉伯克市）使用自行车平台获取有用数据的能力。监测活动沿着一条13.4公里的固定同心路线产生了30天的数据。由于对气流高度敏感，整个路线都考虑了表观风速。数据还被归一化为百分位数，以便可视化空间模式。估计污染水平最高的区域位于频繁繁忙的十字路口和道路附近；然而，传感器问题导致可信度较低。对于公民科学应用中低成本金属氧化物传感器的恰当使用，还需要进行更多研究，因为如果用户不了解传感器规格，测量结果可能会产生误导。建议同时使用多个低成本移动平台而非单个平台，以及使用高端设备，以创建更强大的空间分析。这项研究中解决的问题对于低成本气体监测器在公民科学中的准确和有益应用而言，理解起来很重要。
