Harmonized US Air Quality Measurements from Low-Cost Sensor Networks

Ground site air pollution data is collected by the INSTEP sensor network as part of a harmonization database. Measurements from 10 unique US-based sensor networks are reformatted into a common framework with embedded metadata and quality flags. Data collection for this product is ongoing.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived pollutant concentrations using ground sensor measurements like PM2.5 and NO2.
• Analyze temporal trends in air quality by querying data based on date range and pollutant of interest.
• Assess sensor network performance by filtering datasets using the embedded data quality flags and calibration tier.
• Model local pollution dispersion by integrating sensor location metadata with time-series concentration readings.
• Compare calibration methodologies across different networks using the critically reviewed tier system metadata.

Strengths

• Data from 10 unique US-based sensor networks provides multi-source coverage.
• A tiered quality flag system based on calibration efforts helps users assess data suitability.
• Common data format with embedded metadata streamlines processing and integration.

Limitations

• Geographic coverage is currently limited to the United States, introducing regional bias.
• Specific sample sizes, temporal ranges, and sensor counts per network are not provided.
• Data quality is heterogeneous and dependent on the calibration level of each contributing network.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earth Data (LARC_CLOUD), from the Low-Cost Air Quality Sensor Harmonization Database.

Collection Method

Measurements amalgamated from multiple ground-based low-cost sensor networks, reformatted, and reviewed.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Data collection is described as ongoing, but specific update frequency is unknown.

Geography

United States