[Esip-agclimate] [Esip-envirosensing] Call follow-up -- Washington Post piece on Cal fires, air quality monitoring issues

Fri Nov 8 17:04:09 EST 2019

Daniel,

I might be interested.  Speaking for the air sensors domain and many things about the efforts are unknown (the quality of the data, lack of data and metadata standards, where to access the data…etc).   The modern perspective of data having use beyond the purpose it was originally collected needs to proselytized not only to scientists but to the civic scientists.

Vasu

=========================
Vasu Kilaru
Physical Scientist

U.S. E.P.A.
Office of Research and Development
Center for Environmental Measurement & Modeling
Air Methods and Characterization Division
Source & Fine Scale Branch

TEL: 919.541.5332
FAX: 919.685.3180
Email: kilaru.vasu at epa.gov<mailto:kilaru.vasu at epa.gov>

109 T. W. Alexander Drive
Mail Drop D343-02
Room D557
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
=========================

From: Esip-envirosensing <esip-envirosensing-bounces at lists.esipfed.org> On Behalf Of Daniel Fuka via Esip-envirosensing
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2019 9:04 PM
To: esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org; esip-agclimate at lists.esipfed.org
Subject: Re: [Esip-envirosensing] Call follow-up -- Washington Post piece on Cal fires, air quality monitoring issues

While some of the sensor networks have solutions to maintain the data, Victoria<http://www.caryinstitute.org/who-we-are/people-cary/victoria-kelly>'s mention of "Residents use a mishmash of social media, telephone, ham radio, tin cans & string" reminds us that there is a lot of data available that will not necessarily be preserved. Capturing data for scientific uses before it disappears is the purpose of the NSF RAPID proposals. Would anyone be up for a group project to submit such a rapid proposal? If so, I can start a white paper to share and those that are interested can add to it for shopping around to the various NSF PMs.

Sorry for posting this to both clusters, but the fires are a topic we are discussing in both. Feel free to discipline me if this is bad.
dan

On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 2:34 PM frazmo via Esip-envirosensing <esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org<mailto:esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org>> wrote:
U.S. EPA's Vasu Kilaru provided this information about recent EPA activities that may be of interest:

  1.  EPA’s Smoke Sense mobile app is now live on android and IOS
  2.  Multiagency Publication: Wildfire Smoke: A guide for public health officials (revised 2019) is available    https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/wildfire_may2016.pdf
  3.  EPA’s AirNow air quality website has a “wildfire guide and factsheets" section   https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=topics.smoke_wildfires_guide_factsheets
  4.  The EPA wildfire sensor challenge has concluded and a winner was awarded.  See following

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-05/documents/wlf_sensors_challenge_public_201705_final.pdf

https://www.epa.gov/air-research/winners-wildland-fire-sensors-challenge-develop-air-monitoring-system-prototypes
[https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif]We hope this info is helpful. Cheers,   Steve

On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 8:12 AM Vicky Kelly <kellyv at caryinstitute.org<mailto:kellyv at caryinstitute.org>> wrote:
Is there a way to develop an app or website for people to know where spot fires have started? And possibly wind speed and direction? Residents use a mish mash of social media, telephone, ham radio, tin cans & string... to communicate with each other. Ok, maybe not that last one. They don't necessarily pay attention to authorities. In one area in Mendocino Co, an area under mandatory evacuation was changed later to warning -area may be evacuated - a head scratcher. The scary thing is that people could interpret a mandatory evacuation to mean that they should wait because the status could change.
Anyway, thoughts? There would need to be a system for identifying validation.
Air quality info is also so important.
Thanks.
Vicky Kelly

On Wed, Nov 6, 2019 at 10:29 PM frazmo via Esip-envirosensing <esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org<mailto:esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org>> wrote:
At yesterday's call I mentioned 9in the chat box) an article in The Washington Post that discussed the challenges of providing timely, spatially and temporally relevant information about air quality during California's wildfires. Among other issues, the cuts to the power grid were killing air quality monitors at very bad times. Also, the existing monitoring network doesn't provide adequate resolution to inform local residents of dynamically changing air quality during fires. The article also mentions the interesting PurpleAir project.

A link too the article is below. Apologies in advance for any problems with the Post's paywall! Cheers,

Steve Young, EPA (Retired)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/11/04/when-power-went-out-during-californias-wildfires-air-quality-monitors-turned-off-too/

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--
Victoria R. Kelly<http://www.caryinstitute.org/who-we-are/people-cary/victoria-kelly>
Manager, Environmental Monitoring Program
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Phone 1-845-677-7600 ext. 174
Email kellyv at caryinstitute.org<mailto:kellyv at caryinstitute.org>

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