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

[Daniel Fuka]

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> 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
>    <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
>    <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
> We hope this info is helpful. Cheers,   Steve
>
> On Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 8:12 AM Vicky Kelly <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> 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/
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Esip-envirosensing mailing list
>>> Esip-envirosensing at lists.esipfed.org
>>> https://lists.esipfed.org/mailman/listinfo/esip-envirosensing
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
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