Air Sensor Technology Update on EPA/State Efforts NACAA Fall Meeting Minneapolis, MN October 19, 2016 Richard A. Chet Wayland U.S. EPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards 1
Recommendations: Sensors Moving Forward E-Enterprise Advanced Monitoring Scoping Team (EEAMT) Recommendations E-Enterprise Leadership endorsed five recommendations in April 2016 Four teams formed to carry out recommendations 1-4 All four teams moved into the implementation phase in summer 2016 Members: States (organized by ECOS), OAR, ORD, OECA, OW, OEI, and EPA Regions #1: Feasibility study for a voluntary 3 rd party certification program #2: Technology screening and support network #3: Interpretation of data from advanced monitoring approaches #4: Data standards & data quality tiers #5: Lean EPA technology evaluation parameters 2
Steering Committee The committee will coordinate the efforts, provide direction, ensure joint governance and accountability, and address obstacles that arise for the five projects. It will seek to address the need for resources in order for these projects to succeed. It will also serve the function of making connections among the work of the project teams on the five recommendations, and between these projects and other advanced monitoring projects or pilots, and core environmental programs. Steering Committee: MD Ben Grumbles MD MD MD CO CT Tad Aburn Steven Lang Frank Courtright Gordon Pierce Gary Rose KY Andrea Keatley NH David Neils NH Ted Diers OK Lance Phillips OR Brian Boling SCAQMD Laki Tisopolis 3
Team #1: 3 rd Party Evaluation Feasibility Study Develop options and a feasibility analysis for an independent third-party certification program, considering legal, policy, technical, financial, and operational factors. The immediate deliverable would be to conduct detailed research and analysis of existing independent technology programs in the United States and Europe (e.g., UL and LEED), and to assess the policy, legal, scientific, funding, and logistical options for creating a program focused on advanced monitoring technology in the United States. Feasibility analysis should include recommendations on who would develop technology evaluation protocols and on the number of categories of performance standards that will be needed to link technology capability to specific uses. The options are likely to range from leveraging existing certification programs to creating a new program to partnering with an existing program in some way. Project Team 1: 3rd Party Verification CT Gary Rose NC SCAQMD TX Lori Cherry Andrea Polidori - state lead David Manis 4
Team #2: Scan/Screen/User Support This team will establish and implement a state and EPA Network of scientists and engineers to identify (i.e., scan) for agency use new technology that is available for purchase now or may be coming to the market soon. This Network will screen whether a new technology appears to be scientifically sound and relevant for further consideration based on all readily available data, including information provided by the manufacturer. The Network would provide user support to EPA and states to help them decide which equipment they should purchase or pilot for a particular use. If possible, this Network would help states and EPA respond to citizen and community groups by providing screening-level information on the quality of select sensors. Project Team 2: Scan/Screen/User Support KY Andrea Keately MI TX Michael Beaulac Nathan Hoppens - state lead 5
Team #3: Data Interpretation This team will review existing efforts to provide guidance for interpreting short-term readings of selected pollutants. Messaging, statistical analysis, and an interactive map will be piloted to show proof of concept for the long-term vision. Based on the results of the pilot, guidance will be provided on interpretation of short-term data for select pollutants where standards are based on longer averaging times or procedures are based on assumptions of periodic sampling. The guidance will be published on a website and the visualization tools developed for the pilot will be applied to select, policy-relevant pollutants using regulatory data streams. A longer-term goal will be to further develop visualization tools that incorporate regulatory and non-regulatory data streams for various pollutants. Challenges or prize competitions may be used to harness the ingenuity of outside groups in developing visualization tools. Early versions of these tools will be beta tested with input from various stakeholders, including the public. Project Team 3: Data Interpretation CO Eric Brown - state lead TX Lindsey Jones MD Tad Auburn WY Cara Kesler MD Lee Currey WY Kristina Hooper NH Ted Diers WY Leif Paulson SCAQMD Jason Low 6
Sensor Scale Pilot Project On May 6 th, 2016 EPA launched a new sensor scale EPA developed the scale to help the public understand 1- minute data from Village Green stations EPA is working to finalize messaging for O 3 and PM 2.5 and plans to develop messaging for additional pollutants Pilot appears on existing Village Green data webpage http://bit.ly/villagegreenpilot A fact sheet, FAQs, and other information available on the Air Sensors Toolbox https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/what-do-mysensor-readings-mean-sensor-scale-pilot-project 7
Team #4: Data Standards This team will develop data standards defining the representation, format, definition, structure, transmission, and management of data for each tier. Data standards and data quality issues are already starting to be discussed by private-sector and non-governmental organizations. EPA will work with those stakeholders in order to ensure that the solutions meet the needs of different user groups. In addition, the team will identify best practices at other agencies and organizations. From these efforts, the team will first propose a minimum set of metadata and data quality descriptions and then evaluate the standards through several pilot projects. Project Team 4: Data Standards CO Gordon Pierce MO Lorisa Smith NJ Mike Kusmiesz OR Brian Boling - state lead PA Dustin Shull TN Robert Brawner 8
EPA s Smart City Air Challenge A challenge that encourages communities to deploy hundreds (250-500) of air quality sensors and make the data open EPA will award prizes of up to $40,000 to two communities based on their strategies, including their plans to share data management methods so others can benefit The prizes are intended to be seed money - partnerships are essential Challenge is open from August 30 th October 28 th, 2016 9
Feedback from E-Enterprise Leadership Council Meeting Advanced Monitoring Scoping team briefed the EELC in late September at the ECOS/EELC meeting EELC encouraged by progress to date of the four teams Sensors a major concern/focus of state commissioners and EPA program offices Suggestion made to consider a 5 th team on policy around sensor data and how it would be used and that is being discussed Possibly a role for NACAA to lead on the air monitoring side 10