Transcript Document 7376407

Improving Air Quality Communication with Advanced
Mapping and Data Distribution Techniques
Scott A. Jackson¹, P. H. Zahn², C. P. MacDonald², D. S. Miller², A. C. Chan², J.E. White¹ .
25th Conference on International Interactive Information and Processing Systems
(IIPS) for Meteorology, Oceanography, and Hydrology
AMS Annual Meeting
Phoenix, Arizona
January 14, 2009
¹EPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards, ²Sonoma Technology, Inc.
Party Favors
• Access to current air quality conditions and forecasts is
important. (e.g. reduces emissions, saves lives).
• AIRNow provides the framework for doing this.
• A new AIRNow system (AIRNow-International) is improving this
access through more advanced mapping and data distribution
techniques.
• AIRNow-International is linked into the Global Earth Observing
System of Systems (GEOSS) in order to promote air quality
data sharing worldwide so that people can breathe clean air
everywhere (especially urban populations).
Background
Non-Attainment Areas
Pollutants
No. of Metropolitan areas
Ozone*
57
PM2.5
32
PM10
17
*According to 2000 census data,
131,977,890 live in ozone
nonattainment areas
Background
Goals:
Protect public health
• Provide understandable information on past, current,
and future air pollution
Reduce emissions to reduce pollution
• Regulatory (laws)
• Voluntary
Increase public understanding of air pollution
• Support laws and regulations
• Increase chance of behavior change
Background
• Air Quality Index (AQI) creates consistency
• Links concentrations to health effects and actions
• Ranges from 1 to 500; 101+ is unhealthy
8-hr ozone
concentration of 87 ppb
AQI
Values
AQI Category
(Descriptor)
AQI
Color
Good
Green
51 - 100
Moderate
Yellow
101 - 150
Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups
Orange
151 - 200
Unhealthy
201 - 300
Very Unhealthy
Purple
301 - 500
Hazardous
Maroon
0 - 50
Daily standard
Red
AQI of 129
Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups
Health Effects:
Irritated respiratory system,
coughing, chest tightness,
wheezing, or shortness of breath
Action:
Choose a cleaner commute;
carpool, use public
transportation, bike, or walk
•Actions depend
on
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pollutant/ health effects
transport system
culture
incentives
economic level
education/outreach
climate
and more…
Background
•AIRNow is a national framework for
acquiring and distributing air quality
information
–
Collects, quality assures, and transfers
real-time and forecasted air quality
information to the public
–
Gathers data provided by 120+ federal,
state, and local air quality agencies
Communicates air quality with the AQI
Issues weather/air quality news stories
Partners with national media
Provides air quality education and
outreach
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Background
AIRNow Data Flow
More Advanced Mapping
Current Real-Time Air Quality Maps
PM2.5 Bubble Map
Ozone Contour Map
More Advanced Mapping
Goals for New Maps:
• Accurate maps: Interpolated AQI is
consistent with observations at
stations.
• Spatially complete maps: use
statistical interpolation techniques to
provide easy-to-read maps with
information in areas without
monitors
• Combined AQI maps: display the
maximum AQI at each point,
regardless of pollutant.
• A statistical technique to
mask off areas with sparse
measurements
Example PM2.5 map
More Advanced Mapping (3 of 7)
Method of Map Development and Production
• ESRI ArcGIS: a powerful multi-faceted map analysis and
production tool
• Geostatistical Analyst and Spatial Analyst toolboxes in ArcGIS
– Provide a suite of interpolation techniques and error
measures for evaluation
– Can be used to produce maps in real-time using the same
techniques developed in this analysis.
• Map products are visually appealing, accurate, and easy to
modify as needed
More Advanced Mapping (4 of 7)
Results of Map Analysis: Ozone
IDW
Kriging
Regularized Spline
Observations
Summary for all ozone cases
Method
Tension Spline
Constrained Kriging
RMS Error
Std. Dev.
IDW
1.56
0.28
Kriging
6.56
1.64
Reg. Spline
5.24
2.20
Tension Spline
2.27
0.29
Constr. Kriging
1.77
0.29
Interpolation Error (ppb)
More Advanced Mapping
Combined AQI Maps
• Select maximum AQI for each location
• Produce AQI values for areas that are masked out for one
parameter, but not for another
Ozone with mask
Combined AQI with mask
PM2.5 with mask
More Advanced Mapping
Data Fusion: Integrating multiple sources of air quality information
• Station observations and model output
• Agency forecasts and model predictions (example below)
NOAA Model Max
Agency Max
Animation of fused
model and agency
forecasts
Observed Max
AIRNow-International
– Ground-up redesign of the U.S. AIRNow system
• Transitioning from Oracle to Microsoft SQL Server
• New GIS-based Mapping System (AIRNow Mapper)
• Information Services (Service-Oriented Architecture
approach)
– RSS, CAP, KML, NETCDF, SMS text messages
– Provides new, international features:
• Multiple language support
• World-wide mapping capability
– Built with open components that can be adopted by
any state, country or province
AIRNow-International
Data Inputs
Processing, QA, Reporting
Outputs
Administration
of the
System
Data
Files
Data
Files*
AIRNow
Data
AIRNow
Management
Information
System
AIRNow
(DMS)
Mapper
Service
Maps*
Image layers*
AIRNow
Database
= file
= web service
= module
= data/info transfer
*Outputs will conform to
standards to promote
sharing and interoperability
AIRNow-International
• Supports and embraces the Global Earth Observation System
of Systems (GEOSS) concept
– Group on Earth Observations is a voluntary partnership of governments
and international organizations
– Interconnecting existing and future Earth observation systems
• AIRNow-International can help
countries participate in the sharing
of air quality data
Party Favors
• Access to current air quality conditions and forecasts is
important. (e.g. reduces emissions, saves lives).
• AIRNow provides the framework for doing this.
• A new AIRNow system (AIRNow-International) is improving this
access through more advanced mapping and data distribution
techniques.
• AIRNow-International is linked into the Global Earth Observing
System of Systems (GEOSS) in order to promote air quality
data sharing worldwide so that people can breathe clean air
everywhere (especially urban populations).
Contact Information
Scott Jackson
US EPA
AIRNow Program – www.airnow.gov
[email protected]
919-541-5647