OPENAIR - Low Cost Air Quality Sensing Best Practises and Open Data Platform

Overview

The Operational Network of Air Quality Impact Resources (OPENAIR) project set out to address a common issue for local governments concerned about poor air quality in their communities.

Local governments and community organisations are becoming aware of the availability of  affordable air quality sensors and are keen to use them to support evidence based policy and interventions.  To date however they have lacked the skills and capability to design, procure and operate air quality monitoring systems.

OPENAIR set out to address this through four goals, all of which have been achieved:

• Develop air quality sensing best practise guidance materials. Over 50 resources have been published covering topics including business case development,  sensing system design and implementation, data interpretation and stakeholder engagement. These are freely available for all to use.
• Have participating local governments use affordable air quality sensors to address local community air quality issues. With expert support they each led and undertook projects focused on bushfire smoke, wood fire heater smoke, transportation pollution, coal dust, heat and building community STEM and technology literacy.   
• Develop an online collaboration hub (openair.org.au) to host best practise resources and foster ongoing collaboration.
• Develop a “harmonised” data feed that ingests air quality measurements from a range of commercially available sensing devices and makes that data available via a single, open API or use by researchers, policy makers and the general public

The project was led by the New South Wales Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) - a research innovation network sponsored by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer.  It involved experts from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), nine local governments, five universities and three small businesses.

Impact

This initiative has enabled more evidence based policy making in local government.  It has led to ongoing collaboration between local governments, university and government researchers.   The harmonised data feed has provided air quality and climate researchers with a great deal more data than they previous had access to.  It has raised awareness of low cost environmental sensing more generally.

OPENAIR has been recognised for its innovation and impact by winning a number of national and state awards in Australia related to air quality, sustainability, environment outcomes and research innovation.  See https://www.nssn.org.au/awards for more details.

A project overview is available at https://www.nssn.org.au/openairproject.

Future

The project team published a discussion paper describing 35 specific recommendations in four categories:

• Promoting and supporting the use of smart, low-cost air quality sensing
• Enhancing state government air quality information products and services
• Enabling improved data sharing
• Application to other environmental measurements

Several of these have commenced, including initiatives to:

• include other types of environmental measurements relating to heat, water and wildfires (soil and fuel moisture, fire ignitions and monitoring).
• explore international research and government collaboration focused on best practises, data sharing, data quality and international standards development.