LiDAR for Air Quality Measurement

This project proposes to investigate a unique light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology for ambient air quality measurement of particulate matter (PM) using a state-of-the-art elastic LiDAR from NASA Langley Research Center. The special system measures vertically, horizontally, long range and at a very high resolution. This unique advantage of obtaining continuous measurements of PM in the atmosphere and at a long range simultaneously is not available today with the alternative PM measurement technologies. By adopting this system, large datasets of PM measurements will be collected very cost-effectively for an urban area in areas such as ports or tunnel entrances, which will then allow the project to analyze the variation in particulate matter distribution over time and space, and in relation to the variation in traffic levels. Simultaneously, the project will operate the LiDAR system at the selected hot-spots (e.g. port with high volume of diesel truck traffic) and perform similarity analysis between the different measurements acquired during different day and weather conditions. The project will classify the percentage of the PM particles that are related to diesel engines exhaust and derive their distributions during various environmental and traffic conditions. When combined with land use and traffic flow activity, significant results about sustainable land usage practice can be obtained. Finally, the project plans to obtain the variation in pollution levels in relation to traffic patterns at different locations in the Hampton Roads area.

• Record URL:
  http://www.matsutc.org/lidar-for-air-quality-measurement/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $150000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  DTRT13-G-UTC33

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

  Blacksburg, VA  United States 

  Old Dominion University

  135 Kaufman Hall
  Norfolk, VA 23529, VA  United States  23529

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  ITS - Joint Program Office
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC    20590
• Project Managers:

  Parkany, Emily

• Performing Organizations:

  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

  Blacksburg, VA  United States 

  Old Dominion University

  Norfolk, VA  United States  23529
• Principal Investigators:

  Rakha, Hesham

  Cetin, Mecit

  Iftekharuddin, Khan

• Start Date: 20150101
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20160531
• Source Data: RiP Project 39381

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality management; Diesel engines; Land use planning; Laser radar; Ports; State of the art; Sustainable development; Truck traffic; Tunnels
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Marine Transportation; Terminals and Facilities; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01557902
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability Center
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC33
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 27 2015 1:00AM