Air Quality Monitoring for Vulnerable Communities

Community-based monitoring can help provide localized data to empower communities and provide them with information on the impacts of transportation on their environment, in terms of air quality, noise, and beyond, and to develop strategies to mitigate the health impacts. The health of residents living in vulnerable communities of color, older adults, and people experiencing poverty near transportation facilities are disproportionally affected by excessive air and noise pollution. This project aims at providing a portrait of the air quality and noise levels in selected vulnerable communities near transportation facilities such as a busy interstate highway, international port of entry, airport, and other critical locations near anthropogenic sources using portable and low-cost sensors. The outcome of the project would assist decision makers of local and regional transportation planning agencies in developing control measures to improve the quality of life for the vulnerable communities. This project will be built on the Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH) consortium’s existing work on mobile and low-cost sensors to deploy air quality and noise sensors to evaluate variability by neighborhood with proximity to transportation facilities or combustion sources with the following goals: (1) develop a screening tool for identifying vulnerable communities for the study based on population, traffic volume, racial composition, social-economic status, distance to transportation facilities or anthropogenic sources, road density, etc., (2) conduct air quality monitoring (for particulate matter, ozone, oxides of nitrogen, and ultrafine particles) using portable monitors supplemented with low-cost sensors and noise monitoring at selected locations to provide a complete picture of air quality and noise pollution for selected communities in the United States, (3) perform data analysis and apply air quality models in conjunction with socioeconomic data to address disparities in traffic pollution exposure for the vulnerable communities, and (4) collaborate with local communities and stakeholders on mitigation strategies, public outreach, and education and support STEM learning during the study.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $149601
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348329

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute
  College Station, TX  United States  77843
• Project Managers:

  Ocon, Monica

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Texas at El Paso

  El Paso, TX  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Li, Wen-Whai

• Start Date: 20231101
• Expected Completion Date: 20241031
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
• Source Data: 01-05-UTEP

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air quality; Communities; Equity; Monitoring; Noise; Sensors
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Environment; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01907174
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348329
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 6 2024 5:50PM