The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a “collaborative project” with both the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Area Transit Authority (“MATA”) to field test air pollution sensor pods in the Memphis, Tennessee area.

EPA states that air sensor pods have been installed at sixteen locations which include seven Shelby County Health Department locations and three MATA Transit facilities.

The “CitySpace” research project is field testing air sensor monitors to understand how the technology can add information on air pollution patterns and neighborhoods. The goal of the CitySpace project is to field test new, lower-cost air pollution sensors in a mid-size city.

The Memphis, Tennessee sensors will capture data over a six-month period concluding in February 2017.

Sensor locations were stated to have been selected based on input from:

  • Community members
  • Local county and state organizations
  • Predicted air pollution patterns
  • Comparison of sensor readings with higher-quality data from air monitors currently being used

The results from the study will be used to provide the Memphis, Tennessee community and scientific community a greater understanding of local air pollutant patterns. The monitors will collect data that includes particulate matter, temperature, humidity, and wind. Further, data will be recorded each minute and transmitted wirelessly to the federal agency. They are intended to complement existing monitoring networks.