Hiya friends! Any recommendations for portable, real-time particulate matter meters?
As the kids say, I'm tryna see something
For real though: trying to develop guidance on #walking and #biking facility placement in #school #walkzones
Hi again! Back with some excellent crowdsourced recommendations from all y'all. I'm probably going to go with one of these two portable AQ/PM detectors, but haven't decided which yet:
Atmotube Pro: https://atmotube.com/atmotube-pro
Other recommendations that look good, but probably not a great fit for my project:
Purple Air: https://www2.purpleair.com/ (Solid and well recommended but out of my project's budget and I've heard stories about spiders)
Igeress: https://www.amazon.com/IGERESS-Detector-Formaldehyde-Pollution-Recording/dp/B07B7KLMVW/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=IGERESS&qid=1695404712&sr=8-5&th=1 (The price is right but I have concerns about durability for a research project)
@DrTCombs I'm not sure if the "Flow" device is available in the US but it might work for you. I tried it but I found that air pollution constantly varies through the day. If your data collection point also constantly varies (for example if the device is on your bike), it's very hard to get stats that mean very much. You also have to ask Plume Labs for a copy of your data (not handy) but you can read spot data points.
https://plumelabs.com/en/flow/
@DrTCombs oops! Just seen that it is no longer available
@geomannie Dang! And they hint that it's available for EJ research, but don't say how...
@DrTCombs It says I have to be a professional to get equipment, this means I need to go through my local government?
@DrTCombs going to copy @DavidElfstrom here. He might have some suggestions, I know he was using several different meters testing CR boxes. If I recall correctly there are some reasonably priced handheld meters from Temtop.
@DavidElfstrom @maleve thank you!!! I will check it out.
@DrTCombs Well the Temtop is big and looks like you mean business while the Atmotube Pro is discrete. The Temtop M2000 also does CO2 which you may or may not want. Depends on exactly what you want to do!
@DavidElfstrom Oh, that's good to note! I'm ok if it looks like we mean business -- we do! CO2's not part of our study but still useful information just to have.
Thanks! That's 1 upvote for the temtop.
@DavidElfstrom I think what it's going to come down to is the format the data are recorded in. The easier it is to use the data, the more useful it'll be.
@DrTCombs The Atmotube Pro looks tempting with its app-based interface including integration with a mobile's GPS data to create an air pollution map. I don't have one but it sure looks more convenient.
@DrTCombs The Temtop should be considered if the need is for occasional sampling (seconds to minutes) while the atmo for longer term (continuous during the day, or during a commute)
@DavidElfstrom
That's a tantalizing feature. We're still exploring different research designs, so not sure what our exact needs are. So, I'm gonna get one of each for myself on eBay and play!
@DrTCombs That's the spirit! Like bicycles, the number of meters you need is N+1
@DrTCombs depending on what you need to sample check https://www.quant-aq.com/
Update: this doesn't meet my need, but it's REALLY cool:
If you're in the US, the EPA has a program that will loan you air quality monitors:
https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/air-sensor-loan-programs
#AirQuality #USEPA