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County, USF and TPO present neighborhood sensor network showing PM2.5 alignment with regulatory monitors
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Summary
EPC staff and USF researchers reported results from a Hillsborough community air monitoring pilot: 31 low-cost sensors at 23 sites, quality-assurance procedures the EPA highlighted as an example, PM2.5 sensor data that align with reference monitors for 24-hour averages, and recommendations to expand community-hosted monitoring for local variability and education.
Jason Waters, EPC staff, and Dr. Amy Stewart of the University of South Florida presented the Hillsborough Community Air Monitoring Network pilot, a collaboration with the Transportation Planning Organization and community hosts.
Waters outlined the project's origins: a 2021 pilot to identify low‑cost monitors that could be colocated with regulatory sites to test performance and build a denser, community-focused network near traffic corridors and interchanges. He said the TPO and federal grants provided much of the funding and USF supplied student labor and analytic capacity.
Dr. Stewart summarized technical and community results. The network now includes 31 sensor-based monitors at 23 sites with community sites located at libraries, parks, and schools. After collocation and quality-assurance work—including a QAPP and test protocols—the team found 24-hour PM2.5 averages from the low-cost monitors compare well with reference instruments, while one-hour NO2 performance remains less reliable.
"We established this partnership," Stewart said, "and although the sensor data cannot be used for regulatory purposes, data from the community network align with the information provided with the regulatory network, which indicates the air quality in Hillsborough County meets US EPA standards." She noted the network's value for showing spatial variability, identifying local peaks (for example, during wildfires and fireworks), and for community education and youth programs.
The presenters described a public-facing guidebook, a website maintained by the TPO, and a QR-code poster at each monitoring site to help residents access and understand the data. The commission voted to receive the presentation; staff said they hope to expand the network as resources permit.
