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Standards Development
This document specifies the general principles, including testing procedures and requirements, for the classification of performance of low-cost sensor systems for the monitoring of particulate matter in ambient air at fixed sites. The classification of sensor systems includes tests that are performed under prescribed conditions.
The procedure described is applicable to the determination of the mass concentration of particulate matter. The pollutants that are considered in this document are PM10 and PM2,5 in the range of concentrations expected in ambient air.
This document provides a classification that is consistent with the requirements for indicative measurements and objective estimation defined in Directive 2008/50/EC. In addition, it provides a classification for applications (non-regulatory measurements) that require more relaxed performance criteria.
This document applies to sensor systems used as individual systems. It does not apply to sensor systems as part of a sensor network. However, for some applications (e.g. in cities) sensor systems are deployed as part of a sensor network. Annex A gives information on the use of sensor systems as nodes in a sensor network.
Sensors are generally seen as emerging measuring devices for the monitoring of air quality. Sensors provide fast and low-cost alternative to the reference measurement methods defined in the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). Sensors could allow air pollution monitoring at a lower cost and with a higher spatial density than with the reference methods. They also allows new air pollution applications when coupled with GPS, GSM and smartphones including monitoring in complex topographies, at traffic junctions, in street canyons, at remote sites and for citizen science studies; e.g. monitoring around sensitive receptors, schools, parks.
Currently, the use of PM sensors for air quality monitoring is limited by occasional low accuracy measurements that they can achieved. Additionally, there is a lack of an unambiguous protocol of evaluation of sensors with a structured metrological approach able to ensure traceability from sensor measurements to national and international standards. The development of such a protocol, presented hereafter, will enable exhaustive and transparent evaluations of PM sensors that may be an important step to include sensor measurements into the monitoring of air quality with sensors for regulatory and non-regulatory purposes.
The protocol presented in this Technical Specification supports the requirements of the European Air Quality Directive. The presented procedure evaluates if the Data Quality Objective, defined in the Directive for Indicative measurements and for Objective Estimation are met. However, the protocol also allows the evaluation of the performances of sensors for non-regulatory measurements with a lighter experimental design.
This Technical specification defines common procedures and requirements for the evaluation of performances of PM sensors to facilitate mutual recognition by the relevant bodies or stakeholders and thereby minimise administrative and cost burdens on sensors manufacturers. It does not describe the roles and responsibilities of manufacturers, test laboratories and relevant bodies under these procedures.
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