Abstract

Air pollution presents a substantial risk to global human health, with the World Health Organisation estimating that up to 99% of the world's population breathes air which exceeds their healthy guidelines. Fixed site monitoring stations have been used for decades to estimate pollution, but these are expensive and are often limited to cities and other highly populated areas.

In recent years, smaller portable monitors have become more widely available and are now used in a variety of settings such as bus stops, libraries and schools. Using data fusion techniques, information from these monitors can be used to enhance the quality of our pollution estimates. However, another, often overlooked, benefit of these smaller monitors is that they also provide a more locally-focused approach to pollution - giving communities control over their own pollution data.

In this talk I will explore the statistical methodology behind air pollution estimation, but also explore the educational benefit of portable monitors within school classrooms.