Highlights

Code

  • PurpleAir_Portland_2021 GitHub repository and handout report of preliminary research focusing on the September 2020 Oregon wildfires
  • AirVizR R package for spatio-temporal atmospheric data wrangling and visualization tool package
  • AirVizViewR live Shiny dashboard, R code for local use, and instructional handout
  • Poster and mini-handout for Reed College presentation session

Project Poster

Poster

The poster PDF can be accessed here.

Oregon Wildfire Analysis

In late December 2020 through February 2021, I began working with my analytical chemistry professor and two fellow students to quantitatively analyze the impact of the September 2020 Oregon wildfires on air quality in Portland using PurpleAir and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) data, as well as to compare the accuracy of the different qualities of the respective sensors. My role involved downloading, preparing creating visualizations for, and conducting statistical analyses on PurpleAir data.

Some of my work can be found on my PurpleAir_Portland_2021 repository here.

A project overview is available here.

Summer Work

During the summer of 2021, I worked full-time with Neighbors for Clean Air (NCA) and Reed College for the fellowship-supported BREATHE Oregon. In addition to occasional field work, I conducted research in order to create a series of online, publicly-accessible data visualization tools for atmospheric air quality data. This was a collaborative effort with NCA monitor hosts, my chemistry professor, and government workers in the environmental arena.

Much of my research was focused on the different methods of data correction factors. A handout presented to an Advisory Committee on Sustainability and Innovation (ACSI) Air Toxins Subcommittee meeting can be found here.

I developed an R package which allows for the wrangling and visualization of PurpleAir, federal reference monitor (FRM), and ObservAir data.

The package, called “AirVizR”, can be downloaded for personal use here. It contains extensive vignettes with explanations for each function, as well as real examples on its README.

In July, I created another handout with new visualizations relating to the recent changes in air quality as a result of Independence Day celebrations; it can be found here.

Furthermore, I developed a Shiny dashboard to allow non-R users to interact with data (within certain limitations). It is recommended that large-scale data comparisons (as well as FRM cross-comparisons) use the AirVizR package in a local install of RStudio.

The Shiny dashboard is available for use here. The dashboard source code, known as “AirVizViewR” can be found here.

Post-Project Reflections

Cohort Presentation

Once my school year resumed, I continued to work part-time with NCA to expand collaboration with community groups and individuals. I presented the digital tools to community members through a live, remotely conducted demonstration.

The corresponding instructional handout can be found below and is available here.

Reed College Poster Presentation

On September 3, 2021, I was able to present my tools at the Reed College summer poster session.

The poster can be found at the top of this webpage and is available as a PDF here.

Special thanks

  • Dr. Juliane Fry, Reed College
  • Mary Peveto, NCA
  • Micah Bishop, NCA
  • Dr. Christine Kendrick, City of Portland
  • Lance Giles, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA)
  • ACSI Air Toxins Subcommittee, Multnomah County
  • John Wasiutynski, Multnomah County
  • Knowledge Murphy, Multnomah County