Stakeholder Meeting: Developing Technical Specifications of Sensor-Based PM10 & PM2.5 Equipment

The market of low-cost sensor-based systems for environmental quality monitoring is growing rapidly, and this growth warrants suitable regulatory steps to ensure that these systems are reliable and can perform with a fair degree of accuracy and consistency. And this is possible only when we ensure that the data these systems generate are reliable and useable.

Currently, there are no specified guidelines or specifications for these systems, and therefore, using these devices are marred by many challenges related to their suitability in meeting a given monitoring objective, in addition to the challenges related to their overall performance. Characteristics like calibration and testing methodologies, quality assurance and quality control measures, methodology of data analysing of these devices are some of the many issues that are hindering the wider use of these systems, especially by the regulatory agencies.

Even though some encouraging research projects are being undertaken in this field, the lack of guidelines to guide these research make it difficult for the researchers and manufacturers to know the kind of end product they are supposed to come out with that will not only be applicable and acceptable, but will be given a fair consideration by the regulatory agencies in the overall monitoring paradigm.

Keeping the above in mind, Centre for Science and Environment is conducting a 1-day stakeholder meeting titled “DEVELOPING TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF SENSOR-BASED PM10 & PM2.5 EQUIPMENT” for experts who work in the areas related to air quality monitoring, with an objective to finalize the equipment specifications for low-cost equipment and sensors that are measuring particulate matter (PM10 & PM2.5). The final draft of the technical specification document will be submitted to the core committee (air quality) of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for their consideration to be notified as a nation-wide specification document.

CSE has been working on the initiative of SMART and Affordable monitoring (SAAM) technology in order to ensure that it is streamlined and made feasible to be used as an alternative monitoring technology. SAAM has the potential to augment and reinforce the existing regulatory monitoring. This meeting is being done as a follow-up activity to the Asia Africa Conclave on SMART and Affordable Monitoring, which was held in February 2018 at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI).

Date – December 3, 2018

Venue – Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi

Address – 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110062

If interested, please get in touch with Digvijay Singh Bisht for further details.

Digvijay Singh Bisht
Compliance Enforcement Unit C
entre for Science and Environment
Ph: 011-4061600 (Ext: 383) 
Mob: (+91) 9891921959 
Email: digvijay@cseindia.org