[Imc-makerspace] AIRNow - Homepage

[Stewart Dickson]

Does everyone know this one?
http://www.airnow.gov
> The air quality data used in these maps and to generate forecasts are 
> collected using either federal reference or equivalent monitoring 
> techniques or techniques approved by the state, local or tribal 
> monitoring agencies. Since the information needed to make maps must be 
> as "real-time" as possible, the data are displayed as soon as 
> practical after the end of each hour. Although some preliminary data 
> quality assessments are performed, the data as such are not fully 
> verified and validated through the quality assurance procedures 
> monitoring organizations use to officially submit and certify data on 
> the EPA AQS(Air Quality System). Therefore, data are used on the 
> AIRNow Web site only for the purpose of reporting the AQI. Information 
> on the AIRNow web site is not used to formulate or support regulation, 
> guidance or any other Agency decision or position.
We're in the dog days of summer now. Fayetteville, NC 
<http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_city&cityid=111> -- 
Yuck!

I wasn't sure whether the map was from monitored or modeled data.   
Sounds like it's monitored.
The models (monitored data is only past-tense, you can only create a 
forecast from a model) are amazingly
accurate.  At the UNC-A NEMAC http://nemac.unca.edu  I used to run the 
Community Model for Air
Quality (CMAQ). http://www.cmaq-model.org    It is old.   The new 
version is called WRF-CHEM.   CMAQ
used MET as its meteorology input.  WRF is the newer Meterology model 
which is actually used by the NOAA-NWS to predict the weather.   
CMAQ/WRF-CHEM adds atmospheric chemistry to the Meteorology model.  It 
consists of emission sources plus light-driven reactions like 
NOX+Sunlight->O3


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