EIGHT of The Jamestowner‘s EPA “Purple Air” sensors are now in place, measuring and reporting levels of particular matter 24/7, in real time, to the LIVE nationwide Purple Air map HERE, and climate/air sites including AirNow, AccuWeather, The Weather Channel and WeatherUnderground. Another way to find the map is to google “Purple Air Jamestown NC” or “Air Quality Jamestown N.C.”

The sensors are on loan on to The Jamestowner from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as described by Carol Brooks in this article in The Jamestown News/YES Weekly.

The air sensors measure several things including PM2.5 particulate matter, which received stricter regulatory limits earlier this year due to the scientific evidence proving that it negatively impacts human health. More about PM2.5 HERE.

When you go to the map, each colored dot represents a sensor. Green is good. Maroon is bad. If the dot has a black border, it’s an INDOOR sensor (so ignore those).

The map can be viewed on your mobile phone or laptop. It’s much easier to see and explore on larger screens (a laptop or iPad). The map below is how it looks on my Mac. Use the Zoom icon (+) in the lower right (or search for Jamestown or 27282) to zoom in on Jamestown and our sensors (I’ve circled them in red on this image):

When you click on a dot, a pop-up window displays the sensor name and data. You’ll also see a graph pop up for that sensor, like the one shown in the upper left corner of the image below. The graph is displaying the levels of particulate matter the sensor measured in the outdoor air at that site over a period of time.

This graph is your dashboard. Click on the gear icon and a little menu appears:

That first item on the little menu (“Data layer”) is a pull down menu where you can select the data you want to see for that site. The default is set to the AQI (Air Quality Index). You can also check the weather, averaging period (real time numbers vs. the ten-minute average, for example), reporting period and units of measure.

Here’s the cool part. Tap on another dot and you’ll see that it has been added to your graph. Do this for several or all of The Jamestowner sensors and you start to see trends (where the numbers are generally rising and falling in sync) and outliers (spikes and higher levels) – which gives you clues about pollution sources and which areas are having a bad day (in case you have asthma, respiratory issues, small kids, etc. – you no longer have to wonder if a hazy sky is due to weather, pollution, or dirty eyeglasses!)

Click on the three lines in the upper right of the graph to expand to full screen:

At the time of this post, we’re having a nice crisp, clear GREEN day here in Jamestown, so it’s a great time to explore the map. Once we’ve all mastered the basics, we’ll talk more about trends and the PM2.5 regulations.

The vendor, Purple Air, also sells indoor and outdoor sensors to the general public HERE, at a cost of around $350 (including the power cord). The sensor requires a wifi connection and an ac outlet, and you can choose whether or not you want your data to be displayed publicly on the nationwide maps, or if you want it kept private. If anyone in or near Jamestown purchases a Purple Air sensor for public use, I volunteer to come and help you hook it up. Takes about 10 minutes.