The installation of a new network of environmental sensors The way air quality is monitored in Puerto Rico is beginning to change. Through a pilot project driven by the public university, a real-time measurement infrastructure is being created for both the scientific community and the general public.
This effort aims to make up-to-date data available to everyoneThe initiative aims to strengthen research on air pollution and, at the same time, support public health decision-making. It also serves as a living laboratory for students, who will be able to work with real data from various locations across the island.
A pilot project with 30 sensors distributed across the island
The Department of Environmental Health (SAAM) of the Graduate School of Public Health at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico has launched a network of 30 sensors to continuously monitor air qualityThese devices are part of a pilot project designed to test their reliability, practical utility, and potential for future expansion.
The devices were acquired with institutional funds from the Medical Sciences Campus itself, with a investment close to $10.500Each sensor costs approximately $300, a relatively affordable amount that facilitates the creation of dense environmental monitoring networks.
The project is coordinated by the Dr. Edgar Pérez MatÃas, from the Industrial Hygiene Program, together with faculty from the Department of Environmental Health. Their role is to coordinate the technical aspects of the network, oversee the installation, and ensure that the data collected is of sufficient quality to be useful for research and monitoring.
The institution emphasizes that this pilot phase will serve to Compare the sensor results with official data from government agencies responsible for regulatory compliance. The goal is to determine the extent to which these low-cost measurements can complement or strengthen existing regulatory networks.
What do air quality sensors measure?
The installed equipment allows real-time monitoring key parameters related to air quality and thermal comfortAmong the variables that are continuously recorded are:
- Air Quality Index (AQI), as a global indicator of air quality.
- Concentration of particulate matter (fine suspended particles, especially relevant for people with asthma or other respiratory problems).
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), associated with traffic emissions, household chemicals or industrial activities.
- Temperature and temperature indexuseful for assessing exposure to extreme heat.
- Relative humidity and barometric pressurewhich help to better interpret atmospheric conditions.
With this combination of variables, the project managers can detect pollution spikes linked to traffic, abrupt changes due to atmospheric episodes or times of day when heat and air quality pose a greater risk to vulnerable populations.
According to the program coordinator, these sensors allow them to locate areas at higher risk due to elevated temperatures and particle levelsas well as identifying the most problematic times of day, for example, coinciding with peak traffic hours.
Strategic location: campus, schools and communities
The monitoring network is being deployed in strategic points distributed throughout different regions of Puerto RicoThe intention is to combine urban areas, school environments, and areas with particularly sensitive environmental conditions.
One of the first locations has been the Dr. Guillermo Arbona Building in the Medical Sciences Campuswithin the Medical Center area. Data is collected from there that is especially relevant due to its proximity to healthcare facilities and a high volume of people.
The project has also made a significant leap into the pre-university educational sphere. In collaboration with teachers and local organizations, Sensors are being installed in several public schoolsThis allows students and teachers to become familiar with environmental monitoring and participate in the interpretation of the results.
Among the centers that are already part of the network are, among others, the José Facundo Cintrón School in Yabucoa, the Julián E. Blanco Specialized Ballet School in San JuanThe schools currently included are the Dorado Ecological School, the UPR Elementary School in San Juan, the Clara Maldonado School in Juncos, and the Petra Corretjer de O'Neill Occupational High School in ManatÃ. The addition of new locations, including island municipalities such as Vieques, is also being considered.
In these spaces, on-the-ground work is done with teachers and management teams to design environmental monitoring systems adapted to each centerso that the data doesn't just stay in the cloud, but is integrated into daily activities, projects, and decisions.
Open real-time data network
One of the pillars of the project is the full transparency of the data collected by the sensorsAll equipment is connected to the online platform PurpleAir, where maps, graphs and time series of measurements can be consulted.
The units are identified by the acronyms UPR-RCM-SAAMThis allows anyone to easily locate the sensors linked to this project within the PurpleAir system. Access is public and free, enabling researchers, students, families, and community groups to work with the same information.
This open data philosophy seeks breaking down the barrier between science and the publicThis allows not only institutions but also ordinary citizens to monitor air quality in their surroundings in real time. For students, it provides a source of real-world data for learning statistics, environmental science, and even programming.
Furthermore, having continuous measurements allows for a more detailed study. isolated episodes of pollution, such as sudden increases due to fires, Saharan dust events, local emissions or adverse atmospheric conditions that may worsen the respiratory conditions of the population.
Impact on public health, education, and research
The management of the Medical Sciences Campus insists that this sensor network has a clearly focused approach to protection of the health of communitiesHaving early warnings about unfavorable air conditions can help prevent respiratory complications, especially in people with asthma, the elderly, or groups with chronic diseases.
At the same time, the initiative reinforces the research capacity of the university in the field of environmental hygieneThe data collected will be used to develop studies on the relationship between exposure to certain pollutants and various health problems, as well as to assess the impact of extreme weather events, such as heat waves or episodes of high humidity.
In the teaching field, the project becomes a practical tool with which students can learn to manage, interpret and communicate environmental informationIntegrating these sensors into curricula helps to train professionals better prepared to face the challenges of pollution and climate change.
The university also highlights the role of the network as a bridge between academia and society, demonstrating how the Applied research can translate into tangible benefits for the population, beyond scientific publications or laboratory results.
Timeline, funding, and data validation
The project is conceived as a pilot program lasting between two and five years, period during which the data obtained will be collected, analyzed and compared with the records of the government agencies responsible for official air monitoring.
This validation phase is key to determine the degree of accuracy of the sensors and to establish how they can complement existing networks. If the correlation is sufficient, the experience could serve as a reference model for similar initiatives in other territories.
Regarding funding, the resources come from institutional funds of the Medical Sciences Campus itselfThe total amount is around $10.491,50, allocated to the laboratories of the Department of Environmental Health, primarily for the acquisition of the 30 devices and the basic deployment infrastructure.
By using relatively low-cost technology, the team opens the door to the possibility that, in the future, it may be possible expand the network with a manageable budget or replicate the experience in other contexts, either within Puerto Rico or in European countries interested in increasing their citizen monitoring of air quality.
With this sensor network, Puerto Rico takes a step towards a closer, more participatory and data-driven environmental monitoringwhere the public university acts as an engine of change and the community goes from being a mere recipient of information to actively participating in monitoring air quality and designing solutions to improve its environment.
