Louisiana AirWatch“You gotta live here to try to breathe the air, drink the water, see the children so sick and watch people die. Industry is wonderful to have, but if it’s killing the people in the area that they live in, what good is industry?”
Our Mission - Empower Louisiana with High Quality Air Pollution Data
At Louisiana AirWatch, our mission is to make air pollution data and analysis more accurate, trustworthy, and accessible for residents, researchers, and advocates in Louisiana, in an effort to push towards a healthier, safer, and more equitable community.
We generate up-to-date high-resolution ground level estimates of nitrogen dioxide pollution using Deep Learning to address residents’ concerns about elevated levels of industrial pollution and inadequate pollutant monitoring. Using this novel dataset, we conduct exploratory analysis to better understand the disparate impact of pollution in the state, and propose two applications for how this dataset can be used to support current environmental advocacy efforts in Louisiana.
The Problem
Residents in Louisiana have raised concerns for decades about heightened levels of industrial air pollution in the state. Of particular concern is the stretch of land known as Cancer Alley, a disproportionately black and brown area which has over 200 industrial plants and cancer risk up to 47 times the national average.
One of the biggest concerns is a lack of adequate air monitoring, making it challenging for researchers, advocates, and residents to accurately understand or measure risks from air pollution. Louisiana currently has only 9 nitrogen dioxide monitors across the entire state; Additionally, these sensors face several limitations: they are costly; fixed in place; and cannot provide comprehensive, statewide data.
Methodology
In order to fill the gap of inadequate pollutant data in the state, we develop the only up-to-date, accessible, high-resolution dataset of nitrogen dioxide pollution for the state of Louisiana. After creating our dataset, we work with researchers and advocates in Louisiana to identify ways that our dataset can be used to expand on current literature and support current environmental advocacy efforts.
Our work consists of three parts:
1. Creating The Dataset
We develop an accessible, up-to-date dataset of ground level, ~1km x 1km, nitrogen dioxide pollution estimates for the state of Louisiana from January 2019 - September 2023. We use innovative machine learning techniques, and the highest quality air pollution satellite data currently available, to generate accurate and reliable estimates.
2. Advancing Research
We use the high resolution of our dataset to conduct the first regional analysis of pollutant exposure in Louisiana at the census block level. We find that block and brown residents are disproportionately impacted by NO2 pollution exposure in the state.
3. Supporting Advocacy
Finally, we build out two applications using our dataset that can be used to further current environmental advocacy work in the state.
- Pollutant Estimation Dashboard - Our pollution estimate dashboard gives residents, researchers, and advocates direct access to our pollution estimates. Advocates can use the dashboard to get a better sense of areas with health and safety risks, helping them determine where to focus their efforts.
- Sensor Placement Algorithm - Ensuring that future air monitors are placed in intentional, trusted locations is essential to ensuring the health and safety of Louisiana. Our sensor placement dashboard uses a simple, adjustable, linear weighting algorithm, allowing advocacy groups and government agencies to identify the best locations for new nitrogen dioxide sensors for their goals.
A full description of our research and methodology can be found in our paper. To view our applications and analysis, please use the links above or navigate using the bar at the top of the page.
Contact Us
We are a team of passionate student researchers at UC Berkeley. Please reach out to us via this form with any questions or suggestions!