Signature detection in environmental data

1 . A method for monitoring air quality, comprising:

measuring a plurality of environmental components at a plurality of locations using a plurality of mobile sensor platforms to provide sensor data, the environmental components including particulate matter having a size range and a plurality of ambient gases, the sensor data including particulate matter data having the size range and ambient gas data captured at the plurality of locations, wherein the ambient gas data includes nitrogen dioxide data, wherein the particulate matter data includes black carbon data;

determining a signature based on the particulate matter data including the size range and at least one additional factor, the at least one additional factor including the ambient gas data, wherein the at least one additional factor further includes a temporal factor indicating a wildfire, wherein the signature is a diesel combustion signature, and wherein the determining of the signature includes:

determining the diesel combustion signature based on the nitrogen dioxide data indicating an ambient gas enhancement in nitrogen dioxide and the black carbon data indicating an enhancement in black carbon, wherein the temporal factor indicates a presence of the wildfire; and

in response to a determination that the temporal factor indicates the presence of the wildfire, determining a wildfire signature;

identifying a source based on the signature, comprising:

identifying at least one diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature; and

performing a mitigation measure based on pollutants output by the identified source.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the particulate matter has a size range of less than 0.5 micrometer, the determining the signature further includes:

determining the diesel combustion signature based on a first enhancement in a first ratio of nitrogen dioxide to carbon dioxide, a second enhancement in a second ratio of black carbon to carbon dioxide, and a third enhancement in a third ratio of the portion of the particulate matter data to carbon dioxide.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the source is an area of spatial impact, the diesel combustion signature indicating the area of spatial impact has higher or lower diesel emissions than another region.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the signature is a non-diesel combustion signature, wherein the plurality of ambient gases includes carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOC), wherein the ambient gas data includes carbon monoxide data, carbon dioxide data, and VOC data, and wherein the determining the signature includes:

determining the non-diesel combustion signature based on the carbon dioxide data and the carbon monoxide data indicating an enhancement in a ratio of the carbon monoxide to the carbon dioxide, the VOC data indicating a VOC enhancement, and a lack of a particulate matter enhancement corresponding to black carbon; and

wherein the identifying further includes identifying at least one non-diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additional factor includes at least one of a geographic area, mobile platform speed, or meteorological data, and wherein the determining the signature further includes at least one of:

determining a sea salt signature based on a portion of the particulate matter data having a size range of greater than 1.5 micrometers and the at least one of a correlation between the geographic area and the plurality of locations or a correlation between the meteorological data and the plurality of locations;

determining a road dust signature based on the portion of the particulate matter data having the size range greater than 1.5 micrometers and a correlation with mobile platform speed; and

determining a construction dust signature based on the portion of the particulate matter data having a size range greater than 1.5 micrometers and a correlation between the geographic area and the portion of particulate matter greater than 1.5 micrometers; and

wherein the source identifying further includes identifying at least one of sea spray source based on the sea salt signature, a road dust source based on the road dust signature, and a construction source based on the construction dust signature.

6 . A system, comprising:

a processor configured to:

receive sensor data, the sensor data including measurements of a plurality of environmental components at a plurality of locations, the measurements made using a plurality of mobile sensor platforms, the environmental components including particulate matter having a size range and a plurality of ambient gases, the sensor data including particulate matter data having the size range and ambient gas data captured at the plurality of locations, wherein the ambient gas data includes nitrogen dioxide data, wherein the particulate matter data includes black carbon data;

determine a signature based on the particulate matter data including the size range and at least one additional factor, the at least one additional factor including the ambient gas data, wherein the at least one additional factor further includes a temporal factor indicating a wildfire, wherein the signature is a diesel combustion signature, and wherein the determining of the signature includes to:

determine the diesel combustion signature based on the nitrogen dioxide data indicating an ambient gas enhancement in nitrogen dioxide and the black carbon data indicating an enhancement in black carbon, wherein the temporal factor indicates a presence of the wildfire; and

in response to a determination that the temporal factor indicates the presence of the wildfire, determine a wildfire signature;

identify a source based on the signature, comprising to:

identify at least one diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature; and

perform a mitigation measure based on pollutants output by the identified source; and

a memory coupled with the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein a portion of the particulate matter has a size range of less than 0.5 micrometer, and wherein to determine the signature, the processor is further configured to:

determine the diesel combustion signature based a first enhancement of a first ratio of nitrogen dioxide to carbon dioxide, a second enhancement in a second ration of black carbon to carbon dioxide, and a third enhancement in a third ratio of the portion of the data to carbon dioxide.

8 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the source is an area of spatial impact, the diesel combustion signature indicating the area of spatial impact has higher or lower diesel emissions than another region.

9 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the signature is a non-diesel combustion signature, wherein the plurality of ambient gases includes carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOC), wherein the ambient gas data includes carbon monoxide data, carbon dioxide data, and VOC data, and wherein to determine the signature the processor is further configured to:

determine the non-diesel combustion signature based on the carbon dioxide data and the carbon monoxide data indicating an enhancement in a ratio of the carbon monoxide to the carbon dioxide, the VOC data indicating a VOC enhancement, and a lack of a particulate matter enhancement corresponding to black carbon; and

wherein to identify the source the processor is further configured to identify at least one non-diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature.

10 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one additional factor includes at least one of a geographic area, mobile platform speed, or meteorological data, and wherein to determine the signature the processor is further configured to at least one of:

determine a sea salt signature based on a portion of the particulate matter data having a size range of greater than 1.5 micrometers and the at least one of a correlation between the geographic area and the plurality of locations or a correlation between the meteorological data and the plurality of locations;

determine a road dust signature based on the portion of the particulate matter data having the size range greater than 1.5 micrometers and mobile platform speed; and

determine a construction dust signature based on the portion of the particulate matter data having a size range greater than 1.5 micrometers and a correlation between the geographic area and the portion of particulate matter greater than 1.5 micrometers; and

wherein to identify the source, the processor is further configured to identify at least one of a sea spray source based on the sea salt signature, a road dust source based on the road dust signature, and a construction source based on the construction dust signature.

11 . A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

measuring a plurality of environmental components at a plurality of locations using a plurality of mobile sensor platforms to provide sensor data, the environmental components including particulate matter having a size range and a plurality of ambient gases, the sensor data including particulate matter data having the size range and ambient gas data captured at the plurality of locations, wherein the ambient gas data includes nitrogen dioxide data, wherein the particulate matter data includes black carbon data;

determining a signature based on the particulate matter data including the size range and at least one additional factor, the at least one additional factor including the ambient gas data, wherein the at least one additional factor further includes a temporal factor indicating a wildfire, wherein the signature is a diesel combustion signature, and wherein the determining of the signature includes:

determining the diesel combustion signature based on the nitrogen dioxide data indicating an ambient gas enhancement in nitrogen dioxide and the black carbon data indicating an enhancement in black carbon, wherein the temporal factor indicates a presence of the wildfire; and

in response to a determination that the temporal factor indicates the presence of the wildfire, determining a wildfire signature;

identifying a source based on the signature, comprising:

identifying at least one diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature; and

performing a mitigation measure based on pollutants output by the identified source.

12 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein a portion of the particulate matter has a size range of less than 0.5 micrometer, and wherein the instructions for determining the signature further include computer instructions for:

determining the diesel combustion signature based on a first enhancement in a first ratio of nitrogen dioxide to carbon dioxide, a second enhancement in a second ratio of black carbon to carbon dioxide, and a third enhancement in a third ratio of the portion of the particulate matter data to carbon dioxide.

13 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the signature is a non-diesel combustion signature, wherein the plurality of ambient gases includes carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOC), wherein the ambient gas data includes carbon monoxide data, carbon dioxide data, and VOC data, and wherein the computer instructions for determining the signature further include computer instructions for:

determining the non-diesel combustion signature based on the carbon dioxide data and the carbon monoxide data indicating an enhancement in a ratio of the carbon monoxide to the carbon dioxide, the VOC data indicating a VOC enhancement, and a lack of a particulate matter enhancement corresponding to black carbona lack of a particulate matter enhancement corresponding to a portion of the size range less than 0.5 micrometer; and

wherein the identifying further includes identifying at least one non-diesel combustion source based on the diesel combustion signature.