Why use Alerts in MyAir?
Setting up Alerts in MyAir can be powerful tool for different people.
- To help a construction Site Manager action mitigation plans: You can set up an Alert for when dust levels rise above the permitted emissions of a particular site. You could receive the alert and action damping down dusty areas, or turning on misting systems or stopping activities that cause large emissions.
- To help Health & Safety professionals understand when Short Term Exposure limits have been exceeded or analysing Time Weighted Averages when planning to reduce risk to the employee and business.
You can set-up either an email and/or SMS* Alert to automatically notify you when different “Time Averages” and “Parameters” are met.
How to set up an Alert in MyAir
It’s very quick and easy to set-up.
- You simply select which Zephyrs you want an Alert from.
- You then set up what “Time Averages” and what “Parameters” you will need to be alerted of.
- You then add the email and SMS details you want to be alerted on. This can be one person or multiple team members.
Simple as that!
*Please note that SMS Alerts are only supported in certain territories. If you would like to extend this to your territory please contact us to arrange.
What are Time Averages when setting up Alerts?
The Time Average is the Interval of the alert, both averaging time and interval. So 60mins checks every 60mins for a 60min average
Time Averages are essential in air quality monitoring as they help in:
- Understanding patterns of pollution over time.
- Comparing data with health guidelines or standards.
- Supporting regulatory compliance and policy-making.
By taking averages over different time scales it can help industry professionals stay compliant and safe or help researchers and policymakers make more informed decisions regarding air quality management.
Time averages can be calculated over various durations.
60 min or shorter Time Averages will typically help identify Short-Term Variations: They'll detect rapid fluctuations in pollutant levels caused by traffic changes, domestic activities or industrial activities.
8 hour or longer Time Averages averages provide a more stable view of air quality over an 8hr working day or a 24-hr period. This helps in assessing daily air quality trends and compliance with health standards.
Why use Short Time Averages rather than Longer Term Averages?
Taking time averages of air quality every 15 minutes, rather than over a 24-hour period, offers different things. So it is handy if you target what you need to get from the data…
- Captures Short-Term Variations: Fifteen-minute averages can detect rapid fluctuations in pollutant levels caused by traffic changes, weather conditions, or industrial activities, which a 24-hour average might miss.
- Improved Health Insights: Many health effects related to air pollution can occur due to short-term exposure to high concentrations of pollutants. Understanding these fluctuations can help identify peak exposure times and improve public health advisories.
- More Responsive Data: Frequent data collection allows for timely responses to air quality issues. If pollution levels spike, immediate action can be taken, such as issuing alerts or implementing traffic regulations.
- Enhanced Research Opportunities: Researchers can analyse the relationship between short-term air quality events and health or environmental impacts more effectively with high-resolution data.
- Informing Localised Strategies: Planners and policymakers can better target interventions or regulations in specific areas or times when pollution levels are highest, improving air quality management.
- Detailed Temporal Analysis: Shorter averaging periods allow for a more nuanced understanding of daily patterns, helping to identify trends throughout the day that could inform program implementation.
- Real-Time Monitoring Capabilities: Short intervals support the use of real-time air quality monitoring systems, providing instant feedback to communities and stakeholders.
Why use Longer Time Averages rather than Shorter Term Averages?
There are several reasons why 24-hour time averages may be preferred over 15-minute time averages in some contexts:
- Simplicity and Clarity: 24-hour averages provide a straightforward and easily understood measure of air quality over a complete day, making it easier for the public and policymakers to interpret the data.
- Smoothing of Variability: Daily averages can smooth out short-term fluctuations and anomalies that may occur within a day, offering a clearer indication of overall air quality trends without being overly influenced by transient spikes.
- Compliance with Standards: Many air quality standards and regulations are based on daily averages, so using this timeframe aligns with existing guidelines and compliance measures.
- Resource Efficiency: Monitoring systems may require more resources in terms of data storage, processing, and analysis for 15-minute data. Using 24-hour averages can reduce the volume of data that needs to be managed.
- Long-Term Analysis: Daily averages are often more suitable for long-term trend analysis and comparison over months or years, as they provide a stable dataset that can be more meaningful for assessing air quality changes over time.
- Focus on Health Outcomes: Certain health effects related to air pollution, such as chronic conditions, may be more closely associated with long-term exposure levels rather than short-term fluctuations. Daily averages may thus be more relevant for some health studies.
- Mitigating Noise: High-frequency data can sometimes introduce noise into analyses, making it harder to draw meaningful conclusions. Daily averages can help mitigate this issue by filtering out random variations.
What Parameters can you set up in Alerts?
When setting up an Alert you have the option to set up multiple different Parameters to suit your needs.
To help you set up your Parameters, here are the links to some of the key standards:
