CAPSULE
CAPSULE – Utilisation des données de systèmes CAPteurs pour le calcul d’expoSition aux particULEs fines
The project:
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution is one of the main environmental health risks, accounting for 4.2 million premature deaths each year according to the WHO. Whilst regulatory air quality monitoring provides reliable data, its spatial coverage remains limited. The CAPSULE research project, funded by ANSES, harnesses the potential of low-cost sensors, deployed by citizens across France, to enrich and refine estimates of the population’s exposure to PM2.5 at a national level.
Our objectives:
- To centralise and validate data from citizen sensor networks and the regulatory network.
- To produce national air quality maps incorporating these new observations
- To estimate population exposure and the associated health impact
- To make this data available to the public and the scientific community
Our data:
CAPSULE aggregates data from several complementary sources: sensor data (Sensor.Community, PurpleAir, Polluscope) and data from the regulatory monitoring network (Geod’Air), available from 2020 to the present day. This data, which has been corrected and validated, is freely accessible via our portal and available for download.
Challenges and prospects:
By combining citizen observations with estimates derived from the most advanced scientific tools, CAPSULE aims to produce a more accurate and spatially comprehensive map of PM2.5 pollution in France. These findings are intended to raise public awareness and inform public policy on reducing chronic exposure to fine particulate matter.