Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment to Provide Air Quality Information at the Neighborhood Level

Gyeonggi Province will launch a pilot project to provide air quality information at the neighborhood (dong) level.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced on January 14 that it will begin the "Local Air Quality Prediction Service," which provides air quality information down to the dong level.

Currently, the Institute provides fine dust forecasts for four regional zones within the province.

The Local Air Quality Prediction Service enables users to check concentrations of fine dust (PM-10) and ultrafine dust (PM-2.5) at the dong level. This year, the pilot project will begin in six areas: Suwon, Yongin, Goyang, Hwaseong, Namyangju, and Gwangju.

Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment will promote a neighborhood air quality prediction service as a pilot project this year. Photo shows the pilot project homepage.

The key feature of this service is that it provides dong-level information closely tied to residents' daily lives, taking into account that air quality can vary within the same city or county depending on residential environments, traffic volume, distribution of industrial facilities, and weather conditions.

The Institute has improved accuracy by utilizing the latest national air pollutant emissions data from the Clean Air Policy Support System (CAPSS) and applying scientific air quality modeling techniques. A backup system has also been established to ensure stable operation of the service.

Kim Taeyeol, Head of the Air Quality Assessment Team at the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment, said, "The significance of the Local Air Quality Prediction Service lies in its ability to provide dong-level air quality information through scientific modeling without the need to install new air monitoring stations. This service is expected to offer residents highly relevant air quality information for their daily lives, while helping administrative agencies reduce the costs of installing and maintaining monitoring stations."