Verification of the Perception of the Local Community concerning Air Quality Using ADMS-Roads Modeling

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 1;19(17):10908. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710908.

Abstract

Road transport is one among the sources of air pollution in a city, which results in lowering the comfort of life and increases the occurrence of respiratory diseases. The level of pollutants emitted in the city is variable, and it depends on the type and nature of the source and the manner of land development. For this reason, the purpose of the article is an attempt at a spatial (inner) diversification of a city in terms of air quality, using a study of perception and semantic differentials (SD). The research, which covered the period from June to November 2021, was performed in Kielce-the Polish Smart City-among local experts, people well acquainted with the city and knowledgeable about air quality and the impact of pollution on human health. The results allowed the demarcation of areas with the best and the worst parameters in terms of air quality within the city. Verification of the survey was carried out using the ADMS-Roads (Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling System) software for modeling pollution levels and GIS software, using data on road traffic. The verification allowed checking whether the respondents participating in the research accurately evaluated the city space. The modeling proved that within the two selected areas, the pollution level is similar, and it does not exceed the permitted values. This might indicate that in society there is still low awareness of air quality, particularly in terms of knowing the sources of pollutants and their impact on human health, and perception of areas with the best and the worst air quality was the result of an analysis of the manner of land development and its morphology.

Keywords: GIS; Smart City; air quality; pollution modeling; surveys.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants* / analysis
  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • Cities
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Humans
  • Particulate Matter / analysis
  • Perception

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Particulate Matter

Grants and funding

This work was prepared within the scope of the research funds from Kielce University of Technology, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. The project is supported by the program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the name: “Regional Initiative of Excellence” in 2019–2022 project number 025/RID/2018/19 financing amount PLN 12,000,000.