Air Quality Monitor & Weather Station

The Velaslavasay Panorama partners with the USC Environmental Justice Research Lab to provide hyperlocal data about weather and air quality.  

The neighborhoods of South LA face multiple sources of air pollution due to freeways and traffic, oil drilling, manufacturing and recycling facilities operate near residential communities.  Due to historical disinvestment, there are also fewer environmental amenities such as parks and green space.  As a result, communities face poorer air quality and higher risk for extreme heat.  

The VP is a community host for neighborhood monitors to provide accessible, real-time local information.  Government monitors do not have the spatial resolution to provide air quality information at the neighborhood scale. As a community host, we support an increase in capacity to understand air quality in our South LA neighborhood. 

The air pollution sensor measures fine dust or particular matter (PM2.5). Sources include combustion from cars and trucks, power plants, wildfires and industrial activities. Because of its small size, PM2.5 can be inhaled deep into human lungs and is associated with adverse impacts to the heart, lung and brain.. The Ambient Air Quality Standard for PM2.5 concentration is 9 µg/m3 annually and 35µg/m3 daily. 

The LA region has experienced some of the greatest increases in the frequency, duration, and intensity of heatwaves over the past decade.The impacts are worse in areas with fewer trees and more pavement.  Extreme heat events are a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States and are associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, mental and nervous system disorders, kidney problems, diabetes, and adverse pregnancy impacts.  The VP weather station collects hyperlocal data on wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, UV, solar radiation, barometric pressure, outdoor temperature, humidity, dew point and heat index.  

The data collected from our monitors is integrated into projects and studies including:

Community-driven approaches for Environmental Justice and Health in the Face of the Climate Crisis: Prioritizing Local Action for Climate Equity (PLACE Study)

Los AngeleS Voices On Oil, Community And Environment Study (LAS VOCES study)​

South Central LA Project to Understand the Sources and Health Impacts of Local Air Pollution (SCLA-PUSH) collaborative