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Air quality data guidance

Explore our guide to understand our data sources, collection methods, and how to evaluate and interpret the data effectively.

Air quality data source summary

The following table should be used as a general guide when using and interpreting the data. You should directly consult with the provider of any data source for a detailed assessment of each source’s quality, accuracy and use.

Where we provide access to data either through reporting summaries or data download, we do not recommend treating all the sources as comparable when interpreting against any hypothesis or use case.

Air Quality data source summary
Source Rate of capture Accuracy level
Source
Reference Monitoring Station
Rate of capture
Up to every 15 minutes
Accuracy level

High

Source
Diffusion Tubes
Rate of capture
Monthly/Bi monthly trend
Accuracy level
Indicative for long term trends
Source
Sensors
Rate of capture
Variable but can be high frequency, e.g. up to 20 minutes
Accuracy level
Indicative

Please note that some data sets may be adjusted annually following ratification or bias adjustment.

Published: 19 May 2023

Last updated: 3 October 2024