Workshop: Status of PM2.5 in Vietnam during 2019-2020 and the Application of satellite data in air pollution monitoring and research
On December 1st, 2021, the Workshop for the announcement of the “Status of PM₂.₅ in Vietnam during 2019-2020 based on multi-source data” report took place, giving a more complete picture of air pollution in both space and time. This is the first report to provide detailed information on the status of PM₂.₅ not only in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city but all 63 provinces/cities across Vietnam, with collected and analyzed data from standardized ground stations, air quality sensors to satellites. This report was made by the Vietnam National University Hanoi - University of Engineering and Technology (VNU-UET), The Live&Learn Center for the Environment and Community (Live&Learn), along with foreign experts as well as experts in Vietnam. This report is part of the project “Join Hands for Clean Air” funded by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID).
Presenters at the Workshop have shared the results of the Report and the applications of open-source data in air pollution monitoring and research around the world. The Workshop featured the participation of Dr. Hoang Duong Tung (Chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Partnership - VCAP), Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Nhat Thanh (VNU-UET), Dr. Falguni Patadia (SERVIR project - collab between NASA and USAID) with more than 200 representatives from various local units, departments, news stations, experts, scientists and people interested in air pollution, alike.
Sharing his thoughts on the report, Dr. Hoang Duong Tung (VCAP): “I think this is a new publication, not only because of the coverage of air quality monitoring across Vietnam, but also in terms of perspective. Previously, the reports of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment were only based on data from continuous monitoring stations and periodical monitoring. This report also has a new point in the use of satellite data together with ground data to give a relatively general picture of air quality in the whole of Vietnam, with detail to each province or district. The combined approach of satellite data, traditional station data and low-cost sensors is the direction that many countries have been implementing; However, in Vietnam, this is the first report to use multiple data sources to give the overall picture and give readers a new and general view to complement the reports of state agencies.”
At the beginning of the presentation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhat Thanh (VNU-UET), announced the core results of the current status of PM₂.₅ in Vietnam in the period of 2019 - 2020, emphasizing that this is the first full picture of the status of PM₂.₅ across 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam as well as of specific districts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The Live&Learn Center for Environment and Community (Live & Learn) has also given out several recommendations on research and policy. In which, it is necessary to apply multiple data sources to build a full-coverage dataset of PM₂.₅ distribution with details to the district level in the provinces and cities with high PM₂.₅ pollution; promoting research to determine the contribution of emission sources; strengthening the nationwide network of standard air quality monitoring stations; and promoting the technology in monitoring PM₂.₅ dust and other air pollutants.
Regarding the trend of open-source data application, Dr. Falguni Patadia, Air Quality Team Leader and Project Manager of the Applied Science Group on the NASA SERVIR project, emphasized the need for cooperation among countries in the Mekong region in studying the levels of pollutants other than PM₂.₅ and create open data sources for scientists to help understand and address air pollution.
Following the trend of multi-source data in air quality monitoring, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Nhat Thanh introduced the LASERPULSE project – Improving air pollution monitoring and management in Vietnam using satellite PM₂.₅ monitoring.
