Development and Evaluation of Integrated Sensor System for Observing Particulate Matter Concentration

<p>This thesis presents the development and evaluation of an integrated sensor system for observing particulate matter concentration in the environment. The study was motivated by the need for a practical and flexible monitoring platform capable of supporting localized air-quality observation in settings influenced by particulate matter. Conventional regulatory monitoring systems provide high-quality measurements, but they are often limited by cost, infrastructure requirements, and sparse spatial coverage. In contrast, integrated multi-sensor systems offer the potential for real-time, source-oriented, and comparatively low-cost particulate matter monitoring.</p> <p>The monitoring platform developed in this study incorporated four sensing instruments: the Alphasense OPC-N3, Plantower PMS5003, Sensirion SPS30, and Vaisala AQT400. These sensors were integrated through modular acquisition scripts, serial communication, automated startup workflows, and structured CSV-based data logging. The experimental setting for the study was Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, anenvironment suitable for investigating particulate matter observation. The methodology included system development, data acquisition, post-processing, time alignment, temporal averaging, and regression-based comparative analysis of PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀.</p> <p>The results showed that the integrated monitoring platform was successfully developed and was capable of generating structured and comparable particulate matter datasets. Strong agreement was observed between duplicated sensors of the same family, particularly for the Alphasense and PMS5003 comparisons, indicating good repeatability within those sensor classes. Cross-family analysis showed varying levels of agreement, with the Vaisala–Sensirion comparison producing the strongest relationship among the different sensor families, while Vaisala–PMS5003 showed moderate agreement and Vaisala–Alphasense showed lower agreement. These findings demonstrate that the integrated system can provide useful particulate matter observations while also revealing differences in sensor behavior across technologies.</p> <p>Overall, the study concludes that an integrated multi-sensor platform is a practical and effective approach for particulate matter monitoring in the environments. The work contributes to the fields of air-quality monitoring, environmental sensing, and emissions observation by providing a flexible sensor framework and a comparative basis for evaluating particulate matter measurements across multiple instruments. The developed system also provides a foundation for future research involving long-term deployment, and calibration against reference-grade monitors.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Open Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Year dc:date.available

2026

Author dc:creator

• Ghosh, Tonmoy

• Particulate Matter Monitoring
• Integrated Sensor System
• Air Quality Sensors
• Low-Cost PM Sensors
• Multi-Sensor Platform
• Optical Particle Counting
• Comparative Sensor Analysis
• Environmental Monitoring
• Civil Engineering
• Environmental Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.erau.edu/edt/992

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.erau.edu:edt-2039