Space and Time Data Exploration of Air Quality Based on PM10 Sensor Data in Greater Sydney 2015–2021

Exposure to polluted air is associated with numerous adverse health effects for the general population. Therefore, it is important to monitor ambient air pollution which plays a key role in measuring the quality of the air we breathe. Particulate matter in the air with a diameter of 10 $$\upmu \textrm{m}$$ or less (PM10) is one of the important measurements of air quality. This paper presents a comprehensive space-time data exploration of daily PM10 measurements collected through sensors of the Greater Sydney region from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2021 and clustering of air pollution monitoring sites based on Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) distance. According to the results, air quality was good on most days in all the places considered. The modes of the daily PM10 levels were varying spatially. Oakdale recorded the lowest mode in all the years considered. During the study period, daily PM10 levels exceeded the national air quality standards mostly in the autumn season. After 2020, the number of exceedances was reduced for all the monitoring sites except Campbelltown West and Liverpool. Further examination is needed to identify the reasons behind these exceedances. Clustering indicates four possible groups of sites according to the behaviour of the PM10 sensor data. The four clusters are Randwick-Chullora-Earlwood, Liverpool-Prospect, Bringelly and Richmond-Campbelltown West-Camden-Bargo-Oakdale.