Chiang Mai releases Line bot to warn of high air pollution

By SAKAORAT SIRIMA, 
PATINYA SRISUPAMART 
THE NATION

 

 

CHIANG MAI has launched the first public-sector air pollution monitoring system and set up a “People’s AQI (air-quality index)” to allow users to receive real-time air pollution warnings.

 

Researchers from three northern institutes – Chiang Mai University, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, and Mae Fah Luang University – have joined forces with the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce to develop a Line bot called “Dustbot” to help warn Chiang Mai province smartphone users about dust levels that are beyond safe limits. It will be officially launched today and become Thailand’s first public-sector air pollution warning system. 

 

 

The “self-warning” chat bot will be linked to six pollution-sensor stations in this pilot phase before expanding to 20 such stations by the year’s end. It will interact with users with set response messages and allow users to set an AQI, which will alert them when the dust level rises beyond a certain point.

 

Eleven sensor stations will be set up at hospitals in Chiang Mai for wider coverage in detecting PM10 and PM2.5 particles – respectively those with average diameter of 10 micrometers and 2.5 micrometers.

 

The head of Chiang Mai University’s Climate Change Data Centre (CCDC), Sate Sampattagul, said that data from pollution sensors would be calculated into an AQI under the method used by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), and then it would be updated on a real-time basis on the centre’s website and the Dustboy bot.

 

Sate hopes pollution sensor stations will eventually be set up throughout the North in an “open data” manner so all stakeholders get to interact with them. He also aims to raise public awareness about the issue and help people better prevent negative impacts from haze with the development of this user-friendly air pollution monitoring program.

 

Meanwhile, the CCDC revealed that in Chiang Mai, as of 8am yesterday, the level of PM2.5 was as high as 83.13 micrograms per cubic metre of air, while the AQI level was at 133, which was considered harmful to health.

 

According to records of daily averages this week from the PCD, the PM2.5 level in Chiang Mai reached the highest level yesterday of 80.06 micrograms.

 

The severe haze problem in the province coincided with a rapid increase in hotspots within the province. The Thailand Fire Monitoring System of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency detected 17 hotspots on Tuesday.

 

Chiang Mai province Governor Pawin Chamniprasart has already ordered local authorities in the areas that were hotspots to find a solution to the problem.

 

In related news, the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department director-general Surasee Kittimonthon said that the department had found the new method to relieve the smog problem in the North. This involved adapting the rainmaking method to change weather conditions that cause the accumulation of dust particles in the air.

 

Surasee said that the rainmaking plane would sprinkle dry ice over the troposphere to cool the temperature and break down the warm inversion layer, which traps the dust particles within the lower layer of the atmosphere.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30341972

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-29

It's steps such as this one that will raise public awareness of the issue and force change much more than any thing else will, it's a very good move but I'm slightly surprised it's being done outside of the PCD. 

Well done the universities. The PCD would never want to create a way of helping the public gain information because it will expose their utter incompetence. Can anyone tell me what they have actually achieved? 

 

Today Chiang Mai is number 1 on the world pollution index! But of course Pinocchio and his band of dwarfs only get concerned when the air that they breathe is polluted. Bkk is number 22 on the list so it isn't really a problem is it because their air is cleaner than first world cities such as Osaka and Seoul.

The following is an extract of the purpose of the PCD, from their website:

 

• Prevent and control pollutions from the operations to reduce environmental impacts
• Strictly adhere to environmental laws, regulations, and requirements.
• Support good working environment.
• Act as leader in sourcing environmental friendly products and services and natural resource efficiency.
• Continuously improve and develop environmental management effectively.
• Share information and support engagement in environmental management.

Additional information: http://www.pcd.go.th

 

http://www.environnet.in.th/en/archives/1832

 

How successful have they been in their mission? They haven't done a bad job of the last point albeit they changed the AQI standards from The WHO to the Thai PCD's version!

 

I think if I was AMLO and I had nothing better to do, I might want to look for charitable donations being made by commercial agro. to the PCD, designed solely, of course, to help aid them in their fight against pollution and all that entails, they need all the help they can get! 

Don't need an app to see how bad it is - there are already a number of such monitoring apps and websites around.  It isn't going to change a thing. We can 'monitor' all we like but until the cause is addressed the story stays the same.

1 hour ago, thenewgoo said:

Don't need an app to see how bad it is - there are already a number of such monitoring apps and websites around.  It isn't going to change a thing. We can 'monitor' all we like but until the cause is addressed the story stays the same.

True and the root causes of the problem are right in front of their noses but they choose to come up with expensive schemes to create rain instead of forcing farmers to stop lighting fires in their fields, fighting forest fires, limiting cars on the road, and introducing regulations to restrict vehicle exhaust.  All relatively easy fixes when laws are actually enforced.

Anyone found the so called bot for Line?

 

The secret how to improve the AQI values:
 

9 hours ago, webfact said:

data from pollution sensors would be calculated into an AQI under the method used by the Pollution Control Department (PCD)

 

On 29/03/2018 at 10:09 AM, Dibbler said:

All relatively easy fixes when laws are actually enforced.

I have no need of such, as I can see the pollution outside, it's so bad.

Wow, that's fantastic..how fuel and waste did they create to make that app?

On 3/29/2018 at 11:14 AM, Dazinoz said:

Anyone found the so called bot for Line?

 

Cant find it also, any QR code would be most useful

On 3/29/2018 at 11:14 AM, Dazinoz said:

Anyone found the so called bot for Line?

 

 

The website appears to be here, and although the titles are in EN, most of the content is in TH, though you can kind of figure what's going on, even if you don't read Thai.

 

https://www.cmuccdc.org/

 

Look at the pull down box in the middle lower center of the page where you can choose from various "Dustboy" sensor locations (I think!)

 

 

 

On 3/29/2018 at 4:19 AM, webfact said:

The head of Chiang Mai University’s Climate Change Data Centre (CCDC), Sate Sampattagul, said that data from pollution sensors would be calculated into an AQI under the method used by the Pollution Control Department (PCD),

 

But I'm more interest in that phrase above, using the AQI method used by the PCD method.

 

When I go to the AQI calculator page on the CCDC website, and enter in a random value, let's say 80 micrograms of PM2.5, I get a resulting AQI value of 130, which is in the lower mid section of the Thai scale's yellow / unhealthy for general public scale. The Thai system uses a 5 step scale.

 

https://www.cmuccdc.org/calculate

 

When I enter the same 80 mcg of PM2.5 value into the US EPA's AQI calculator, I get an AQI value of 164 in the lower end of the red unhealthy for the general public category. The U.S../international system uses a 6 step scale, breaking the 100-200 range into 2 different warning sections.

 

https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.calculator

 

IMHO, it doesn't help when Thailand decides to use its own and different AQI scale and model and warning colors, making its readings different and not comparable with the AQI scale used most other places.

 

 

 

 

On 3/29/2018 at 11:14 AM, Dazinoz said:

Anyone found the so called bot for Line?

 

Finally found it, at the end of the clip you see the correct line id and the QR code.  Good luck and good health !!

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, terminatorchiangmai said:

Finally found it, at the end of the clip you see the correct line id and the QR code.  Good luck and good health !!

 

 

 

Thanks for that.