AQI meters are rigged

[SoilSpoil]

On 4/5/2023 at 12:28 PM, nigelforbes said:

The only funny business is your conspiracy theory, which is just hilarious. A nationwide coordinated effort to not show AQI numbers over 500, in order to preserve tourism.......now I've heard it all!.

Years ago the authorities in CM were spraying water over the measuring station to lower the numbers, so not so weird

[simon43]

AQI meters used by the various AQI websites are usually internet-of-things, meaning they are not manual devices, but are connected via wi-fi to an internet connection, (just like my planefinder.net receiver).

 

This is the kind of equipment that is used:

 

https://aqicn.org/gaia/

[Dellboy218]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:01 AM, doctormann said:

Maybe 500 is the top of the calibrated range so anything higher just tops out at that value?

They have displayed well over 800 in previous years and this year.  If it's being taken on Government land you might find the garden lawn sprinklers (!) influence the readings.

[Dellboy218]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:15 AM, NorthernRyland said:

Other areas are over 500 outside of Thailand so it's not the website itself.

 

I'm reading 220 PM 1.0 360 PM 2.5 460 PM 10 right now in Mae Jo. I didn't research how the AQI is calculated but I think that's higher than 500. 

 

I have a house in Samoeng but it's wooden and not possible to run air purifiers so I'm not going up there at the moment but I've noticed they routinely shut off their meters. I know it's way over 500 up there in the mountains.

 

 

Same story in Pai. I have family there and know the area well. The smoke is far worse than CM at these times of years. No way it's only 500.

 

 

So yeah I'm alleging a nation wide conspiracy to rig the AQI monitoring in order to promote tourism.  Not a far reach in my opinion.

 

From a previous burning season.  There have been similar readings displayed this year.

[Moonlover]

@NorthernRyland 'AQI meters are rigged' Huh! This is a completely erroneous statement. I've been using test equipment in various guises throughout my long career and ever single one of them had an upper limit beyond which it will not go matter the input is.

 

Clearly the upper limit on these particular monitors is 500. It's as simple as that.

[NorthernRyland]

3 hours ago, Moonlover said:

'AQI meters are rigged' Huh! This is a completely erroneous statement. I've been using test equipment in various guises throughout my long career and ever single one of them had an upper limit beyond which it will not go matter the input is.

yes it seems that way but then why are some areas reporting over 500? Do they have better devices there or something?

 

I'm also surprised how many people are trusting the authorities in Thailand. Sure the devices may read a certain value but for all we know they send the numbers off to a central database where it's uploaded to the public. That's the central point of failure where a corrupt government (like Thailand is know to be) could tamper with data. I'm not saying this is happening but it's possible and wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

[Moonlover]

15 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

yes it seems that way but then why are some areas reporting over 500? Do they have better devices there or something?

 

I'm also surprised how many people are trusting the authorities in Thailand. Sure the devices may read a certain value but for all we know they send the numbers off to a central database where it's uploaded to the public. That's the central point of failure where a corrupt government (like Thailand is know to be) could tamper with data. I'm not saying this is happening but it's possible and wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

I have no real interest in this topic as, fortunately I live in region where the air qualify is, at worse 'moderate' and usually better than that, often 'excellent' in fact.

 

I was merely providing you with a very reasonable technical explanation based on a life time of experience. I never discuss conspiracy theories.

 

I hope your bad air woes will soon be over.

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

Chiang Mai,

My solar panels normally produce 2.4kW at midday on a clear sunny day.

Now down to 1kW with all the pollution.