Regulatory air pollution monitoring in India is mostly limited to urban areas. Without a dense network of monitors, it is difficult to capture the fine spatial variations of PM2.5, one of the major pollutants with severe implications for human health.
Using satellite-based products to estimate PM2.5 can help generate high-resolution gridded spatial maps at a significantly lower cost. These spatial maps can be useful for policymakers, urban planners and developers, and health researchers. They can also be instrumental in guiding clean air action plan for the city.
A study by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) mapped high-resolution daily PM2.5 for the calendar year 2019 over the rural and urban districts of Bengaluru. The study, which used satellite data and ground data collected from monitoring stations, also identified PM2.5 hotspots and examined the rural-urban contrast in PM2.5.
