California Air Resources Board

Get involved by responding to our air quality concerns survey.

Project Introduction

The Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative (SMMI) is designed to attain a comprehensive dataset of criteria pollutants, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gases, create a data portal for public to access and visualize SMMI data, and conduct inclusive community engagement to better understand and address community concerns. This project provides an opportunity to complement AB 617 statewide air monitoring activities by engaging communities beyond those currently selected under the Community Air Protection Program, providing data to fill air monitoring gaps and support additional actions to reduce emissions and exposure. Read the project press release.

Project Background

CARB received $27 million through legislative appropriation to conduct mobile air monitoring in communities across the state. CARB awarded a $26.88 million contract to Aclima, a California Public Benefit Corporation that specializes in hyperlocal air quality mapping and analysis, through a competitive solicitation process called a Request for Proposals (RFP). The RFP was released on January 22, 2024 to solicitate proposals to carry out primary tasks, such as community engagement, mobile monitoring, data management, and data analysis and visualization. CARB selected Aclima pursuant to its capability and capacity to carry out the primary tasks. The contract was approved on June 14, 2024.

An air quality concerns survey remains active through the project to continue collecting information (e.g., air pollution concerns, pollutant types and sources, and locations in the communities) from the public to help us better prepare for mobile monitoring.

Project Summary

We provide a brief summary below. Please review the One-pager, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, and Aclima's technical proposal (also available in the "Documents" section below) if you’d like to have a deeper dive into this project.

Aclima and their subcontractors will conduct mobile monitoring of criteria pollutants, greenhouse gases, and toxic air contaminants in Community Air Protection Program (CAPP) Consistently Nominated AB 617 Communities (CNCs) using a combination of 42 Aclima mobile platforms and 3 partner mobile laboratories (operated by UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, and Aerodyne). Aclima has subcontracted Kearns & West to support community engagement activities.

The project held a virtual public kick-off meeting on September 17, 2024. A Project Expert Group (PEG) will be formed to guide SMMI throughout the project period. The PEG will partner with Aclima and Kearns & West to co-develop a community engagement plan and community air monitoring plan(s) (CAMPs).  These documents will guide engagement and monitoring activities and ensure objectives align with community needs and goals. Specific monitoring areas will be determined through a community engagement process and documented in CAMPs. At least 60% of monitoring must be conducted to benefit California Climate Investments priority populations.

Mobile monitoring will begin with a broad area monitoring strategy, through which Aclima will conduct mobile monitoring in communities using its 42 platforms to identify locations of concern, then direct partner mobile laboratories to these areas to conduct comprehensive chemical analysis of air pollutants. Partner mobile laboratories will also be deployed to locations of concern identified during community engagement. Aclima platforms measure criteria pollutants and surrogates for air toxic contaminants. Partner mobile laboratories are capable of speciation analysis of air contaminants (e.g., benzene and formaldehyde). Mobile monitoring will be designed to capture representative air pollutants in each community to achieve monitoring objectives defined in the CAMPs. At the end of the project, communities and the public will have access to a final data portal to understand and leverage the measurements (e.g., identification of sources of concern and natural gas leaks) to reduce air pollution in communities.

The Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities. 

For more information please contact: smmi@arb.ca.gov