California’s overall air quality has drastically improved since the 1970's, but environmental justice communities are still disproportionately impacted by local mobile and industrial emission sources. Assembly Bill (AB) 617 was signed into law to address local air pollution in disadvantaged communities - shifting the focus from regional to community-scale. Under AB617, communities who are disproportionately affected by air pollution have the opportunity to form Community Emissions Reduction Plans (CERP) through a Steering Committee process. During development and prior to adoption of the CERP, the plan must be approved first by the local air districts and then by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the CARB Governing Board. Therefore, CERPs must incorporate detailed information on existing air quality conditions and emission sources. In Richmond, CA, a real-time data-driven modelling tool was implemented to better understand localized air quality impacts and likely air pollution sources across the city. Here we present how Groundwork Richmond uses a 50-node sensor network, coupled with an innovative modelling approach, to identify major sources of emissions in order to drive evidence-based emissions reduction strategy to improve air quality in Richmond. Furthermore, this innovative modeling approach helps citizens understand real-time potential exposures during outdoor activities from emissions sources that include but are not limited to wildfires, accidental fires, point, area, and traffic sources.
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