Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative
About
Project Introduction
The Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative (SMMI) was 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 September 2024 project press release and June 2025 launch of monitoring press release, or watch the video to learn more.
Project Background
CARB received $27 million through legislative appropriation to conduct mobile air monitoring in communities across the state. CARB selected 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. The contract was approved on June 14, 2024 and continues through May 19, 2026.
Project Summary
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).
The project held a virtual public kick-off meeting on September 17, 2024 and a Project Expert Group (PEG) was formed to guide SMMI throughout the project period. The PEG partnered with Aclima to co-develop a community engagement plan (CEP) and community air monitoring plans (CAMPs). These documents 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’s fleet of Mobile Platforms will collect data within each community boundary, gathering repeat measurements at different times of day, days of the week, and seasons across 9 months. Aclima and its research partners (partner mobile laboratories including UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, and Aerodyne) will also conduct targeted area monitoring that focuses on specific air pollution concerns at smaller spatial scales. This involves monitoring over a relatively small area over a shorter duration in time in each community (approximately 1 to 2 weeks) and is designed to complement the broad area monitoring coverage by providing more in-depth information about a specific area of concern. 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 is 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.
SMMI is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest, formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.