Title: Using low-cost measurement systems to investigate air quality: a case study in Palapye, Botswana: 
data repository

Abstract: This repository contains processed, quality controlled data used in the manuscript Using low-
cost measurement systems to investigate air quality: a case study in Palapye, Botswana, which has 
been accepted by MDP-Atmospheres. The manuscript describes a 5-week field campaign conducted as a 
partnership between North Carolina A&T, Appalachian State University, Botswana International 
University of Science and Technology, and Colorado State University.

Contact:
William Lassman: lassman1@llnl.gov
Jeffrey Pierce: Jeffrey.pierce@colostate.edu

Recommended data citation
Lassman, W., Pierce, J. R., Bangs, E. J., Sullivan, A. P., Ford, B., Mengistu Tsidu, G., Sherman, J. P., Collett, 
J. L., Bililign, S. Using low-cost measurement systems to investigate air quality: a case study in 
Palapye, Botswana: data repository. Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/207600  

Please also cite the paper which describes the analysis of these data:
Lassman, W., Pierce, J. R., Bangs, E. J., Sullivan, A. P., Ford, B., Mengistu Tsidu, G., Sherman, J. P., Collett, 
J. L., Jr., & Bililign, S. (2020). Using Low-Cost Measurement Systems to Investigate Air Quality: A Case Study in 
Palapye, Botswana. Atmosphere, 11(6), 583. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11060583



Format of data files: .csv

Location where data were collected: Measurements were conducted at the Botswana International 
University of Science and Technology campus in Palapye, Botswana.
-22.596190 Lat, 27.123135 Lon.

Time period during which data were collected: 2018-06-172018-07-16

File information: 
The repository contains 7 .csv files.
1)	AOD_520.csvcontains the aerosol optical depth timeseries for valid times measured from the 
AMOD sensor. NANs inserted to indicate cloudy days.
2)	Bulk_filter_concentrations.csvcontains the blank-corrected QCd estimated atmospheric 
concentrations derived from filter measurements. Each row is a separate measurement with 
columns for the date, sampling duration, total mass concentration, and the total masses of black 
carbon, inorganic aerosol, WSOC aerosol.
3)	ICinorgs_atmospheric_concentrationssame format as Bulk_filter_concentrations.csv, but 
contains speciation of inorganic fraction as determined by ion chromatography.
4)	MetDataancillary observations of meteorological data from a met tower on site. First column 
is local (Central African Time) at hourly time resolution. Variables include:
*	ATMIN, ATMAX (air temp minimum and maximum during measurement period, 
degrees C)
*	WSMIN, WSMAX (windspeed minimum and maximum during measurement 
period, m/s)
*	WDAVG (wind direction average, degrees from north)
*	RHMIN, RHMAX (relative humidity, %)
*	BP (barometric pressure, hPa)
*	GHI1HR, GHI24HR, HRSSUN, solar irradiance variables, not used in this study.
5)	MicroAethHourly observations of black carbon [ng/m3] . First column is a time variable, the 
other column is BC concentrations. Note the frequency of measurements isnt uniform, as the 
initial samples were done with a timebase of 0.2 seconds. The data used in the study switch to a 
5-minute timebase, and this is reflected in the data timestamp.
6)	Plantower_timeseriesHourly observations of PM2.5  [ug/m3]. First column is a continuous time 
variable, the second and third columns are Plantower time-resolved PM2.5 concentrations, with 
NAN input for time values where no data is available.
7)	XRF_atmospheric_concentrationssame format as Bulk_filter_concentrations.csv, but contains 
speciation of X-Ray fluorescence results. Due to double-counting between this technique and 
ion chromatography, these data do not count towards the total mass closure.

Methods
For detailed description of the post-processing and analytical techniques used to produce these data, 
refer to the publication describing these data. In brief:
The Aerosol Mass and Optical Depth (AMOD) sampler (Wendt et al., 2019) was used to collect time-
integrated samples of PM2.5 onto Teflon filters, while conducting concurrent time-resolved 
measurements of surface PM2.5 using a built-in Plantower sensor, as well as surface-based Aerosol 
Optical Depth measurements. In addition, time-resolved measurements of black carbon were conducted 
with an Aethlabs AE51 microAeth.
The filters were weighed pre and post deployment to determine the mass of aerosol collected, and were 
further characterized with SootscanTM, X-ray fluorescence, and extracted into water and analyzed using 
ion chromatography and a Sievers Total Organic Carbon analyzer to speciate the PM2.5.
