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Topic

Low-Cost Sensor Networks for Indoor Wildfire Smoke Exposure: Design Lessons and Fine Particulate (PM2.5) Monitoring Across Residential Buildings in ӣ��Ӱ��, BC and Edmonton, AB

Department of Civil Engineering

Date & location

• Tuesday, January 6, 2026

• 10:00 A.M.

• Engineering Computer Science Building

• Room 467 and Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Laura Minet, Department of Civil Engineering, ӣ��Ӱ�� (Supervisor)

• Dr. Ralph Evins, Department of Civil Engineering, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Nancy Ma, Department of Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Anelyse Weiler, Department of Social Work, UVic

   

Abstract

Indoor air quality during wildfire smoke is an emerging public-health concern, yet there is limited data on how homes perform during smoke episodes and on how to design such large campaigns. This thesis addresses both gaps using a network of low-cost Scentroid CTmini sensors deployed across residential and infrastructure buildings in ӣ��Ӱ��, BC and Edmonton, AB. Chapter 2 documents the design, calibration, and deployment of a network of low-cost Scentroid CTmini sensors and reference instruments across residential and infrastructure buildings. The design work covers sensor selection, laboratory and field collocation with regulatory monitors, data-logging and networking strategies, participant recruitment, and quality control procedures, highlighting the importance of calibration, clear file-naming and close coordination with building operators and participants. 

Chapter 3 uses calibrated CTmini PM2.5 data from a subset of residential homes to quantify how indoor concentrations respond to outdoor levels during the 2024 wildfire season. Minute-level data are aggregated, distinguishing between “typical” conditions and smoke-impacted hours (outdoor PM2.5 ≥ 35 µg/m3). In Edmonton, homes show diverse behaviour under typical conditions but more consistent attenuation during smoke events and bedrooms tend to act as the most protective rooms. In ӣ��Ӱ��, a relatively low-smoke year, most homes already maintain indoor PM2.5 at or below outdoor levels, and the impact of portable air purifiers is difficult to separate from mild variations in outdoor smoke. 

Chapter 4 extends this framework to infrastructure buildings, comparing building types and room uses as potential cleaner-air spaces. Overall, the thesis demonstrates how building characteristics and occupant activities jointly shape indoor exposure during wildfire smoke season and provides practical guidance for future large-scale indoor air-quality monitoring and cleaner-air interventions.