Spatial mapping of indoor air quality in a light metro system using the geographic information system method

Abstract

It is known that one of the greatest problems of developed countries in the twenty-first century is traffic. For this reason, engineers have searched for alternative solutions to the problem of traffic. One such solution is the construction and utilization of rail systems instead of main roads. From an engineering perspective, rail systems can be divided into three groups: metro, light metro, and tram systems. Light metro systems, which are a form of public transportation, are not directly inside the traffic. Their most important advantages include the fact that they do not release combustion products such as CO, and metro and light metro systems may be considered environmentally friendly based solely on their electricity consumption. In this study, measurements of parameters affecting indoor air quality were made inside light metro cars and in and around light metro stations belonging to the light metro system of the Metropolitan Municipality of Antalya, known as the tourism capital of Turkey. In February and March 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was first registered in Turkey, particulate matter (PM), temperature, and relative humidity measurements were made for testing indoor and outside air quality. Moreover, as outside air parameters, outside temperature, outside relative humidity, CO, normalized difference vegetation index, and ultraviolet aerosol index data were obtained from the General Directorate of Meteorology of Turkey. The measurement results were analyzed using the inverse distance weighting method in the geographic information system. Based on the results of the analyses, spatial maps were created for indoor and outside air quality parameters in the light metro system. Using these maps, the effects of passenger density and environmental factors both inside the metro cars and at the metro stations on indoor air quality were identified. In addition, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the COVID-19 period was analyzed using spatial maps of the PM0.3 and PM0.5 parameters. It is believed that the results of this study will set an example for further indoor air quality studies worldwide, and this study is unique in that it employed a method that is used particularly in survey and geomatics engineering for analyzing indoor air quality in light metro systems.