Almaty Air Initiative (AAI) provides clarification on the role and importance of citizen-based air-quality monitoring following recent media comments claiming that independent sensors are “unreliable” and that the official stations of the Kazhydromet national monitoring network are the only credible source of information.

Why does Almaty need citizen air-quality monitoring?

Citizen monitoring is a modern, rapidly growing scientific field worldwide. Leading research institutions, universities and peer-reviewed journals consistently demonstrate that low-cost sensors, when used with proper methodology, provide valuable information: high spatial resolution, real-time data, the ability to detect local pollution spikes, and direct involvement of residents.

These studies are published in major scientific databases such as ScienceDirect, Nature and MDPI.
Key examples include:
– Translating citizen-generated air quality data into evidence for policy (Nature) — how citizen data impacts regulatory decisions;
– Assessing air quality through citizen science (EEA) — successful examples of integrating independent sensors into national systems;
– Performance evaluation of low-cost air quality sensors: A review — a meta-analysis of 112 scientific papers on sensor accuracy and reliability.

The global conclusion is clear: citizen sensors do not replace government stations, but they make air monitoring significantly more comprehensive, detailed and useful for society.

AAI emphasizes that official calibrated stations remain the backbone of air-quality monitoring in Almaty.

Independent sensors do not replace state equipment; they complement it — as is common practice worldwide. Properly calibrated citizen sensors provide granular spatial detail and reveal local variations that cannot be detected with a sparse official network. This hybrid model is an international standard that gives residents a more complete and timely picture of air quality.

Currently, the official monitoring network includes 16 stations, but only 3 of them measure PM2.5 — the most harmful pollutant in Almaty.
This means that:
– most of the city has no data on its main air pollutant;
– residents of suburban districts, private-housing areas and industrial zones do not see the real picture;
– sparse station placement produces an averaged background that masks local pollution peaks.

Even with perfect performance, the official network physically cannot provide high-resolution data for a city of Almaty’s size.

To close this gap, AAI, together with sponsors, installed 170 AirGradient sensors in September 2025 — the same models used in the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand and other countries.

Key features of AAI’s sensor network:
– sensors are co-located with official stations to improve accuracy;
– data is transmitted in real time;
– the coverage map in Almaty and the region has expanded to more than 200 locations;
– sensors are placed at schools, hospitals, tourist zones, residential areas, industrial sites and private sectors.

For the first time, the city can see not just an “average background,” but also:
– the air quality at a specific school or courtyard;
– why one neighbourhood is more polluted than another;
– when peaks occur and what causes them;
– how air quality changes daily and hourly.

Residents can make personal health decisions, and experts can access a complete picture of urban pollution.

AAI’s position: official and independent monitoring must work together.

Zhuldyz Saulebekova, Executive Director of the Almaty Air Initiative Foundation:
“Independent sensors do not replace the government system — they strengthen it by providing more detailed and timely information. Clean air begins with transparent data. A dense monitoring network is essential not only for residents who need to understand what they breathe and make personal health decisions, but also for modelling, scientific research and informed environmental policymaking. Citizen monitoring increases public awareness and builds support for necessary regulatory reforms.”

AAI emphasizes that independent sensor data is not an official measurement but its density, accessibility and immediacy make it a valuable tool for residents, researchers and public institutions.

Citizen air-quality data for Almaty is available on the interactive map and in popular applications: AAI dashboard https://dashboard.air.org.kz/, mycar, IQAir, AirVisual.