STUDY OF THE OPTIMAL ALLOCATION OF AMBIENT AIR MONITORING STATIONS

In recent years, it has become an urgent necessity to locate ambient air monitoring stations adequately in order to provide information for environmental control programs. However, since the criteria for assessing the allocation of monitoring stations have never been established, it is essential to develop such criteria as well as an allocation method based upon them. The purpose of this study is to propose an assessment method for allocation as well as the allocation method for stations by applying a multiattribute utility function method. First, a structural model of assessment items is defined in order to quantitatively assess the allocation of stations, not only from an air pollution control point of view, but also from an economic point of view. Interview examinations are conducted for the researchers and the officers who are working in the air pollution control field, then individual multiattribute utility functions are derived. Next, a sensitivity analysis of the multiattribute utility functions is conducted by varying four attribute values of the structural model. Then, hypersensitive attributes are found. Therefore, two alternatives regarding the allocation of monitoring stations are put forward based on the results of the sensitivity analysis. The expected utility values of these alternatives are much higher than the value of the existing allocation. The efficiency of the stated method is confirmed.