Measuring Your Impact

Air quality monitoring is not just about collecting data—it’s about creating meaningful change. Whether your goal is to raise awareness, shape public policy, or shift behaviors, understanding the real-world impact of your project is crucial. Measuring impact allows you to assess if your project is on track, if your community engagement efforts are translating into action, and if your data is driving the outcomes you set out to achieve.

This chapter guides you in evaluating the effectiveness of your air quality project by revisiting the objectives you defined in the Planning Phase (P2). By looking closely at what has changed over time, both in terms of air quality data and community response, you can better understand your progress, refine your approach, and ensure your project delivers lasting value.

1. Start by Revisiting Your Objectives

A meaningful impact assessment begins with a return to your original project goals. What did you set out to do? Were you aiming to reduce traffic-related emissions near schools? Raise awareness in high-pollution neighborhoods? Push for policy reform or behavior change?

Refer back to the “Project Overview” table you filled out in Chapter P2. Each of your original project elements (your target population, pollution category, desired impact, and engagement strategy) should be used as a baseline for reflection. Have your actions aligned with your intentions? Have your priorities shifted based on what you’ve learned?

Where goals remain unmet, impact measurement helps identify why. Where goals have been achieved, it allows you to quantify and celebrate success.

2. Assessing Changes in Air Quality Over Time

One of the most direct ways to evaluate your impact is to analyze how local air quality has changed since your project began. While air pollution can fluctuate due to natural causes and seasonal variation, consistent monitoring enables you to detect patterns and trends over time.

Compare current data with your initial baseline. Have PM_2.5 levels decreased? Are pollution peaks occurring less frequently or for shorter durations? Has data helped identify new sources of pollution or reveal when and where interventions are most needed?

While short-term changes may be modest, even slight improvements, especially during peak traffic hours or burning seasons, can be indicators of meaningful progress. And if pollution levels have remained the same or worsened, your data is still powerful: it gives you evidence to push for stronger action.

If your project includes a school or neighborhood focus, zoom into those specific locations. What trends can you identify since your monitors were deployed? Have pollution levels near sensitive groups, like children or the elderly, improved? These insights can help sharpen your message and guide future interventions.

3. Tracking Community Awareness and Behavior Change

Quantitative data alone doesn’t tell the full story. A key part of your project’s success lies in how people respond to it (see also Chapter 07, Section 3: Encouraging and Celebrating Action). Have attitudes shifted? Are people more informed or willing to change their behaviors? Are communities engaging with your project’s findings?

Regular community feedback through short surveys, interviews, or town hall discussions helps gauge whether your messages are resonating. Ask residents if they understand the data being shared. Are they using it to make decisions, like limiting outdoor activity on high-pollution days or turning off car engines instead of idling?

Pay attention to language. If more people begin to use terms like “PM_2.5” or ask questions about peak pollution hours, that’s a sign of growing awareness. If you hear stories of behavioral shifts, like families wearing masks during traffic hours or businesses moving waste burning activities, you’re seeing impact beyond the data.

4. Monitoring Influence on Policy and Community Action

Documenting how your project data is being used in the public sphere is an important way to demonstrate its broader influence—especially when direct policy changes may take time. Start by keeping a dedicated record of moments when your air quality data has been referenced, shared, or used to support advocacy or decision-making. The impact log at the end of this chapter can also be used to support your monitoring.

This could include:

• Meetings and consultations with local government or community leaders: Record key points or take note of any specific mentions of your data. If a local official references your findings when discussing traffic or public health policies, document when and how that happened. You can also proactively include your data in formal briefing documents or presentations to city councils or environmental boards.
• Press coverage: Track any media mentions, whether in local newspapers, radio interviews, or online news outlets. Save copies of articles or news segments that feature your project or quote your findings. These public mentions help legitimize your efforts and indicate that your work is gaining traction.
• Social media traction: If your team or community shares monitoring results on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, monitor the responses. Are people commenting? Are local leaders or institutions sharing your posts? Use basic metrics like shares, likes, or messages received to gauge visibility and reach. Take screenshots or record data from posts that generate engagement.
• Partnerships and collaborations: If your data has been used by local NGOs, academic researchers, or environmental groups to support broader initiatives—like petitions, awareness campaigns, or grant proposals—document those instances. Ask partners to cite your work or include you as a contributor when appropriate.

5. Ensuring Long-Term Impact

As what was mentioned in Chapter O1: Ongoing Project Monitoring, impact doesn’t end when a project concludes. In fact, some of the most meaningful changes, like new habits, sustained awareness, or policy shifts, may unfold long after monitors are installed. That’s why evaluating long-term outcomes is essential to understanding your project’s true legacy.

Start by asking: What has persisted since your project launched? Have schools continued to use your data in the classroom? Do health officials still refer to your findings when issuing public health advice? Are community members still adjusting behaviors like burning practices or transportation habits?

Sustained impact also shows up in how people continue to share or interact with your project’s data. Is data continuously shared and remain accurate? Are local organizations referencing your work in their own reports or planning? These are signs that your project has become a trusted resource.

You don’t need to measure everything at once. Instead, revisit your original objectives and identify a few key indicators of lasting change. Then, set periodic moments to reflect on them—perhaps every six months or annually.

Think of this not as a final check-box, but as part of your project’s evolving story. Tracking what endures will not only show what worked—it will also help you improve future projects, secure new partnerships, and build a stronger foundation for clean air advocacy in your community.

6. Impact Log

To stay organized, consider creating a simple impact log to show how your project is being effective. Here’s an example checklist that you can pattern to track your progress:

You can maintain this as a digital log or printable sheet and add to it as new impacts arise. Over time, this checklist becomes a living record of your project’s influence—something to celebrate, learn from, and build upon.

Developed by AirGradient in Collaboration with the UNDP Global Centre Singapore CC-BY-SA