US EPA

1256361 

Journal Article 

Classification of air quality using fuzzy synthetic multiplication 

Abdullah, L; Khalid, ND 

2012 

Yes 

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
ISSN: 0167-6369
EISSN: 1573-2959 

184 

11 

6957-6965 

English 

22160435 

10.1007/s10661-011-2472-1 

WOS:000309476100038 

Proper identification of environment's air quality based on limited observations is an essential task to meet the goals of environmental management. Various classification methods have been used to estimate the change of air quality status and health. However, discrepancies frequently arise from the lack of clear distinction between each air quality, the uncertainty in the quality criteria employed and the vagueness or fuzziness embedded in the decision-making output values. Owing to inherent imprecision, difficulties always exist in some conventional methodologies when describing integrated air quality conditions with respect to various pollutants. Therefore, this paper presents two fuzzy multiplication synthetic techniques to establish classification of air quality. The fuzzy multiplication technique empowers the max-min operations in "or" and "and" in executing the fuzzy arithmetic operations. Based on a set of air pollutants data carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter (PM(10)) collected from a network of 51 stations in Klang Valley, East Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak were utilized in this evaluation. The two fuzzy multiplication techniques consistently classified Malaysia's air quality as "good." The findings indicated that the techniques may have successfully harmonized inherent discrepancies and interpret complex conditions. It was demonstrated that fuzzy synthetic multiplication techniques are quite appropriate techniques for air quality management. 

Air quality index; Air quality management; Fuzzy synthetic evaluation; Environmental monitoring; Fuzzy sets