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Sonitus (Smart Dublin)

The Sonitus network is Dublin City Council's air quality and noise monitoring network, accessed via the Smart Dublin open data portal. Aeolus exposes the air quality monitors only (noise monitors are excluded).

Overview

  • Coverage: Dublin, Ireland
  • Data quality: Indicative (low-cost multi-parameter sensors) plus a small number of reference-grade national monitors co-managed with EPA Ireland
  • Resolution: 15-minute
  • API key: Not required (uses public credentials from the Smart Dublin data portal)
  • Pollutants: NO2, SO2, CO, NO, O3, PM1, PM2.5, PM10, TSP

No API Key Required

The Sonitus API uses public credentials published on the Smart Dublin data portal. These are bundled with Aeolus; no user action is required.

Quick Start

import aeolus
from datetime import datetime

# List Sonitus monitors
sites = aeolus.networks.get_metadata("SONITUS")

# Download a week of data
data = aeolus.download(
    "SONITUS",
    sites=sites["site_code"].head(3).tolist(),
    start_date=datetime(2024, 1, 1),
    end_date=datetime(2024, 1, 7),
)

Finding Sites

# All Sonitus monitors
sites = aeolus.networks.get_metadata("SONITUS")

# Spatial filter via find_sites()
near_centre = aeolus.find_sites(
    "SONITUS",
    near=(53.3498, -6.2603),  # Dublin city centre
    radius_km=5,
)

Notes

  • 15-minute resolution: Data is reported at 15-minute intervals rather than hourly.
  • Negative values: Uncalibrated sensors occasionally produce small negative values. Aeolus passes these through as-is — filter downstream if needed for your analysis.
  • Column variability: Available pollutants vary by monitor type (gas vs particulate).

Resources