RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 High-resolution spatiotemporal measurement of air and environmental noise pollution in Sub-Saharan African cities: Pathways to Equitable Health Cities Study protocol for Accra, Ghana JF BMJ Open JO BMJ Open FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group SP e035798 DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035798 VO 10 IS 8 A1 Sierra N Clark A1 Abosede S Alli A1 Michael Brauer A1 Majid Ezzati A1 Jill Baumgartner A1 Mireille B Toledano A1 Allison F Hughes A1 James Nimo A1 Josephine Bedford Moses A1 Solomon Terkpertey A1 Jose Vallarino A1 Samuel Agyei-Mensah A1 Ernest Agyemang A1 Ricky Nathvani A1 Emily Muller A1 James Bennett A1 Jiayuan Wang A1 Andrew Beddows A1 Frank Kelly A1 Benjamin Barratt A1 Sean Beevers A1 Raphael E Arku YR 2020 UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/8/e035798.abstract AB Introduction Air and noise pollution are emerging environmental health hazards in African cities, with potentially complex spatial and temporal patterns. Limited local data are a barrier to the formulation and evaluation of policies to reduce air and noise pollution.Methods and analysis We designed a year-long measurement campaign to characterise air and noise pollution and their sources at high-resolution within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), Ghana. Our design uses a combination of fixed (year-long, n=10) and rotating (week-long, n =~130) sites, selected to represent a range of land uses and source influences (eg, background, road traffic, commercial, industrial and residential areas, and various neighbourhood socioeconomic classes). We will collect data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides (NOx), weather variables, sound (noise level and audio) along with street-level time-lapse images. We deploy low-cost, low-power, lightweight monitoring devices that are robust, socially unobtrusive, and able to function in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) climate. We will use state-of-the-art methods, including spatial statistics, deep/machine learning, and processed-based emissions modelling, to capture highly resolved temporal and spatial variations in pollution levels across the GAMA and to identify their potential sources. This protocol can serve as a prototype for other SSA cities.Ethics and dissemination This environmental study was deemed exempt from full ethics review at Imperial College London and the University of Massachusetts Amherst; it was approved by the University of Ghana Ethics Committee (ECH 149/18-19). This protocol is designed to be implementable in SSA cities to map environmental pollution to inform urban planning decisions to reduce health harming exposures to air and noise pollution. It will be disseminated through local stakeholder engagement (public and private sectors), peer-reviewed publications, contribution to policy documents, media, and conference presentations.