Origin:
Pollen monitoring data are from Pollen Sense, Inc. The pollen sensors located in Augusta, Bangor, Rumford, and Cape Elizabeth are managed by Maine DEP. The sensor located in Presque Isle is managed by the Mi'maq Environmental Health Department.
Dates Available:
Hourly data, January 1, 2026 - current (available dates vary by location)
Geographic Resolution:
Five monitoring sites: Augusta, Bangor, Cape Elizabeth, Presque Isle, and Rumford.
Abstract:
The Maine EPHT program receives pollen monitoring data on an hourly basis. This data contains estimated counts of pollen particles measured by five sensors across the state of Maine. Pollen concentrations (particles per air volume) are converted to the Misery Index scale based on current Pollen Sense Inc. Misery Index formulas. These are specific to pollen type: tree, grass, or weed/shrub.
The dataset contains the following measures, averaged at hourly, daily, or weekly timescales:
- Tree Pollen concentration Misery Index category: Low, Moderate, High, Very High.
- Grass concentration Misery Index category: Low, Moderate, High, Very High.
- Weed/Shrub Pollen concentration Misery Index category: Low, Moderate, High, Very High.
Purpose:
This data set supports efforts to improve public health in Maine and contributes to the U.S. CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network. A key activity of participants in this network is to track and make available environmental health measures on state and national data portals. Measures derived from the data set described here can be used to compare adult and childhood cancer rates across the state, between groups of people, and over time.
The Maine Tracking Network, a member of the National EPHT Network, connects communities, public health professionals, policy makers, state agencies, and others to the data they need to monitor public health, respond to health concerns, prioritize resources for public health action, and evaluate prevention activities. Maine tracks certain health effects, exposures, and environmental hazards that have known relationships, as well as some health effects and environmental hazards that have suspected relationships. By making health and environmental data available through the Maine Tracking Network, more people have access to data they need to think critically and hypothesize about health outcomes and their relationships to conditions in the environment.
Supplemental Information:
Pollen is a naturally occurring airborne particle produced by plants that can trigger seasonal allergies and worsen certain respiratory conditions. Common allergy symptoms include sneezing, congestion, runny nose (allergic rhinitis), and red, watery, or itchy eyes (allergic conjunctivitis). Children, older adults, and people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or obstructive pulmonary disease may be particularly sensitive to elevated pollen levels.
Pollen data are collected using the Pollen Sense APS-400, a continuous method of aeroallergen monitoring that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and classify airborne particulates. Air is drawn into the sampler, where airborne particles adhere to a transparent collection tape. This collection tape continuously advances at a slow rate, passing newly collected particles in front of a high-resolution camera. Microscopic images of the particles are captured and sent to cloud-based servers for processing. The AI system first classifies particles into broad categories (pollen, mold, and dust). Pollen and mold particles are then further identified to the species or genus level where possible, using AI “vision models.” These vision models are trained using large imagery libraries to recognize specific pollen and mold types.
The Pollen Sense Misery Index categories correspond to the following index ranges: Low, 0-25; Moderate, 25-50; High, 50-75; or Very High, 75-100. The index is intended to estimate the potential severity of allergy symptoms based on measured pollen levels. The pollen concentration corresponding to each category varies among tree, grass, and weed pollens due to differences in allergenic potential.
Entity and Attribute Overview:
This dataset includes the following fields: sensor site (Augusta, Bangor, Cape Elizabeth, Presque Isle, Rumford), timestamp (hour, day, or Sunday date for hourly, daily, or weekly time-averaging, respectively), pollen type (grass, tree, weed/shrub), and misery index level (low, moderate, high, very high).
Data Limitations:
- The reported pollen misery index values can provide a general indication of the overall trend in pollen concentrations - both seasonally and over the long term. They do not directly assess individual or population exposures. They do not describe particular species of pollen. The relationship between ambient concentrations and individual exposure is subject to many factors, including individual activity patterns and microenvironments.
- The Misery Index is a scale from 0-100 that assumes a standard reaction to pollen particles by type of pollen. People differ in individual sensitivity to pollen types, and a misery index level that causes symptoms for one person may not for another.
- There is no overall or total pollen Misery Index, because individuals may have sensitivities to one or multiple types of pollen.
- Pollen sensors provide concentration data around the specific location of each monitor. Comparing maximum values statewide on different days may not reliably indicate differences in average levels across the state as a whole, nor differences in average exposure levels among the population.
- Pollen Sense uses AI vision models to identify and categorize pollen particles. Due to data processing constraints, only a subset of AI vision models is active at any given time. Active models vary by geographic location and season to prioritize the pollen types most likely to be present. As a result, pollen occurring far outside its expected geographical range or seasonal period may not be identified and therefore may not be reflected in the data.
- Some pollen types that occur in Maine in low concentrations do not currently have operational AI vision models. These pollen types cannot be identified by the monitoring system and are not represented in the data.
Access Constraints:
None.
More Information:
Suggested Citation for Data Displays:
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine Tracking Network. Pollen Monitoring: Pollen Misery Index. Available online: https://data.mainepublichealth.gov/tracking/. Accessed on [Date].