Journal of Computing Research and Innovation (JCRINN) Vol. 6 No.

3 (2021) (pp-75-85)
[Link] : eISSN: 2600-8793
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Application of Fuzzy Inference System in the Prediction of

Air Quality Index
Nor Hayati Shafii1*, Nur Aini Mohd Ramle2, Rohana Alias3, Diana Sirmayunie Md Nasir4,
Nur Fatihah Fauzi5
1,2,3,4,5
Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences,
Universiti Technologi MARA, Perlis Branch, Arau Campus, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

Corresponding author: * norhayatishafii@[Link]

Received Date: 19 April 2021
Accepted Date: 24 May 2021
Revised date: 25 June 2021
Published Date: 1 July 2021

HIGHLIGHTS

• Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) is used to develop a model in predicting Air Quality Index (AQI).
• A model is developed to evaluate the AQI of air pollution by considering the value of three major
inputs, namely Particulate Matter (PM10), Carbon Dioxide (CO) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2).
• The evaluation system is based on Mamdani fuzzy inference system through four major steps namely
Fuzzification, Fuzzy decision, Fuzzy rule based and Defuzzification.
• The level of accuracy rate is calculated to measure the efficiency of the proposed model.

ABSTRACT
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and
other living beings. It is caused by solid and liquid particles and certain gases that are suspended in the
air. The air pollution index (API) or also known as air quality index (AQI) is an indicator for the air quality
status at any area. It is commonly used to report the level of severity of air pollution to public and to
identify the poor air quality zone. The AQI value is calculated based on average concentration of air
pollutants such as Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), Ozone (O3), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sulfur Dioxide
(SO2) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). Predicting the value of AQI accurately is crucial to minimize the
impact of air pollution on environment and human health. The work presented here proposes a model to
predict the AQI value using fuzzy inference system (FIS). FIS is the most well-known application of fuzzy
logic and has been successfully applied in many fields. This method is proposed as the perfect technique
for dealing with environmental well known and tackling the choice made below uncertainty. There are five
levels or indicators of AQI, namely good, moderate, unhealthy, very unhealthy, and hazardous. This
measurement is based on classification made from the Department of Environment (DOE) under the
Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI). The results obtained from the actual data are
compared with the results from the proposed model. With the accuracy rate of 93%, it shows that the
proposed model is meeting the highest standard of accuracy in forecasting the AQI value.

Keywords: air pollution, Air Quality Index, Fuzzy Inference System, accuracy

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INTRODUCTION

In the era of globalization and the age of industrialization 4.0, environmental pollution is often one of the
topics discussed in the media. Most countries in the world, including Malaysia, have the same problem.
Many regions in Malaysia are facing extreme air quality issues. In Malaysia, state, local and federal
associations are involved in identifying where air pollution occurs, causes of air pollution, and how to
control air pollution. Air pollution is caused by many reasons such as vehicle exhaust fumes, fossil fuel-
based power plants, exhaust from industrial factories and plants, agricultural and construction activities etc.
It may cause diseases, allergies and even death to humans. It may also cause harm to other living organisms
such as animals and food crops and may damage the natural environment. Observing AQI accurately is
essential to detect pollution peaks and make early preventive measures that can minimize the impact of air
pollution on environment and human health.

Previous studies have used various approaches to predict the air quality index (AQI). In this study, we focus
on fuzzy inference system (FIS) to predict the AQI value. According to Chaudhari and Patil (2014), FIS
approach has an expressive output strength without difficulty to understand the results and manipulate the
goal. FIS can capture converting environment as a professional information and without problems. The
very first application of this technique was to control a steam engine and the result obtained was as good as
when controlled by experienced human operators. According to Sowlat et al. (2011) FIS has been
effectively used in many fields including programmed control, data arrangement, decision analysis, skillful
systems, and computer vision. For this reason, fuzzy inference systems are referred to by various names,
such as fuzzy expert systems, fuzzy rule-based systems, fuzzy skilled systems, fuzzy modeling, fuzzy
associative memory, fuzzy logic controllers and ambiguously fuzzy systems etc. FIS are broadly applicable
in finance, scientific, economic, and engineering etc. due to the intuitive nature of the system and its ability
to investigate decisions of a human. Samira and Ahmad (2016) found that FIS is the most well-known
application of fuzzy logic where membership functions should be generally adjusted manually through trial
and error. According to Cavallaro (2015), fuzzy logic reasoning consists of two kinds of information. The
first concerns with the labels and membership functions allocated to the input and output variables. The
correct desire of those symbolizes is one of the greatest serious degrees inside the design model. Another
kind of information is associated with rule base which is a technique of converting the fuzzy values of the
inputs to fuzzy values of the outputs. Kumaravel (2012) concluded that the important elements in FIS are
fuzzification, fuzzy decision, fuzzy rule-based and defuzzification.

According to Tiwari (2015) FIS has assumed that each rule is activated at each cycle and contributes
collectively to the solution. It is a parallel single inference. However, the inference process can be preserved
as the new inferred results that can be fed once more as inputs. Methods based on the fuzzy set theory must
be carried out within the context of environmental numbers. The limits among the right and an unacceptable
concentration is not to be considered as sharp, but as fuzzy, with implications for subsequent movement
plans. There the usage of fuzzy numbers is proposed as the perfect technique for dealing with
environmental well known and tackling the choice made below uncertainty.

METHODOLOGY

Method of Data Collection

The hourly data of AQI used in this study are secondary data obtained from Department of Environment
under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) for Kelantan state. The are 122 data
sets collected from 1st June to 31st July 2016. It was recorded from Continuous Air Quality Monitoring
Stations (CAQM) located in both industrial and urban areas in Kelantan.

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Rating scales for Air Quality Index (AQI)

The rating scale of the AQI status indicator consists of Good, Moderate, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and
Hazardous as shown in Table 1. This measurement is based on classification made from the Department of
Environment (DOE) under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI).

Table 1: Indicators for output, AQI

API Indicator Explanation
3 - 5.75 Good Low pollution without any bad effect on health
5.76 - 8.5 Moderate Moderate pollution that does not pose any bad effect on health
Worsen the health condition and low tolerance of physical exercises
8.51 - 11.25 Unhealthy
to people with heart and lung complications
Very Worsen the health condition and low tolerance of physical exercises
11.25-14.0
Unhealthy to people with heart and lung complications. Affect public health
>14.0 Hazardous Hazardous to high-risk people and public health

There are five major pollutants that contribute to air pollution, namely Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen
Dioxide (NO2), Carbon Dioxide (CO), Ozone (O3) and Particulate Matter (PM10). The most significant
input variables used in this study are PM10, CO and NO2.

Data Analysis

Data analysis is done by using MATLAB. It is a completely effective software that has numerous built-in
tools for solving problems and for graphical illustrations. The method of data analysis used to predict the
AQI using FIS consists of four steps; 1) Fuzzification of input and output variables 2) Fuzzy decision
(selection of membership functions for input and output variables), 3) Fuzzy rule-based (determination of
rule base application) and 4) Defuzzification. The structure of a fuzzy system is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The Process of Fuzzy Inference System

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I) Fuzzification of Input and Output Variables

Fuzzification is a process of transforming or changing the real crisp value into the fuzzy value. The
operation interprets real crisp input or else measured values into linguistic ideas using appropriate
membership functions. Fuzzy logic implements human experiences and preferences via membership
functions and fuzzy rules. In fuzzy logic, each linguistic variable is associated with confidence values such
that each term has its own confidence value. Appropriate fuzzy linguistic values are allocated for each fuzzy
variable. The input and output are converted in the form of linguistic layout. As a result, the input value
is used to generate output in the rule viewer as given in Equation (1).

(1)

Figure 2 shows the fuzzy inference system that consists of three inputs (PM10, CO and NO2) and one
output which is air quality index (AQI). By using FIS editor and membership function editor from
MATLAB software all the membership functions are developed.

Figure 2: FIS Editor

II) Fuzzy Decision - Selection of Membership Functions for Input and Output Variables

Linguistic values are expressed inside the method of fuzzy sets. A fuzzy set is defined by its membership
functions. Generally, triangular and trapezoidal membership functions are utilized to standardize the crisp
for its simplicity and computational performance. It is defined mathematically in the following equations;

Triangular function in Equation 2 is defined by a lower limit a, an upper limit b, and a value m, where a
< m < b. The Triangular membership function is used to transform the linguistic values into a range of 0 -
1.

(2) Figure 3: Triangular Membership Function

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Trapezoidal function in Equation 3 is defined by a lower limit a, an upper limit d, a lower support limit b,
and an upper support limit c, where a < b < c < d.

(3)

Figure 4: Trapezoidal membership function

Table 2 below shows the fuzzy set input indicators and the fuzzy set of output indicators. Table 3 shows
the range of each input and Table 4 shows the parameters used in the membership function editor for each
input.

Table 2: Indicators for output and input Table 3: Range for each input
Inputs (Fuzzy Variables) Output Inputs
Indicators
PM10 CO NO2 AQI PM10 CO NO2
Excellent Excellent Excellent Good < 35 < 10 < 25 Excellent
Good Good Good Moderate 35 - 52.5 10 - 15 25 - 37.5 Good
Moderate Moderate Moderate Unhealthy 52.5 -70 15 - 20 37.5 - 50 Moderate
Poor Poor Poor Very 70 - 87.5 > 20 > 50 Poor
Unhealthy 87.5 - 105 Very Poor
Very Hazardous > 105 Severe
Poor
Severe

Table 4: Parameters for membership function of the inputs

Parameters
Indicators
PM10 CO NO2
[-17.5 0 17.5 35] [-5 0 5 10] [-12.5 0 12.5 25] Excellent
[17.5 35 52.5] [5 10 15] [12.5 25 37.5] Good
[35 52.5 70] [10 15 20] [25 37.5 50] Moderate
[15 20 25 [37.5 50 62.5
[52.5 70 87.5] Poor
25] 62.5]
[70 87.5 105] Very Poor
[87.5 105 122.5
Severe
122.5]

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show the membership function editor for three inputs PM10, NO2, CO and Figure 8
shows the membership function editor for output AQI. The membership function input category was
obtained by setting up the range of each input variable as shown in Table 4. This is then, followed by setting
up the parameter for each input as shown in Table 5

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Figure 5: Membership function editor of PM10 (input 1) Figure 6: Membership function editor of CO (input 2)

Figure 7: Membership function editor of NO2 (input 3) Figure 8: Membership function editor of AQI (output)

The membership functions of input 1, 2 and 3 and also output are shown in details in Table 5. The functions
are formulated based on equation (2) and (3).

Table 5: Membership function of input 1, 2, 3 and output

Input 1: PM10 Input 2: CO Input 3: NO2 Output: AQI

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The range of output is between 3 to 14. Table 6 shows the range of output and Table 7 shows the parameters
that are used in the membership function editor for output data.

Table 6: Parameters for membership function of output Table 7: Range of output

Parameters Indicators Indicators of output (AQI) Range
[3 3 5.75] Good Good 3 – 5.75
[3 5.75 8.5] Moderate
Moderate 5.76 – 8.5
[5.75 8.5 11.25] Unhealthy
Unhealthy 8.51 – 11.25
[8.5 11.25 14] Very Unhealthy
[11.25 14 14] Hazardous Very Unhealthy 11.26 - 14
Hazardous >14

III) Determination of Rule Base Application

The rules decided the membership functions of input and output are utilized in fuzzy inference process. The
first rules are linguistic and also known as “IF- THEN” regulations. The suggested fuzzy model is based
on the Mamdani fuzzy model structure as given Equation 4.

Ri: IF X₁ is L₁^X₂ is L₂^X3, …is LM-1^Xᴍ is Lͥᴍ THEN μʀͥ → Y (4)

Where i: 1,…n
Lͥ €{Lj, k} j: 1,…, m; k: 1,...,n; n: the number of linguistic labels defined for the j input variables

Table 8 shows the arrangement of fuzzy number for each input variable. It is used to produce IF-THEN
rules. The calculation below shows the steps of how to find the minimum and maximum value for the input
variables that are going to be used to find the arrangement of fuzzy number for output variables.

Minimum: Maximum: Difference of value: Example of calculation:

1+1+1=3 6 + 4 + 4 = 14 14 – 3 = 11 Good (3-5.2)
11 / 5 = 2.2 3 + 2.2 = 5.2

Table 8: Arrangement for three input variables and output variables

Input Variables Fuzzy Number Output variable Range of Fuzzy Number
Severe (1)
Very Poor (2)
Poor (3) Good (3-5.2)
PM10
Moderate (4) Moderate (5.21-7.4)
Good (5) Unhealthy (7.41-9.6)
AQI
Excellent (6) Very Unhealthy (9.61-11.8)
Poor (1) Good (11.81-14)
Moderate (2)
CO & NO2
Good (3)
Excellent (4)
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Based on these arrangements, 96 best rules are generated. The rules below show an example of If-Then
rules of AQI generated from this process.

IF (PM10 is severe) and (CO is poor) and (NO2 is poor) THEN (AQI is hazardous)
IF (PM10 is severe) and (CO is poor) and (NO2 is moderate) THEN (AQI is hazardous)
IF (PM10 is severe) and (CO is poor) and (NO2 is excellent) THEN (AQI is very unhealthy)

Figure 9 shows the rule editor that is set up in the MATLAB software. There are 96 rules used to evaluate
the AQI by using Mamdani IF-THEN rules to determine whether it is good, moderate, unhealthy, very
unhealthy, and hazardous.

Figure 9: Rule editor

IV) Defuzzification Process

The defuzzification transforms the fuzzy value into a crisp value. In this study, a centroid method is applied,
which is one of the greatest not unusual methods for defuzzification process. Fuzzy number is geometrically
determined by using this approach.

After the rules are set, the data has been inserted in the rule viewer and the result is generated as shown in
the right-end column of Figure 10.

Figure 10: Rule Viewer (Rules 1- 96)

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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results of AQI by using Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System are shown in Table 9. The values in Table
9 are part of 122 outputs in overall. The status in the linguistic value is all “Good”.
Table 9: Result output of AQI from MATLAB (Mamdani status)
MATLAB (Mamdani Status)
INPUTS
LOCATION OUTPUT LINGUISTIC
PM10 CO NO2 AQI VALUE
26.404 0.4325 0.008 4.04 Good
37.94 0.625 0.01 3.91 Good
35.612 0.45 0.009 3.88 Good
Kota Bharu
40.104 0.4875 0.015 3.95 Good
49.595 0.6325 0.01 3.91 Good
48.009 0.6512 0.01 3.93 Good

The results of actual data output are shown in Table 10. The value is obtained based on the 96 If-Then
rules that are mentioned in the early subtopic of data analysis. For example, IF (PM10 is Excellent) and
(CO is Excellent) and (NO2 is Excellent) THEN (AQI is Good) with the input value PM10 is 26.404, CO
is 0.4325 and NO2 is 0.008.

Table 10: The result of actual data output for AQI

ACTUAL
INPUTS
DATA
LOCATION
LINGUISTIC LINGUISTIC LINGUISTIC LINGUISTIC
PM10 CO NO2
VALUE VALUE VALUE VALUE
26.404 Excellent 0.4325 Excellent 0.008 Excellent Good
37.94 Good 0.625 Excellent 0.01 Excellent Good
35.612 Good 0.45 Excellent 0.009 Excellent Good
Kota Bharu
40.104 Good 0.4875 Excellent 0.015 Excellent Good
49.595 Good 0.6325 Excellent 0.01 Excellent Good
48.009 Good 0.6512 Excellent 0.01 Excellent Good

Table 11 shows the comparison statements of the result from actual data output and Mamdani fuzzy
inference status for AQI reading. The statement is “TRUE” when the linguistic value for actual data is
“Good” and Mamdani status from MATLAB is also “Good”.This means that when linguistic value for
actual data and Mamdani status are same, the statement is TRUE. However, if they both are with different
linguistic value then the statement is “FALSE”. The comparison statements in Table 11 are part of 122
statements in overall.

Table 11: The result of comparison statements between the actual data output and
Mamdani status
LINGUISTIC VALUES
DATE Mamdani Status STATEMENTS
ACTUAL DATA
AQI MATLAB
20160601 Good 4.04 Good TRUE
20160602 Good 3.91 Good TRUE
20160603 Good 3.88 Good TRUE

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20160704 Moderate 5.75 Good FALSE

20160705 Moderate 5.75 Good FALSE
20160706 Moderate 5.75 Good FALSE
20160707 Good 3.93 Good TRUE
20160708 Good 3.91 Good TRUE

The results of comparison statements in overall are represented in Figure 11. From the total data collected
within 122 days, there are 113 TRUE statements and 9 FALSE statements. That means there are 113 correct
responses out of 122 data.

Comparison Between Actual Data and

Mamdani Status
113
120
Frequency/No. of Data

100
80
60
40
20 9
0
"TRUE" "FALSE"
Statement

Figure 11: Number of TRUE and FALSE statements

The level of accuracy rate is calculated as follows.

113
Accuracy Rate = × 100
122
= 0.9262 @ 93%

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The main objective of this study is to predict the value AQI accurately using a proposed model of Fuzzy
Inference System. A model of fuzzy inference system (FIS) is developed to evaluate the air quality index
(AQI) of air pollution by considering the value of three major inputs, namely PM10, CO and NO2. The
evaluation system is based on Mamdani fuzzy inference system through four major steps: Fuzzification
process, Fuzzy decision, Fuzzy rule-based and Defuzzification. The higher value of accuracy rate (93%)
has shown that the proposed model of fuzzy inference system using Mamdani approach works relatively
well and efficient in predicting the Air Quality Index (AQI). Thus, the model used is perfect and ideal to
access the air quality index (AQI) accurately. This study has applied Mamdani Rule-Based system to
analyse AQI data. In future it might be possible to analyze the data by using other fuzzy inference system
approaches, such as Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors express sincere gratitude and thanks especially to the officers of IPD Kuala Muda for their
contributions and supports in giving us information during interviews to complete our study and also people
who helps us direct and indirectly in this study.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS DECLARATION

The authors declare no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

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