Klar, Scott2017-11-272017-11-272016-02https://hdl.handle.net/11299/191267University of Minnesota M.S. thesis.February 2016. Major: Electrical/Computer Engineering. Advisor: Taek Kwon. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, {4} 42 pages.The mobilization of animals across Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) generates large dust plumes causing visibility and human health issues. The ability to measure with many sampling points across a field and to have vertical measurements would aid in the characterization of dust plumes by providing a more accurate, average concentration. A small, inexpensive, portable, wireless nephelometer dust sensor was developed using a low-cost, commercial optical sensing module. A second dust sensor was developed that samples air by the method of impaction of a dust-air stream into a water droplet capturing images using a low-cost USB microscope. The Box Model was used to calculate the emissions from measured concentrations at a source location and a Gaussian Dispersion Model predicted the concentration at a downwind location. Dust plume modelling showed six low-cost sensors with 20% error resulted in higher accuracy than a single reference sensor.endustgaussiannephelometernetworksensorwirelessThesis or Dissertation