PONE-D-19-21370

Use of IoT sensing and occupant surveys for determining the resilience of buildings to forest fire generated PM2.5

PLOS ONE

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PLOS ONE

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This research was also partially supported by the Republic of Singapore's National Research Foundation through a grant to the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS) for the Singapore-Berkeley Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics (SinBerBEST) Program.'

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Additional Editor Comments (if provided):

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: In general the content of the paper is written in a good flow. The Results and conclusions meet the objectives stated in the Introduction. The methodology is strengthen by benchmarking with the standards used in the actual operation.

Reviewer #2: GENERAL REPORT

1.1 General Comments

The paper is well written, with clear objectives. The topic is an important subject. However, I have the following comments for revision consideration to make it more appeal to the general audience of Plos One.

1.2 Flow of the Paper

The author used logical connections between ideas and sentences. The transition of paragraphs is linked with strong sentences.

1.3 Strength of the Paper

• This study aiming at an examination of how a combination of an IoT environmental sensing network, implemented locally outdoors and inside the building. Further, the occupant survey has been utilized to understand and evaluate building resiliency to urban scale air pollution has not yet been attempted to my knowledge.

• A study with such objectives could fill some significant gaps in defining and quantifying building resiliency, the effectiveness of chosen interventions, and general understanding of occupant exposure.

1.4 Weakness of Paper

• Yet, while there are some merits of the study as mentioned above, this study needs some improvements. There is a need to highlight the implication of this study. The introduction section needs to be more concise in terms of elaborating on the research gap.

1.5 Significance of the Paper

The study is significant in defining and quantifying building resiliency by providing an understanding of the accuracy of IoT sensing equipment. The survey tool provides qualitative insights on the connection between air pollution levels and occupants’ perception and behavior, which allows assessment of a building’s ability to be resilient.

1.6 Clarity of the study

Clearly define focal constructs and terms. Moreover, the research has clarity in defining the objectives of the study and relating the results.

1.7 Terminology Used

1.8 Use of Language

The paper is well written. Language is easy to understand and explains the matter correctly. However, some sentences are too long, making the reader hard to understand. There are some typos need to be fixed (for example see 2.4.3 paragraph 2 line 7).

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Use of IoT sensing and occupant surveys for determining the resilience of buildings to forest fire generated PM2.5

PONE-D-19-21370R1

Dear Dr. Pantelic,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

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With kind regards,

Bawadi Abdullah

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

The authors have complied with comments from reviewers.

Reviewers' comments: