How is Air Quality measured?
Air quality can vary a lot in different streets and on different times. But how can we know how good the air is for my location? There are several techniques that measure/calculate outside air quality. We give you an overview.
Measuring stations: very precise, but …
Measuring stations register very detailed information of several pollutants. Only a few stations can be found in every town. In smaller cities and rural areas there are even less (or none) measuring stations to track pollutants.
The problem is that air quality can vary considerably on street-level. The stations give an accurate but only local view of the air quality at these specific locations, but not for the streets in between. Hence, the information we get from the measuring stations, is not specific enough to track down how good or bad our own displacements are and what we can change to make them more healthy.
Current models: full coverage, but …
AQ models estimate the air quality for a specific area. These models are not available in all countries and in several cases, citizens can only access the data in a non-user friendly way. A big advantage of these models, compared to the measuring stations, is that they provide information for all locations in an area (and not only for the specific location of the measuring station).
There are different kind of models. Some give (near) real-time values for different pollutants, but their spatial resolutions is coarse (not detailed). Others are more detailed AQ models (up to street level) , but they are mostly not real-time.
Low-cost sensors: local info, but …
A great alternative is to start measuring yourself. You can buy your own small sensor, and learn and play. Several nice initiatives exists (e.g. Leuvenair or InfluencAir). Of course, nothing is perfect. You need to have some technical skills and the sensors are not perfect yet (e.g. accuracy and limited lifespan). But if you are interested, give it a try.
Aircheckr
At aircheckr, we choose to be agile and opt for the best elements of these different techniques. The end result is real-time and detailed outside air quality information, that is easy to integrate in different applications. Moreover, we love to help you to turn your product or demo into a success.
About aircheckr
Air pollution causes 467.000 deaths in Europe each year. Once a silent and underestimated killer, it is now recognized as the single biggest environmental health risk. But there is hope. Scientific research has shown that reducing your exposure to air pollution is effectively helping. But how to do that? aircheckr provides detailed outside air quality information and tools needed to effectively reduce your exposure. It empowers people to actively or passively make better decisions and take actions in order to breathe better air. People are no longer defenceless. Improving the air at home/office or car, or reducing your exposure during biking or exercising is now possible. Together with its partners, aircheckr is working hard to integrate air quality information into a wide range of services, applications or devices.
You want to try aircheckr yourself? Check www.aircheckr.com or even better sign up here.
