Communications of the ACM
App Tracks Air Quality; Instant Data For People With Respiratory Issues
Credit: University of Alabama in Huntsville
University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) researchers have developed the Mobile Air Quality Index (MobileAQI), a free mobile phone application that provides instant up-to-date local reports on key air pollutants.
MobileAQI uses data from NASA and NOAA satellites to supplement pollution estimates taken from other sources to give a more accurate and reliable report on fine particles in the air, UAH's Udaysankar Nair. "The population most at risk is the elderly, especially people with respiratory problems, although this could be of use to children or anyone with serious respiratory problems, such as bad asthma," Nair says.
The app also forecasts hour-by-hour air quality up to 24 hours in advance. The coverage area runs south from the tip of Florida, north to Milwaukee, and from the Atlantic Ocean west to the border between Kansas and Colorado. The app is based on NASA research to improve tools used to forecast the density and spread of smoke from forest fires.
From University of Alabama in Huntsville
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