Why It’s Confused About Air Quality in Los Angeles Right Now

It’s AirNow fire map it also includes data from PurpleAir sensors (represented by small circles on the map), and Watch Duty, a non-profit fire tracking programalso displays PurpleAir data. But perhaps due to different calculations and processing delays, the air quality index reported by the same sensors can vary from map to map. For what is known as PM2.5 pollution, or particulate matter in smoke and dust, the PurpleAir sensor located south of Los Angeles International Airport immediately returned Monday an air quality list of 28 on the AirNow website, 20 on WatchDuty, and 5 on PurpleAir’s. official website.

Each of those factors indicates good air quality, but things can become more complicated when other types of data are added to the calculation. That’s what companies like BreezoMeter and Ambee do in hopes of providing what they describe as “hyperlocal” accuracy that can be measured over miles between different sensor locations.

BreezoMeter was founded in Israel and has raised millions of dollars in Google’s 2022 earnings of more than $200 million, according to Israeli media. (Google declined to comment on the cost of the deal.) It powers the air quality data found in the Weather app on Apple devices and the Google Maps app. Indian startup Ambee, meanwhile, is responsible for air quality control in the WeatherBug app, which is among the most popular apps in the world.

Yael Maguire, vice president of Geo Sustainability at Google, says BreezoMeter they compare the quality of air per hour across a wide range of pollutants and locations, producing more data than most government systems. To calculate it, the company uses data collected not only from the EPA and PurpleAir sensors, but also from satellites and other sources such as weather and traffic reports. The same is included in Ambee’s algorithm, according to its CEO, Jaideep Singh Bachher. “We want to give people the right information whenever, wherever they want it,” he says.

Volckens says he doesn’t believe in these practices. The cheap sensors PurpleAir uses to capture images may not be up to standard in the U.S., including wildfires, he says. But he admits that while they’re often poor in terms of raw numbers, the sensors can be accurate about 90 percent of the time in identifying the tip — a green-to-maroon scale that’s often enough for people to decide. about how to protect their health.

Andrew White, representative of PurpleAir, says its sensors found to be correct and that it does not control how other services operate using its data. Google’s Maguire says the company “provides industry-leading, highly accurate air quality data,” including “even in less-monitored environments.”

Jennifer Richmond-Bryant, an associate professor of forestry and natural resources at North Carolina State University who has studied the PurpleAir sensors, says the safest bet for anyone concerned with air quality is to rely on the number of species or species among different services. “I have a lot of faith in AirNow’s numbers because I understand them,” he says. But “it can’t hurt to make a reckless decision when it comes to self-defense.”

In countries that don’t have enough government oversight, startups are filling an important space. BreezoMeter and Ambee were founded by people concerned about their families’ exposure to air pollution at home in Israel and India, respectively. BreezoMeter provides data in over 40 countries, and Ambee in over 100.

This spread also makes their services attractive to Apple and other international companies that want to integrate aerial data, which includes pollen forecasting, into software, product testing, or marketing campaigns. Breezometer’s customers include companies in the automotive, health and fitness, and beauty industries. Ambee includes healthcare businesses such as Sanofi, which makes Allegra tablets and was launched last year. a weapon access to well-ventilated walking and cycling routes.

BreezoMeter has lost some of its employees under Google, although Maguire says the company is committed to providing reliable air data. As the demand for air quality data grows, researchers are racing to improve the output of low-cost sensors and encourage the installation of various types of monitoring equipment, such as mass pollination stations. What is not dark these days is the air worseVolkens says, and we’re about to measure up.