When the Azure Maps team added air quality features to the Azure Maps Weather Services in January, many people asked: Why does air quality data matter to my customers? The answer is that air quality data is highly relevant across a myriad of industries and scenarios. First, it’s important to know that air quality data helps us better understand what we are breathing where we live, work and play. When we have access to the right information, at the right time, we can proactively protect ourselves, minimize health effects, and help persuade government and private industries to make policy changes that foster better air quality for us all. Air quality data is particularly useful for groups with environmental sensitivities, such as people with respiratory ailments or cardiovascular disease, pregnant women, senior citizens and children.
Some common use cases where air quality info is particularly useful are:
- Pharmaceutical and medical: Environmental health impact studies and research projects
- Insurance: Health risk prevention, analysis, and awareness
- Industrial manufacturing: Plant production planning and pollution emissions monitoring
- Consumer engagement: Advertising and digital billboards, automotive and smart mobility applications
- Consumer hardware products and IoT: Smart watches, air purifiers, HVAC and sensors
- Public sector and governance: Infrastructure planning, public health campaigns, policy making
The Azure Maps Air Quality data comes from our partner AccuWeather/Plume Labs worldwide leading provider of comprehensive weather data. This data includes, Current Air Quality, Forecasted Daily Air Quality (upcoming 1 to 7 days) and Forecasted Hourly Air Quality (upcoming 1, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours) and provides detailed info such as pollution levels, air quality index values, dominant pollutants, and a brief statement summarizing risk levels and suggested precautions. By making this high-quality, globally available air quality data accessible and easy to use via trusted Azure Maps REST APIs, we empower developers to create solutions that make this air quality info available to their users and enable unlimited possibilities in utilizing this data across many industries and use cases.
Current Air Quality – interactive code sample
Forecasted Air Quality – interactive code sample
Get started today using the Azure Maps Air Quality features by going to the Azure portal to create an Azure Maps account and referencing the Azure Maps Weather Services technical documentation for more information. As always, we look forward to your feedback on our Tech Community site.