{"id":278742,"date":"2019-10-27T19:59:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T02:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=278742"},"modified":"2019-10-29T12:03:38","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T19:03:38","slug":"app-gives-southern-californians-up-to-date-air-quality-information","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/app-gives-southern-californians-up-to-date-air-quality-information","title":{"rendered":"App Gives Southern Californians Up-to-Date Air Quality Information"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10822,731,691],"tags":[390942,327072,1681,208702,170562],"arcnews_issues":[387012],"class_list":["post-278742","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apps","category-health","category-smart-communities","tag-air-quality","tag-arcgis-runtime","tag-pollution","tag-public-health","tag-sdks","arcnews_issues-fall-2019","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"Want to know when the air quality\u2019s too bad to exercise outdoors or where to get alternative fuel? The South Coast AQMD app does both.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Knowing when and where the air quality is good, bad, or somewhere in between is important to Southern Californians. While the air in greater Los Angeles is cleaner than it was from the 1950s through the 1980s, there are still times when and places where it\u2019s smart to stay indoors or skip strenuous exercise.\r\n\r\nGetting accurate, up-to-date, and location-based air quality information is now just a tap away, courtesy of a new mobile app from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD). Developed in part using Esri\u2019s ArcGIS Runtime SDKs, the <a href=\"https:\/\/aqmd.gov\/mobileapp\">South Coast AQMD app<\/a> offers users air quality updates and other useful information in four Southern California counties: Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, including the Coachella Valley.\r\n\r\nMaps are an integral part of the South Coast AQMD app. People who download the app will find a map showing the current and next day\u2019s air quality information and another map displaying locations of alternative fuel stations for places they select. By enabling the geolocation features on the app, users will receive the most up-to-date air quality information in their current city.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are used to checking the weather on phones, and [we] wanted to make it as easy to get our air quality,\u201d said Jo Kay Ghosh, South Coast AQMD\u2019s health effects officer."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":276082,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The app, available for Android and iOS devices, includes the following information:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Current hourly location-based air quality readings displayed on a color-coded map<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Current hourly air quality index (AQI) readings shown on a corresponding color-coded dial<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The air quality forecast for the next day<\/li>\r\n \t<li>An animated background for current weather conditions<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The main pollutant in the air\u2014ozone, PM2.5, or PM10<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The current temperature<\/li>\r\n \t<li>A map of alternative fuel stations based on location and fuel choice (electric, hydrogen, clean natural gas [CNG], or propane), along with driving directions<\/li>\r\n \t<li>A phone number to report air quality-related problems<\/li>\r\n \t<li>South Coast AQMD alerts, announcements, and events<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":276092,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"South Coast AQMD acts as the pollution control agency for vast portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. It is in charge of monitoring and controlling stationary sources of air pollution, from area factories to neighborhood dry cleaners. Recent wildfires have exacerbated the pollution problem, too.\r\n\r\nThe agency keeps the public informed about the air quality in the 10,743-square-mile region it covers. Knowing what the air quality is like on any given day or even hour is important to all estimated 17 million residents but especially the elderly, young children, and those with conditions such as asthma or heart problems. The American Lung Association, in its recent State of the Air report, named greater Los Angeles the smoggiest area in the country. It\u2019s recommended that people sensitive to air pollution, including ozone or particulate matter (PM), avoid or limit outdoor activities or even stay indoors on certain days.\r\n\r\nGhosh said the app offers real-time air quality information plus the forecasts for the next day, which are available after noon, because \u201cthe level of air pollution can change throughout the day.\u201d She added that newly available hourly AQI updates can help people plan for when they exercise outdoors."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>A Visually Pleasing App<\/h2>\r\nSeveral years ago, South Coast AQMD used ArcGIS Online to create a browser-based map showing air quality conditions and had dabbled with an earlier version of a mobile app. But when Ron Moskowitz came on board as the agency\u2019s assistant deputy executive officer for information management in 2017 (he\u2019s now the deputy executive officer and chief information officer), he decided to up the ante technologically by totally redesigning the mobile apps."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":276102,"image_position":"left","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Moskowitz said he envisioned creating a \u201cone-stop shop\u201d app where people could find the most relevant information from South Coast AQMD. He wanted both the iOS and Android versions to be visually pleasing with maps and other indicators that display air quality data and alternative fuel station locations. In addition, Moskowitz thought the app should be easy to navigate and provide people with a way to connect with South Coast AQMD either by reporting air quality issues using the 1-800-CUT-SMOG number or finding the times and locations of South Coast AQMD meetings they could attend.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really wanted to create something that engaged the public [and was] simple and easy to use,\u201d Moskowitz said. \u201cWe developed a beautiful app that is intuitive.\u201d\r\n\r\nArcGIS Runtime SDK for Android and ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS were used to add mapping capabilities to the apps and consume content and services from ArcGIS Online.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are using the SDKs to render those maps. The features are hosted in ArcGIS Online,\u201d Moskowitz said.\r\n\r\nThe AQI values in the dial are retrieved from feature attributes using ArcGIS Runtime SDKs, too.\r\n\r\nMoskowitz said ArcGIS Runtime worked well for this project and that the mapping features were easy to integrate into the app.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt met all our needs of what we were trying to communicate,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we had good support from Esri.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Making Data Understandable<\/h2>\r\nThe maps in the South Coast AQMD app and the ArcGIS Online map use colors to display the AQI levels geographically. For example, on a day in June, the map of both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties was colored yellow for moderate, meaning the AQI was between 51 and 100. However, the map of east San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County was colored orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups, meaning the AQI was in the 101\u2013150 range."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":276112,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cUsing maps and color-coded dials helps communicate information visually, making data such as the AQI values easier to understand,\u201d said Jia Yuan Li, a South Coast AQMD systems and programming supervisor who worked on the app project. \u201cColors help [people] interpret the data. It is The Science of Where\u2014data has to be interpreted to be understandable, and that\u2019s where the map really comes in.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe air quality maps also display numbers from 1 through 38, which represent the locations of 38 source receptor areas (SRA) within South Coast AQMD\u2019s jurisdiction. Each SRA has at least one Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved air quality monitor. Selecting the number reveals the area being monitored (e.g., 1 is for central Los Angeles), its AQI value, the reading time, the main pollutant, and more.\r\n\r\nThe app also lets users choose one or more areas they want to keep track of. They just tap the Places icon at the bottom of the app and use the plus sign (+) to add a new place, either with the name of a city or a ZIP code. Users can also set up air quality alerts based on the color level they select in the Air Preferences setting (green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and dark red).\r\n\r\n\u201cWe recommend setting it to orange or higher,\u201d Li said, adding that otherwise, you might be peppered with too many alerts. \u201cWe don\u2019t want it to be an app that\u2019s intrusive.\u201d\r\n\r\nRecently, the app received two awards from <em>Government Technology<\/em> (GovTech) and AT&amp;T for technology innovation in the Citizens category, while Moskowitz was recognized in the Leadership category.\r\n\r\nFuture plans for the app include making the AQI data more granular on the map\u2014something that would be possible as more sensors are added throughout Southern California.\r\n\r\n\u201cYou could find out the air quality in your neighborhood,\u201d Moskowitz said."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>App Gives Southern Californians Up-to-Date Air Quality Information<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to know when the air quality\u2019s too bad to exercise outdoors or where to get alternative fuel? 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