{"id":328911,"date":"2020-04-07T05:08:50","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T12:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=328911"},"modified":"2025-12-12T09:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:00:52","slug":"nexttech-reveals-air-pollution-levels","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-reveals-air-pollution-levels","title":{"rendered":"NextTech: Mapping the Business Impact of Air Pollution"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","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":[381312,369812,411722],"tags":[390942,439211,483792],"department":[488822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-328911","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cxo-priorities","category-market-development","category-nexttech-features","tag-air-quality","tag-aqi","tag-nexttech","department-sustainability-risk"],"acf":{"short_description":"Air pollution is not only a health hazard, it's also bad for business. A new tool helps executives weigh its effects on market development. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"More than ever, new IoT sensors and mapping technology are showing executives exactly how air pollution affects business\u2014and it can be measured in the trillions of dollars.\r\n\r\nThe COVID-19 pandemic has had varying effects on air pollution. In many places, shutdown orders have throttled economic activity, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/environment\/story\/2020-03-19\/coronavirus-shutdowns-are-lowering-greenhouse-emissions-history-shows-theyll-come-roaring-back\">causing emissions to drop<\/a>. Meanwhile, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/490852-epa-defends-suspension-of-pollution-monitoring-in-congress-wide\">US EPA temporarily relaxed enforcement<\/a> of polluting activities during the coronavirus outbreak, even as some areas report persistent poor air quality. And studies are beginning to connect poor air quality with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/07\/climate\/air-pollution-coronavirus-covid.html\">higher death rates<\/a> from COVID-19. Sometime in the near future, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/business-continuity-during-covid-19-pandemic\/\">COVID-19 upheaval<\/a> will recede, leading to a resurgence in economic activity and a return to normal conditions. Before that time comes, it\u2019s worth examining the cost of pollution."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"<strong>Article snapshot:<\/strong> Studies show that high levels of air pollution suppress economic activity, as residents choose to stay indoors. A new mapping tool helps business planners understand the air quality index (AQI) in locations around the world.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The impact of poor air quality on the environment and human health is worrying enough: 4.2 million deaths a year occur as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/air-pollution#tab=tab_1\">World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>. Urbanization, a trend moving quickly through Asia and Africa, is accelerating the ill effects of air pollution, which can lead to lung cancer, strokes, and heart disease, among other maladies. Today, 80 percent of urban dwellers are exposed to pollutants that exceed the WHO's guideline limits, with the highest concentrations in low- and middle-income areas.\r\n\r\nNow, economists and data scientists are tracking the costs businesses sustain through disruption to employee health and consumer buying habits. The cost of air pollution in the form of work absence, premature deaths, and years lost from life reached <a href=\"https:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/digest\/air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-costs-8-billion-per-day-new-research-finds\">$2.9 trillion in 2018, or about 3.3 percent of global GDP<\/a>, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Pollution's effect on consumer spending is no less startling, with air quality likely influencing billions of dollars' worth of transactions.\r\n\r\nSuch troubling metrics have led executives to use a geographic information system, or GIS, to track air pollution, which <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/5071792639ef47729fad54da835d37d3?adumkts=product&amp;aduc=email&amp;adum=list&amp;aduSF=jan-psm&amp;utm_Source=email&amp;aduca=mi_arcgis_storymaps_adoption&amp;aduco=charlotte&amp;adut=824820&amp;adulb=multiple&amp;a\">can vary as much as eight times<\/a> within the span of a single city block. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location technology<\/a> decision-makers gain a clearer understanding of where air quality could be hurting employees, customers, and the bottom line.\r\n\r\n<strong>Air Pollution in Market Analysis<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/market-development\">Market development<\/a> typically involves learning everything about a location\u2014the elements that could impact business success and employee quality of life. That process is now expanding to include air quality considerations."},{"acf_fc_layout":"form","form_type":"aside","form_position":"Right","form_title":"THE ESRI BRIEF","form_desc":"A biweekly email connecting senior executives and business leaders with thought-provoking articles on location intelligence and critical technology trends.","form_button_label":"Sign up now","form_content":"https:\/\/go.pardot.com\/l\/82202\/2017-10-12\/jw1bmb","form_tag":"low-commitment-form\/sign-up-form"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In the past, the focus has been on demographics of a city or region\u2014learning about the people, their interests and purchasing habits, and whether the area is growing or stagnating. But with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/iot\/overview\">IoT sensors<\/a> and technology like GIS, which displays layers of complex data on smart maps, executives can now also visualize how business health and sustainability may play out. Depending on the industry, air pollution could prove an essential factor in market assessment, on par with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/mapping-consumer-preferences-for-certain-brands\/\">consumer brand affinity<\/a> or access to transportation.\r\n\r\nBeing able to see the <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/0d63d190dc1146eea4ffb5634cb651fe\">levels of air pollution<\/a> in a given region, and how they differ from nearby areas, yields clear advantages for business leaders. Those levels can have a direct impact on business health. For example, researchers using GIS and statistical programming recently determined how consumer spending fluctuates in relation to levels of airborne pollutants. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/air-pollution-stifles-business-revenue\/\">Their analysis of data from 12 Spanish provinces<\/a> showed that consumers were spending $29 million to $48 million less on days when ozone pollution was 10 percent worse. Just a small reduction in ozone pollution and particulate matter pollution, the study found, would result in increased consumer spending of between $19 billion and $30 billion annually. Scale that beyond a dozen Spanish provinces and it\u2019s not difficult to see the amount of business activity at stake.\r\n\r\n<strong>Making the Invisible Visible<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThrough a GIS application that reveals worldwide air quality index (AQI) readings, a business executive can add context to decisions such as where to build a distribution center, whether to enlist a new contract manufacturer, and when or where to open a pop-up store. From North America to East Asia, a user can zoom in on a particular region or type in an address and instantly see the AQI ratings.\r\n\r\nThis short video offers an example of what this NextTech might reveal."},{"acf_fc_layout":"youtube","youtube_video_url":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/6QDrWg7jbvE"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"&nbsp;\r\n\r\nUsing this technology, executives can make up-to-date, informed decisions about areas with air pollution. They can protect the health of employees and economic vitality, or even lobby for improvement in places where the company maintains operations. And since pollution can vary dramatically within small areas, planners can add localized datasets to their analysis when it\u2019s time for detailed planning. <a href=\"https:\/\/storymaps.arcgis.com\/stories\/f36012a972a740ebada38b27820c5c50\">Monitoring levels of air pollution geographically<\/a>, in conjunction with factors such as urbanization, can give a company the edge in choosing the safest and most secure spots for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/digital-transformation\/overview?adumkts=branding&amp;aduc=advertising&amp;adum=print&amp;aduSF=Forbes&amp;utm_Source=print_advertising&amp;aduca=M17Branding&amp;aduco=12.12_30Under302018&amp;adut=OneHalfPageSpreadHorizontal_WithinFutureofCitiesEditorial\">business growth<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>Powerful Tools for a Complex World<\/strong>\r\n\r\nA recent study in the journal <em>Nature<\/em> underscores the need for tools that condense complex data into an intuitive visual form. The report shows how air pollution <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/02\/12\/health\/premature-mortality-cross-state-air-pollution-study\/index.html\">can literally be a moving target<\/a>, traveling like weather across state lines.\r\n\r\nThrough GIS apps, executives can see simultaneous displays of complex data layers including AQI readings, historical patterns, weather, and IoT-generated real-time feeds. This level of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a> supports planning to keep employees, customers, and business operations healthy."}],"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>Using Mapping Technology to Assess Air Pollution Worldwide | AQI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Air pollution is not only affecting human health, it&#039;s also affecting business activity. 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