Google just added a new feature to its Maps mobile app that lets you display the air quality near your home. At this time, this data is only available in the United States.
With Google Maps, you can now know the quality of the air, be it in the Android or iOS version. It’s basically a new layer of map details, after transportation, bike paths, or even the traffic situation.
To access it, click on the icon for the different types of cards and then: select “Air Quality” in the “Map Details” section† The information will then automatically appear on the map, in the areas concerned, with a color code and an index indicating the recently measured air quality. By scrolling through the results, detailed access to the entire air quality of a neighborhood or a city appears.
Note that forr the United States, currently the only countries where this data appears, the results are provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and the PurpleAir network. Their atmospheric sensors measure the amount of pollutants in the air.
In the future, this service needs to be internationalized and mobile users should soon be able to get information about the air quality in their region thanks to information from local partners.
(ETX Daily Up)