Our color-coded pollution heatmaps are one of BreezoMeter’s best-loved features and have always been a key part of what we do: Highly visual representations of air quality in a way that anyone can understand and act upon.
The Air Quality Monitoring Technology Behind our Pollution Heatmaps: Models within Models
In order for our air pollution heatmap visualization to support queries at an unmatched resolution of 5 meters (16.5 feet), we pull information from numerous real-time data sources in addition to official government monitoring stations and low-cost sensors. Our additional data layers include satellite data, low-cost sensors, meteorological information, live traffic, land cover data, and more. We then deploy highly-sophisticated algorithms and machine-learning to calculate how pollutants disperse.
With the help of different traffic data providers, we also take into account real-time information on traffic flow: Every 12 minutes, we collect the data and calculate each traffic jam’s pollution emissions to the local surroundings.
What are the Key Benefits of BreezoMeter’s Pollution Heatmaps?
1. Unmatched Resolution & Granularity
If the data behind your pollution heatmap solution isn’t granular enough for the purposes you want to use it for, the visualization will start to look unrealistic – due to interpolation problems between sensors, circles, smoothness issues, etc.
BreezoMeter is the only provider that can report on air pollution at the level of 5 meters and it requires huge computational power.
2. Versatile Visualizations
Because of the unique approach, BreezoMeter applies to air pollution monitoring, users are presented with more choices when it comes to heatmap visualization than other providers offer.
For example, your business could choose to show multiple layers and different pollutants on one heatmap or separately – for example, you might choose to represent traffic pollution separately.
Now You Can Drill Down on Harmful Particulate Pollution!
PM2.5 is a particularly dangerous pollutant as it is small enough to enter into the lungs and the bloodstream, subsequently harming every part of the body (we write about particulate matter pollution more here). For this reason, we have developed a dedicated PM2.5 heatmap allowing businesses to zoom in on this pollutant in particular.
Our PM2.5 Heatmaps are a particularly great addition if you’re interested in visualizing:
- Wildfire Smoke: Wildfires are a huge source of PM2.5 – these heatmaps will be useful if you’re interested in visualizing how smoke moves around.
- Urban Defence: Traffic, domestic heating, and bonfires all contribute to PM2.5 in the city. Indoor air system manufacturers might be particularly interested in helping users visualize this pollutant so they understand why and when air filtration is needed. We are also seeing an increased number of insurance and healthcare companies turn to PM2.5 information to help customers protect themselves from the harmful effects of particulate pollution.
- Southeast Asian Haze: PM2.5 is a particularly big seasonal issue in Southeast Asia due to specific low-cost ‘slash and burn’ farming methods used in particular countries. These methods typically involve the burning of trees and plants by farmers to prepare fields for cultivation. Learn more about this here.
3. Easy Integration & Compatibility
Our heatmaps come as an out-of-the-box product solution, which means your business can start using them from day one of integration. Unlike some map solutions out there, all you really need is 30 minutes of a developer’s time. We’ve also designed our pollution heatmaps to support common map services such as Google and Mapbox.
4. Coverage
In addition to the high level of granularity already discussed, we offer a range of opportunities for zoomed-out visualization and international coverage. The heatmaps are currently available in 100+ countries meaning you’ll always have room to scale in the future.
How to Use BreezoMeter’s Pollution Heatmaps
For professionals interested in directly trying out our heatmaps, you can sign up directly for our free 14-day API trial and try out our visualizations for yourself.
If you’re just interested to see our heatmaps in action, head over to our live air quality map and search your location for an interactive demo!
