Smartphone app that measures air pollution being developed
It may soon be possible to avoid the worst-affected streets
App developers worldwide are working on technology that will inform users which streets have high levels of air pollution so they can avoid them. The idea is to use a smartphone to find out where you are, and then calculate the level of pollution in nearby areas, drawing on government sensors and weather data.
Leading the way is the BreezoMeter app, which is available only for Android phones in Israel. Israeli environmental engineer Ran Korber came up with the idea while looking to buy a house for his family.
He wanted to avoid air pollution, but when he checked the air pollution sensors around Israel, he found the information scattered in various databases. The data was also difficult to understand, says Ziv Lautman, a fellow environmental engineer who partnered with Korber to develop a solution.
The duo wanted to know which districts had high levels of noxious fumes, and which areas and streets to avoid.
"Sensors can be five miles from you, or one mile away, so you don't really know what the pollution level is outside your window," Lautman says.
Lautman and Korber found a house far away from polluted areas. They hope their app will pique people's interested in detailed air pollution monitoring information. "We want people to check air pollution in the way that they check the weather," Lautman says.