Google has just began exploring the possibilities in the field of Hyperlocal Information. The initiation came for the company partnering with Aclima in mapping air quality across California. There were previously released results of Google earlier in 2017, which was a similar campaign across the city of Oakland.
Cars equipped with Google Street View and air quality sensors were used for the mapping that resulted in Google’s release of data on – ‘three additional California regions, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and California’s Central Valley.’ The cars drove for 100,000 miles over 4,000 hours to gather the data!
The following video highlights some of Google’s findings from the survey in San Francisco.
This data will come in handy for the air quality specialists and scientists of other departments to assist governments, organizations, and regulators in providing air quality developments and solutions.
In the aim to identify the opportunities in this regard, more than 195 nations will be attending the COP23 UN Climate Climate Change conference in Bonn this week. Based on gathered data such as that of Google, effective and cooperative implementation of policies, technology, and international cooperation can counter climate challenges of the world, according to Google.
For the last 3 months, Google’s Street View cars have been on course to map air quality in numerous regions of Los Angeles. As per the measurements picked, ‘ traffic-choked freeways, traffic on local streets, and weather patterns that blow pollution inland all influence air pollution patterns.
The video below shows air quality measurements picked out of the mapping across Los Angeles.
Compared with Los Angeles, Google noted the higher density in California – the regions mapped for 2 years! Air pollution in this US state is largely caused by vehicles, construction equipment, and industrial sources.
The following video shows the measurements of Central Valley in California.
The blog by Karin Tuxen-Bettman, the Program Manager of Google Earth Outreach, states that ‘this is just the beginning’ of the identification and implementation of plans on air quality solutions.
The data gathered so far by Google on air quality counts to more than one billion data points. Presently, Google has made access to the data available on request for air quality scientists.
With the understanding of the impact the air quality puts on global health, Google hopes that the information ‘helps us build smarter and more sustainable cities, reduce climate changing greenhouse gases and improve air quality for healthier living.’
Check out the data stories of Google’s California campaign in Aclima’s blog.
