Introducing Plume Air Report – the new Pollution-Forecasting App for Londoners

A pollution-forecasting app has been introduced to London in an effort to alert the city’s residents when and where pollution is occurring so that they can tailor their plans and routines accordingly. The app was invented by Frenchman Romain Lacombe and has been a huge success in Paris – as a result, it is being imported to the UK.

A King’s College London study recently revealed that an estimated 9,400 deaths are caused by poor air quality in the UK alone in a single year. It’s thought that as much as 40% of this is due to the foul fumes of diesel vehicles, which has led to London mayor Boris Johnson introducing several measures to try and reduce the number of diesel cars in the city.

A Smart Solution to an Unhealthy Problem

A similar app was produced by the American Lung Association (ALA) and released free of charge for American residents in 2012. Using comparable technology, Lacombe founded Plume Labs in order to try and alleviate the pollution that was looming over the French capital. According to Lacombe, the presence of particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air had shortened the lifespan of Parisians by as much as six months.

The way it works is by compiling data from sensors strategically placed all around the city to create hourly reports on the state of the air. As well as monitoring PM2.5 levels, the sensors also pick up ozone, nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide. This is then translated into varying colour-coded levels of cleanliness, from blue (fresh) to light grey (heavily polluted). Furthermore, it offers a separate colour-coded system which corresponds to the suitability of the air for outdoor activity, from green (ideal) to red (potentially harmful to health).

“Pollution changes hour by hour, just like the weather does in a city,” explained Lacombe at Shoreditch’s Google Campus. “What we’ve built is digital tools to help people breathe better, by informing them on what it is that they’re breathing. This mean that we can put a pollution forecast it the hands of everyone.”

The Rise of the App

Apps for Smartphones and Androids are pervading almost every aspect of our daily lives – and as well as being useful in business and social circles, they can also do their part to serve science and help protect the environment.

The transfer of information from paper to digital form could not only save the environment in terms of the sheer quantity of paper saved and trees conserved, but could also benefit companies financially, especially in the waste management industry.

Meanwhile, big data often represents a challenge to many sectors, including bioscience. The dissemination of information via apps and related technology represents one possible solution to the problem, which could reduce the headaches faced by administrators and scientists alike.

The proliferation and advance of technology is sometimes accused of dehumanising our world and distancing us from nature – but these apps demonstrate it can also serve to save it, too.