AirCompass: An Air Quality Monitoring and Alerting Application

Abstract

Air pollution, which was a global problem to begin with, is an even bigger cause affecting public well-being and health now. We present AirCompass, a clean air alert and monitoring application, to cater to the need for proactive protection and real-time monitoring. AirCompass obtains the current Air Quality Index (AQI) values from two sound sources, IQAir and WAQI APIs. AirCompass uses the IQAir and WAQI APIs, two reliable sources, to retrieve current Air Quality Index (AQI) data. Moreover, it alerts users in real-time when they are nearing areas with visibly high pollution levels. The app instructs users to take precautionary measures immediately to reduce health hazards along with alerting them to the air quality in the area. A discussion forum for the community, informative blog entries, a section on preventive health practices, and a feature to lead users through areas with improved AQI levels are some of the other features provided by AirCompass. With the integration of precise data gathering, perceptive alerting capabilities, and user interaction features, AirCompass enables individuals to make more secure and healthier choices where there is contamination. The paper explains the architecture, most notable features, implementation issues, and expected impact of the application on raising public awareness of environmental health concerns.

Introduction

Air pollution is a critical environmental health issue affecting physical and mental health worldwide, contributing to millions of deaths annually and causing diseases like respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative disorders. Despite its severity, public awareness and response to air quality remain low, especially in urban areas where pollution can spike rapidly. Real-time pollution alerts can help individuals modify their behavior to reduce exposure and improve health outcomes.

Digital technologies, particularly mobile and IoT-based applications, are increasingly used to deliver timely air quality information and educate users. Motivated by this, the AirCompass app was developed to provide personalized, real-time air quality monitoring and alerts. It integrates data from reliable sources (IQAir and WAQI APIs) to notify users of hazardous pollution levels, suggest cleaner routes, offer educational content, and foster community interaction through forums.

AirCompass features a user-friendly interface, smart alerts tailored to individual health needs, and location-based services for precise AQI monitoring. It also emphasizes data privacy by only accessing location with permission and securely storing user preferences. By combining trusted data with personalized guidance and community engagement, AirCompass aims to raise awareness and empower people to protect themselves from harmful air pollution.

Conclusion

The AirCompass attains its mission of providing a responsive, accessible air quality monitor. It does so both technologically and as a useful service through its reliable data management, real-time response to user refresh, and flexible alert setup configurations. Being capable of feature-scalable extensions such as wearable integration and predictive alert, the application is the foundation of future innovation for mobile environmental sensing tools.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Nidhi M R, Ritu N D, Aditya Sharma, Hariharan R, Mukesh Kamath Bola. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.