When you make plans for the week, you can check AccuWeather to see if it’s going to be sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Then there’s Waze so you find the fastest routes on the road, Booky for the best places to eat, and so on and so forth. But have you ever used an app to check air quality before heading out?
That’s what Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau (DENR) wanted to give us in their new project.
Together, they’ve installed instruments at various locations nationwide (mostly at Unioil service stations) that measure the air’s quality. This data is then fed online and accessible through a smartphone app called AirVisual. Free-to-download, it uses state-of-the-art “laser” sensors to measure hazardous particulate matter down to 2.5 micro meters.
Data monitoring and artificial intelligence then provide real-time air quality info through the app. AirVisual also gives hourly forecasts, up to 7-days ahead, so you’ll know what are the best/worst times or places to travel.
As of this time, data points are available in Bataan, Metro Manila, and Cavite.
“This memorandum of agreement manifests our support to DENR’s mandate to protecting the environment and its key objective of preparing a national air quality status report. We believe that this is a major step towards providing cleaner air for the next generation,” said Unioil president Kenneth Pundanera.
“We are proud to offer DENR live data from our active air quality monitoring stations. Through this agreement, we shall further expand the installations of our air quality monitoring stations in full support of the programs of the DENR.”
This effort of Unioil is part of their “Doing Our Part” Campaign that encourages Filipinos to make a difference in society through small, everyday actions and responsible decisions they make. Of course, that includes choosing a cleaner fuel. *hint hint*
AirVisual is available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play.
