OpenAQ is thrilled to unveil a data-sharing collaboration with AirGradient, a pioneering air quality monitoring company. Originating from a humble volunteer project in Northern Thailand, AirGradient’s vision is to provide accurate, open, and affordable air quality monitoring solutions for people all around the world. Their commitment to this cause has led them to design products that empower individuals, schools, and communities with vital air quality data.
What makes AirGradient stand out is their commitment to open-source hardware: this means that the design files and firmware code for their air quality monitors are available for free under a Creative Common (CC-BY-SA) license.
AirGradient is currently running a large scale co-location project with numerous research partners around the world for its new outdoor monitor Open Air.
Air Quality Data from AirGradient Now Accessible on OpenAQ
In a collaboration between OpenAQ and AirGradient, data from numerous AirGradient sensor locations is being integrated into the OpenAQ Platform, enhancing OpenAQ’s data coverage and providing invaluable insights into air quality trends, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Achim Haug, CEO & Founder of AirGradient, shared his thoughts on this partnership: “Our air quality monitors are open-hardware and open-source and by doing this we promote free and open access to air quality data. So we are in strong alignment with what OpenAQ is doing.” Achim further notes, “Unfortunately there’s a trend in the industry to not let you own the data that your own monitors generate. We think this is wrong and against humanity’s best interests. So we want to show that there’s a way for a company to be profitable while still promoting open access to air quality data.”
This alliance between OpenAQ and AirGradient marks a significant stride towards bridging data gaps in regions that desperately need it. It’s a testament to the growing community of dedicated data providers in the air quality space — organizations that believe in the power of open data to drive change. AirGradient now stands alongside other esteemed data partners that share data on the OpenAQ Platform.
Achim further emphasizes AirGradient’s core principles, stating, “It’s a paradox that countries with the highest air pollution often can’t afford high density air quality monitoring. We work hard to provide open, accurate and affordable monitors so that people can protect themselves against harmful pollution.”
Discover AirGradient’s data on the OpenAQ Platform!
- Go to https://explore.openaq.org
- On the side bar, click on “Choose data providers”. (Optional: if you want to see locations with no recent updates, click the checkbox on the right of that before clicking “data providers”).
- Click “Select None”. Checkboxes beside all data providers will be unchecked.
- Click on the checkbox beside “AirGradient”.
- Click “Update”; the map will update to show all AirGradient locations.
