Trouble downloading? Watch the iPhone Apps Store demonstration video. 511 Contra Costa is proud to announce the release of its very first iPhone app – iSmog! iSmog displays air quality information for the San Francisco Bay Area. With just a tap of the screen, users will see an easy-to-understand map of environmental quality in the Bay Area’s five air basins, built using data provided by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). With this information, commuters can make more informed choices about environmentally friendly transportation options, and members of sensitive groups will be better able to stay abreast of information that can be, literally, life-or-death. Push notification alerts users with allergies or other environmental sensitivities when the air contains unhealthy levels of contaminants including ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter, all precursors of ozone. Notifications can be customized by level of sensitivity and by geographic area. iSmog features one of the newest and most exciting technologies for the iPhone. Push notification, a feature only made available in the last few months, allows users to receive air quality alerts even without loading the program, as they would an email, phone call, or text message. This feature is fully customizable, and BAAQMD anticipates continuously improving the information provided to its constituents. Additional notifications inform users about Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Spare the Air days, when Bay Area residents are urged to take extra precautions like cutting back on driving and avoiding the use of oil based paints, gasoline-powered lawn mowers, or household aerosol products like hair sprays. In addition, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train network often runs free of charge on Spare the Air Days, and all Bay Area residents are encouraged to take alternative modes of transportation, including San Francisco’s MUNI train services, County Connection in Contra Costa County, or AC Transit in Alameda. Biking or walking to work is another great way to Spare the Air. iSmog also provides an easy-to-access Twitter feed about Spare the Air Days, and contains useful information about how air quality scores are calculated, which can be used by local educators or nonprofits to discuss air pollution and issues unique to the Bay Area’s air basins. All Bay Area Counties (San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Solano, Marin and Napa) are covered by the app, but 511 Contra Costa provides additional support to commuters in Contra Costa County through its website (http://www.511ContraCosta.org). Air quality scores are made available publicly by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) at http://www.sparetheair.org/, and the app was designed by Blinktag, Inc., a small Bay Area planning firm dedicated to uniting the fields of technology, mapping, transportation, and urban planning. Don’t have an iphone? You can view forecast info directly on sparetheair.org. 511 Contra Costa also makes tools available to environmental planners interested in other web or mobile-based applications at our developer resources page.
iSmog is here!
