According to the latest reports, Google is adding air quality data to its Nest Hub smart display. Although this new feature is still only available in selected US markets, it will let some users know how much smoke and pollution they may be at risk in that area. Google said it will launch this new feature in the next few weeks. The Air Quality Index badge will be displayed on the clock and the weather widget on the environment screen of the Nest Hub. Anyone who does not want to see the badge can opt-out.
These data come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which scores air quality from 0 to 500, with 0 being the best air quality. It also color-codes its ratings, ranging from good to dangerous air quality. The US Environmental Protection Agency evaluates five major pollutants to calculate risk: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, smog, and particulate pollution. In the past month, smoke from wildfires raging in the western United States has spread across the country. When smoke arrived from the Bootleg Fire in Oregon thousands of miles away, New York State issued a health warning in July.
Where there is Google’s new air quality feature, Nest Hub will issue an alert when pollution reaches an unhealthy level or an unhealthy level for sensitive groups. The Nest Hub will also respond to voice commands, How is the air quality near me?
Even if people don’t have a Nest Hub, or its new features are not available in the user’s area, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality data is easy to obtain. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow website allows users to choose their location and obtain an air quality rating for the area. In addition, the US Environmental Protection Agency also provides a fire and smoke map, which visualizes the coverage of wildfire smoke.
Although the US Environmental Protection Agency has a network of thousands of air quality sensors across the United States, it does not always find everything. These sensors are expensive to deploy and may be far away from each other, so they may miss high levels of pollution in some areas. An investigation by Reuters found that in the past when equipment malfunctioned or stopped operating, its monitors also missed the release of significant toxic substances.
