OpenAQ: Providing Universal Access to Air Quality Data to Empower a Global Community of Changemakers in Solving Air Inequality

COLLEEN MARCIEL ROSALES, Chris Hagerbaumer, Russ Biggs, Gabriel Fosse, OpenAQ

     Abstract Number: 43
     Working Group: Identifying and Addressing Disparate Health and Social Impacts of Exposure to Aerosols and Other Contaminants across Continents, Communities, and Microenvironments

Abstract
OpenAQ is an environmental tech nonprofit that aggregates and harmonizes open ambient air quality data from across the globe onto a free, open-source data platform so that anyone concerned about air quality has unfettered access to the data they need to analyze, communicate and advocate for clean air. By providing universal access to air quality data, OpenAQ empowers a global community of changemakers to solve air inequality–the unequal access to clean air.

OpenAQ was the first to aggregate disparate ground-level ambient air quality data, including particulate matter, on a centralized open-source platform, making it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. By providing this foundational data infrastructure for free, we fill a basic data-access gap and make it possible for individuals and organizations to fully maximize the uses–and ultimate impact–of ground air quality data, bringing global networks of ground-based ambient monitors onto one platform. We also developed tools to connect users of this data across sectors and geographies to support an international learning environment. In this talk, we’ll be presenting developments on the platform, initiatives and use cases for the data in OpenAQ, and ways that OpenAQ has supported data hosting and management for air quality data in low- and middle-income countries.