Abu Dhabi endorses app that monitors air quality

▶ Residents can use the free tracker to keep an eye on pollution in real time

The app offers readings for ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter up to 10 micrometres in diameter

A free tracker that measures the amount of pollution in the air has been endorsed by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.

The authority said the Plume Air Report app would help residents to monitor air quality in real time and 24 hours ahead, allowing anyone affected by pollution to avoid the worst-hit areas.

“Through this app, our goal is to make data more accessible to inform and empower the community to better understand air quality, and better plan outdoor activities based on the quality of the air,” said Ahmed Baharoon, an executive director at the agency.

Officials from the agency said they were able to measure pollution in the UAE at 20 fixed points and two mobile stations.

All of the data is fed live to the Plume Air Report, which offers readings for ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter up to 10 micrometres in diameter, also known as PM10.

Included in the rating is dust – which is often blown up in the UAE summer – ash and sea spray.

At 3.33pm yesterday, Abu Dhabi had “High Pollution”, with a Plume Air Quality Index (AQI) of 86.

The readings were accompanied by a cartoon cloud with a neutral expression.

At the same time, Al Ain had “Very High Pollution” – accompanied by a cartoon cloud with a sad face – with an AQI reading of 102.

The Plume app is available in Arabic and English and is produced by Plume Labs, a Paris company founded in 2014.

It says it provides coverage for every city on Earth.

“We are constantly seeking access to a broader range of data sources to bring the same level of accuracy to more cities around the world,” said Romain Lacombe, the founder and chief executive of Plume Labs.

“We’re delight to work with EAD to bring our free mobile application to Abu Dhabi, and encourage other environmental agencies to reach out to us.”

The readings for Dubai, also at 3.33pm yesterday, showed “Excessive Pollution”, a result illustrated with an angry-looking cloud.

Mr Lacombe said that in places such as Abu Dhabi, where the app has real-time data from “quality monitoring stations”, it can report current conditions very accurately and use machine-learning algorithms to provide forecasts.

“For the rest of the world, in urban areas where we do not have access to ground-level monitoring stations yet – including in Dubai – or in rural areas where coverage is non-existent, we use estimated concentration data from satellite-based models,” he said.

The results provided by the Plume Air Quality Index yesterday afternoon approximately tallied with those of another commercial air quality information provider, BreezoMeter.

It gave Al Ain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi “Low Air Quality” readings of 28, 29 and 38 on its 100-point scale, where a higher number indicates better air quality.

These numbers represent a marked improvement over late July, when dust storms sent pollution levels soaring.

A week ago, both Dubai and Abu Dhabi had BreezoMeter readings in single figures.

World Bank data from 2015 found that the UAE had the world’s most polluted air, but the authorities in the Emirates rejected this at the time.