PurpleAir Map Update

by Kieran Berryman

A new version of the PurpleAir Map has been released! Many new features have been added that support geographical data analysis and enhance user experience. Below, I'll jump into what's new with the PurpleAir Map!

Location Specific Viewing

The map now supports the functionality of viewing sensors within defined boundaries. But what does that mean?

This means that you can choose to look at sensors in a restricted area, such as the United States, for example, and not see sensors outside of that boundary! This can make the map easier to parse and is also very useful for people who want to see the data for a specific area, or want to know how many sensors are around them.

 

 

 

Countries aren't the only boundaries supported, however. You can also choose to go down to the state, county, or even city level depending on the country. These higher geographical resolutions allow for more, and improved, targeted data collection.

How Do I Do This?

Defining a boundary is actually very quick and simple.

  1. In the address bar of your preferred browser, type in map.purpleair.com/.
  2. After the (/), type in whatever location you want. The currently supported selections range from countries to cities.
  3. Press ENTER or RETURN.
  4. That's it! You should automatically be brought to an appropriate view of the geographical location you entered.

If you're not sure where to start, try inputting your home country!

Worldwide, Real-Time Interactive Ranking

Along with this map update, we're releasing our new sensor data ranking tool! This tool allows you to compare data layers over multiple regions, change the scope of your data view, and more. Learn how to use the tool below.

  1. In the address bar of your preferred browser, type in location.purpleair.com. This should bring you to a table that looks something like below.

    • By default, you will see a list of countries ranked by air quality. This is because the default data layer selections include all of the available AQIs, as well as location type. You can delete data layers from this list by clicking the X at the top of their respective boxes.
  2. The default view ranks the highest value at the top, with the rest in descending order.
    • You can switch the order around and make the lowest value appear at the top by clicking inside the first data layer box at the top left. The result should look something like below.
  3. On the left side of the table is a list of countries ranked by their AQI values.
    • Clicking on one of those countries will bring you to a new list that is one level down in terms of scope. For example, if you click on the United States, you will be brought to a list of all the US states. If you then click on a state, you will be brought to a list of its counties, etc.
    • Deleting all data layers that are selected will result in the list on the left becoming alphabetized.

Other Added Features

This map update also features a number of new settings available on the map configuration page, including new data layers, conversions, and other customizable options. Below, you'll find a brief overview of the new options. I encourage you to hop onto the map to check them out.

Data Layers

A number of new data layers have been added, including the following:

  • Canadian PM2.5 (AQHI+)
  • Chinese PM2.5 AQI.
  • New South Wales PM2.5 AQI.
  • UK PM2.5 Daily Air Quality Index.
  • British Columbia PM2.5 (µg/m3).
  • Canadian PM2.5 (µg/m3).
  • PM2.5 Expressed as Cigarettes Per Day.
  • Sensor Edition.

Conversions

A few new conversions have been added, including the following:

  • An updated ALT cf=3 conversion now called ALT cf=3.4.
  • An updated US EPA conversion.
  • A conversion developed by the Canada ECCC.

Other Settings

  • You now have the option to turn off the gradient color scale used on map markers.
  • You can now choose between Imperial and Metric units.

Not sure where to go? Check out the map or view air quality rankings now!

Back to PurpleAir Blog