IPE designs China's first national dynamic air quality map (and video!)
Using real-time monitoring data from over 4,000 sources in the Blue Map Database, IPE developed the first national dynamic air quality map and summarized its 2018 data in a short, poignant video circulated on Weibo and WeChat. The map illustrates hourly changes in air quality across the country from official environmental monitoring centers at all levels of government.
In just five minutes, viewers can see how air quality starts low during the winter heating season and spikes in response to New Year fireworks in early February; how sand and dust are blown from Northern China to the South in the spring; and how pollution falls in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei in the late summer and early fall. IPE believes that by visualizing the local concentration of PM2.5, researchers and the public can develop a deeper understanding of the greater trends in air pollution as linked to the weather, changing seasons and social activity.
View the air quality map video on Weibo here and check out a shorter version for January 2019 here. We look forward to sharing more visual analysis and innovative applications of technology for environmental awareness in the coming months. Stay tuned for spring updates!
|