Air Quality
Available on: All plans including Free
The Air Quality card shows real-time particulate matter readings from nearby community sensors, translated into the official Air Quality Index (AQI) scale. Air quality is one of the most volatile data categories — it can shift dramatically in hours during wildfire season, making it both one of the most important and most time-sensitive cards to check.
Data source
Air quality readings come from a network of low-cost, community-owned monitors deployed across Colorado and the US. Sensors measure PM2.5 (fine particulate matter, particles under 2.5 micrometers) and PM10 (coarse particulate matter, particles under 10 micrometers) in real time.
DoesItHaveIt? caches community-monitor readings briefly. The card shows data from the sensor(s) nearest to the address, along with how far away each sensor is.
What the card shows
- Current AQI — the official Air Quality Index value calculated from the nearest sensor's PM2.5 reading
- PM2.5 reading — raw particulate matter concentration in μg/m³
- PM10 reading — coarse particulate concentration in μg/m³
- Nearest sensor distance — how far the reading sensor is from the address (important for interpretation)
- AQI category — color-coded health category
- 24-hour trend — whether air quality has been improving or worsening over the last day
AQI scale
| AQI Range | Category | Health guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 0–50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory; little or no risk |
| 51–100 | Moderate | Acceptable quality; some pollutants may affect unusually sensitive individuals |
| 101–150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children: reduce prolonged outdoor exertion |
| 151–200 | Unhealthy | Everyone may experience health effects; sensitive groups more serious effects |
| 201–300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone may experience serious health effects |
| 301–500 | Hazardous | Health warning of emergency conditions; entire population likely to be affected |
Sensor proximity matters
The nearest community sensor is often not at the address itself — it's in the neighborhood, sometimes a few blocks away, sometimes a mile or more. The card shows the distance to help you calibrate: a sensor 0.1 miles away is giving you a much more accurate picture than a sensor 1.5 miles away across different terrain.
In rural areas and mountain communities, the nearest sensor may be several miles away. The air quality reading still provides useful general context, but micro-level variation (e.g., from a specific industrial source nearby) won't be captured.
Wildfire smoke spikes
Colorado's wildfire season (typically June through September) can produce dramatic short-term AQI spikes. A neighborhood that reads 25 AQI (Good) on a clear January day might reach 180+ AQI (Unhealthy) during a nearby fire event. These spikes are temporary but can last days to weeks.
If you're evaluating an address during wildfire season, the current AQI reading may not represent typical conditions. Check the 24-hour trend on the card, and consider looking at the Analytics Dashboard (Premium) to see how the air quality score has varied over several months rather than relying on a single-day reading.
Industrial corridor proximity
Along the I-25 industrial corridor (Commerce City, Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, and parts of north Denver), baseline PM2.5 readings are chronically elevated compared to other parts of the metro due to refinery and industrial activity. These areas show persistently lower air quality scores that reflect ongoing structural conditions, not temporary weather events. DoesItHaveIt? surfaces this distinction by showing the trend over time when you have a saved address with analytics history.
Community sensors vs. official monitors
Community sensors are low-cost consumer devices, not the high-precision reference monitors used by official stations. Their readings are generally useful for trend detection and relative comparison but may read higher than reference monitors in humid conditions. DoesItHaveIt? applies an accepted correction method to improve PM2.5 accuracy before computing AQI.