York Air Map – Air quality information for cyclists and the community
The York Air Map provides real-time air quality data tailored for cyclists and the broader community in York. The interactive map displays pollution levels across different routes and locations, helping users make informed decisions about their travel and outdoor activities based on current air conditions.
Background
York (UK) lacks official real-time air-quality data at the street level, which matters for cyclists and pedestrians who breathe more polluted air than car occupants. This community-led site (York Air Map) crowdsources readings from low-cost sensors mounted on residents' homes and bikes, filling gaps left by the few reference-grade monitoring stations run by the city council. The project is part of a wider trend: citizen-science air-quality networks (e.g., London's Breathe London, Luftdaten in Germany) that use small, cheap sensors to produce hyperlocal maps, often revealing that official monitors miss pollution hotspots. The site highlights NO₂ and particulate levels near cycle routes, schools, and residential streets — data that rarely appears in official, averaged reports.