iBreathe: Sacramento

iBreathe displays air quality information for fifteen areas and cities in the Greater Sacramento region. With just a tap of the screen, users will see an easy-to-understand map of air quality, built using data provided by Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails (Sacbreathe.org) and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SpareTheAir.com). With this information, commuters can make more informed choices about environmentally friendly transportation options, and members of sensitive groups will be better able to stay abreast of information that can be, literally, life-or-death.

The application covers much of the Sacramento region, including the El Dorado foothills, northern Central Valley, and the cities of Auburn, Colfax, Davis, Elk Grove, Folsom, Placerville, Rio Vista, Roseville, Sloughhouse, Vacaville, and Yuba City, as well as the T Street, and Del Paso Manor neighborhoods of Sacramento. It’s reach – including California’s state capital and the University of California, Davis – is intentionally designed to include both a large population center as well as important research and governmental institutions interested in environmental science and policy.

Push notification alerts users with allergies or other environmental sensitivities when the air contains unhealthy levels of pollution including ozone and fine particles (PM2.5). Data are provided in real time, and notifications can be customized by level of sensitivity and by geographic area. iBreathe features one of the newest and most exciting technologies for the iPhone. Push notification allows users to receive air quality alerts without loading the program, as they would an email, phone call, or text message. This feature is fully customizable, and Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails anticipates continuously improving the information provided to its constituents.

Additional notifications inform users about Spare The Air days, when Sacramento residents are urged to take extra precautions like cutting back on driving and avoiding the use of oil based paints, gasoline-powered lawn mowers, or household aerosol products like hair sprays. During Spare The Air days, residents are encouraged to take alternative modes of transportation, including Sacramento Regional Transit (SACRT), Yuba-Sutter Transit Authority (YSTA), Auburn Transit, Placer County Transit (PCT), CTSA, Davis Community Transit (DCT), Unitrans, Elk Grove’s e-tran, Folsom Stage Line (FSL), Capitol Corridor, Rio Vista Transit (RVT), Roseville Transit, and Vacaville’s City Coach. Biking or walking to work and recreational activities is another great way to Spare The Air.

iBreathe also contains useful information about how air quality scores are calculated, which can be used by local educators or nonprofits to discuss air pollution and issues unique to the region.

Air quality scores are made available publicly by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) at http://www.airquality.org/, and non iPhone users can find forecast info directly at the same site. iBreathe was designed by Blinktag, Inc., a small Bay Area planning firm dedicated to uniting the fields of technology, mapping, transportation, and urban planning. Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails is dedicated to healthy air and preventing lung and other air-pollution related diseases by partnering with youth, advocating public policy, supporting air pollution research, and educating the public. Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails also makes tools available to environmental planners interested in other web or mobile-based applications at their developer resources page.

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