To continue the trend, Google has now introduced a new feature in Maps. It’s called “Air Quality” and it shows you the air quality index of a city and its surroundings directly in the Maps app. Google is already rolling out Air Quality to Google Maps users on Android and iOS. Here’s a look at this brand new feature and the steps to use it.
What Is Air Quality on Google Maps?
Air Quality is a brand new Google Maps feature that helps you find out the AQI (Air Quality Index) of a city and its nearby area you’re planning to visit. It’s essentially a layer, similar to a few pre-existing layers like Street View, 3D, etc., which uses information from the government’s monitoring stations or other non-regulatory partners and presents it in a digestible format on Maps. In the US, the air quality data comes from the Environmental Protection Agency and PurpleAir, whereas it’s from the Central Pollution Control Board in India. Using Google Maps’ Air Quality feature, you can easily determine whether the outdoor trip or hike you’re planning to a place is safe or not. While this is something that you could already do via a Google search, bringing the feature inside Maps greatly simplifies the process.
How to Find Air Quality of a Place in Google Maps
In order to use the Air Quality, first, update the Google Maps app on your Android or iPhone from their respective app stores. Once done, follow these steps to find out the air quality of a place:
Check the Outdoor Air Quality of a Place Before Visiting
Google Maps previewed the Air Quality feature, along with a bunch of other features, on Google Maps last year. Given that it’s summer in the US and that many people are starting to travel again—after travel restrictions in many countries have been lifted—Google has finally released the feature to all Google Maps users on Android and iPhone. So now, before you plan to visit a city or an outdoor activity nearby, you can simply use Google Maps’ Air Quality feature to find out the AQI index for that place and make an informed decision about your trip accordingly.
