Allegheny Co. Health Dept. Launches New Air Quality Dashboard
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Air quality is a problem that has been plaguing many Allegheny County neighborhoods for years.
But there's now a new dashboard that will allow people to closely monitor air quality where they live, and hopefully, improve their health.
The Allegheny County Health Department has made changes to their site based on public input. They say it gave them a greater understanding on how to move forward and help the community.
Allegheny County officials says the dashboard was created by the Air Quality program staff and the CountyStat team. The goal is to not just help people better understand air quality, but to ultimately improve everyone's health.
Users will be able to select the data they wish to see displayed, like choosing from:
- Fine particulate matter
- Ozone
- Sulfur dioxide
The users will then be able to see the most recent Air Quality Index measurement for the chosen pollutant.
The county also made adjustments by using buttons, rather than tabs, to make it easier for people to navigate the site.
"A lot of time and hard work went into this total overhaul of how we present information on air quality to the public, and I am very pleased with the effort by Deputy Director of Environmental Health Jim Kelly and his team," Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen said. "The public gave us feedback and we listened. The new dashboard makes important information easier to understand, and in doing so, gives us a better understanding of our air and how it affects our health."
According to the county, over 400 hours of work went into developing the dashboard.