Maps and Apps Help Track Wildfire Smoke by City and Neighborhood

The smog settling in the sky above eastern North America, created by smoke billowing from hundreds of wildfires in Canada, made the air quality in New York City and Toronto among the worst in the world on Wednesday. The campfire smell and apocalyptic haze are eerily familiar to residents of the American West who have had similar experiences during fire seasons past. But now, residents down the East Coast as far south as Georgia and into the Midwest are confronting the smoky conditions — some for the first time. And many are turning to a growing collection of apps and maps to help gauge the risks in their particular location, down to the neighborhood level.

Air quality sensors, which measure the local air quality index (AQI), can help quantify the severity of nearby pollution and guide behaviors to protect against adverse health effects. As wildfire season gets more destructive and its impacts are felt in new places, a growing number of these tools are being installed everywhere from private homes to government sites. Those who don’t have their own sensors can find crowdsourced maps online. The more people contribute data, the less likely there are to be information gaps.