An upgraded version of the Environmental Info Push app was released Feb. 12 by the Cabinet-level Environment Protection Administration, providing forecasts and real-time data on air quality conditions across the nation in Chinese and English at the touch of a button.
The new edition features predictions of air quality index values for each of the next 12 hours as well as AQI forecasts for the next three days. Air particle measurements are presented in green, yellow, orange or red depending on hazardous particle levels.
According to the EPA, the software presents data from a new forecasting model incorporating up-to-date information from 76 air quality monitoring and 387 Central Weather Bureau stations as well as historical records from the past decade.
EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan said the app is the first-ever hourly AQI service in Taiwan. The new version represents a significant upgrade in prediction and data delivery, offering users greater convenience when making plans for outdoor activities, he added.
The EPA system also employs a stricter health impact standard than those used by many regional neighbors, Lee said, noting that the red warning condition is reached in Taiwan when the density of PM2.5—particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller—reaches 54.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, compared with 70 in Japan.
In addition to PM2.5, the app displays real-time data on carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide and PM10 levels as well as humidity, ultraviolet radiation, river pollution and temperature. It also provides recommendations on outdoor or other activities depending on air quality status.
Launched in 2013, Environmental Info Push has hit over 389,000 downloads. The EPA app has also won several awards at home and abroad including a Geospatial World Excellence Award from India-based Geospatial Media and Communications in 2016. (CPY-E)
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