Air Quality Monitor

In a time when our environment is changing faster than ever before, it can be vital to know how the area around you is changing. In this project, we will set up an environmental sensor to detect changes in air quality that might result from fires or drastic climate events.

Materials Needed

• IF Magic Device or Bare²

• Environment module

• Glow module

IF Magic Knowledge

• Equations

• Cloud output

AQI Visualizer Instructions

1

Build Equation

For this project our equation will look like the below:

1. We first need to add a "when" statement by tapping the blue plus button and choosing logic. Tap "when this happens."

1. Next, tap "this happens" in the sentence, choose "environment" and create a comparison where "aqi is less than 50"

1. After this, tap "do this" and set glow to "green."

1. According to the EPA, an AQI measurement of 0-50 is "good," an AQI of 51-100 is "moderate," 101-150 is "unhealthy for sensitive groups", 151-200 is "unhealthy," and anything much above 200 enters the realm of "hazardous." Repeat the above steps for the other AQI ranges until you have the equation pictured above.

2

Cast

Cast your equation onto your IF Magic Device. Make sure to set the environment module to Port 3 and glow module to Port 1.

3

Go 🌿

Once your equation is cast your glow module will match to the current AQI index. Note that the Air Quality measurement on the environment module takes ~24 hours to fully calibrate, so we recommend setting one up and leaving it running for a day.

AQI Notification Instructions

Now, let's add one more layer of use to this air quality monitor - a mobile notification when the AQI measured passes into the "hazardous" zone.

1

Build Equation

Create a new equation, this time with the logic below:

1. Instead of setting our output to a glow module, we will use a cloud notification. Under outputs choose "cloud" and toggle on "notify." You can customize the cloud notification text.

2

Cast

Cast your equation onto your IF Magic Device. Make sure to set the environment module to Port 3 and the button to Port 7 as your WiFi reset.

3

Notify ⛅️

Hopefully, nothing will happen, as the air quality around you is at a safe level! However, when it rises into the hazardous zone, you will get a notification on your phone.

Add some flair

Once you have the air quality monitor working, you can add further features. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Place multiple sensors around a building or space and check them against each other - receive a notification only when more than half of them meet a certain level / threshold.

• Gather a data set by having the Devices store the AQI data every hour. Map out air quality of a campus, city block, or neighborhood.