A Google Timeline and Air Quality Analysis App
(Pronounced like "tacky")
This project was the main project to my Master's degree from Oregon State University's Software Innovation program. Below is the abstract to the report I wrote about this project. For screenshots and a description of how the app works, see section 3 in the report. The report in it's entirety can be downloaded here.
Air pollution levels today are incredibly high, updated statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) state that nine out of ten people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Unfortunately, it is difficult and costly to estimate the air quality someone has been exposed to on an ongoing basis. This Master’s report presents TAQI: A Google Timeline and Air Quality Analysis app, the first system to present a user with detailed information about their personal air quality exposures. In integration tests, TAQI achieved a reduction in data sent to third-parties by over 99%. In tests with college students who had nearly no prior knowledge on air quality statistics, participants were able to determine a few basic statistics in less than 4 minutes. Both of these metrics compare favorably to that of current systems, which require users to upload all of their data to a third-party system – and, when users were asked to find even the most basic statistics like min and max values with the existing system, only 1 of 10 testers were able to produce any accurate data within five minutes. Overall, these results point towards a new era of information access to guide healthy living. With TAQI, people can track and see where their highest levels of air pollutants are coming from allowing them the chance to improve their health and maybe even save their lives.