Smokey: Air Quality Bot

The sky has a grey haze, the air smells like smoke, and you were about to go for a run. Smokey answers the question right away: send /quality, share your location, and you get the air quality index for where you are. No ad-filled websites, no sign-up. 🌫️

The bot pulls air pollution data from around the world into a chat. The numbers come from a network of monitoring stations, so every reading is tied to a real measuring point.

A small set of commands

The whole interface rests on a handful of commands. You do not have to memorize them, since they all sit in the bot's menu.

• /quality shows the air quality index at your current location.
• /search looks up the index for any city, handy before a trip.
• /guide explains smog in detail and how to deal with it.
• /masks and /available_masks give pointers on choosing anti-pollution masks.
• /feedback and /rate let you write to the author or rate the bot.

How to read an AQI number

AQI squeezes several pollutants into one number. The higher it goes, the dirtier the air. On the US scale, up to 50 is good, 51 to 100 is moderate, and above 100 it becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Past 150 everyone is affected, and above 300 the level is hazardous. Countries use their own scales and thresholds, so compare numbers only within one system. 📊

What gets measured

Besides the overall index, the bot shows individual pollutants: fine particles PM2.5 and PM10, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone. For health, PM2.5 usually matters most, because those particles are small enough to reach deep into the lungs.

Ozone and nitrogen dioxide tend to climb in hot weather and in cities with heavy traffic. If you have asthma, pay extra attention to those lines.

When it earns its place on your phone

1. Before an outdoor workout. A high index means moving the session indoors or to another hour.
2. Before a trip. Check your destination with /search, especially when traveling with children.
3. During wildfire or heating season. The index tells you whether to shut the windows.
4. When picking a mask. The in-bot guide shows what to look for before buying.

Choosing a mask without wasting money

A plain cloth or surgical mask barely stops fine particles. For PM2.5 you need an N95, FFP2 or higher respirator that seals against the face. If there is a gap between the mask and your cheek, the filter works at half strength.

A respirator with an exhale valve is more comfortable in the heat, but it does not protect the people around you. Filters wear out, so replace them on the maker's schedule. 😷

Limits worth knowing

Readings come from the nearest station, and air differs from one district to the next. If the station is far away, the number is only an approximation. An hourly update will not catch smoke that rolled in ten minutes ago.

The bot is not a medical tool. With chronic lung or heart conditions, follow your doctor's advice and treat AQI as a reference. The project's source code is open, and the /donate command lets you support its development.