Direct air-quality answer
Is AQI accurate?
AQI can be accurately calculated under a published scheme while still being an imperfect description of the air around one person. Accuracy is not one yes-or-no property: the formula, pollutant input, location, timestamp, spatial representativeness, and communication purpose all matter.
Named scale
AQI ≠ µg/m³
Compare within one scheme, with pollutant, time, and source.
Short answer
AQI can be accurately calculated under a published scheme while still being an imperfect description of the air around one person. Accuracy is not one yes-or-no property: the formula, pollutant input, location, timestamp, spatial representativeness, and communication purpose all matter.
AirAgora uses OpenWeather’s official 1–5 values and pollutant concentrations from a modeled OpenWeather forecast. It does not describe those values as street-level observations or personal exposure measurements.
Several kinds of accuracy are involved
A calculation can follow the correct breakpoints but use a broad grid that smooths a local feature. A monitor can measure one site well but be less representative of another neighborhood. A forecast can also be valid for a future hour rather than the moment a screenshot is viewed.
The index itself compresses pollutant-specific information into categories. That is useful for communication, but the aggregate does not preserve every concentration, source, averaging detail, or individual circumstance.
How AirAgora handles the question
AirAgora preserves the OpenWeather 1–5 value and category, source, modeled status, valid hours, update time, completeness, and main pollutant context. It derives continuous component severity from documented concentration bands.
Missing hours are excluded. Stale cache retains its original timestamp. Provider failure becomes unavailable rather than a fixture, scrape, or alternate-provider fallback.
What to check before comparing
Ask whether the value is a modeled forecast, station observation, interpolation, or sensor reading. Confirm the exact location, pollutant, averaging period, timezone, valid time, and OpenWeather scale.
For a fair retrospective test, save the original forecast and compare it later with quality-controlled observations under a documented method. A later model analysis is not the forecast users originally saw.
- Named OpenWeather scale
- Modeled or observed provenance
- Location and spatial resolution
- Valid time and update time
- Aggregate versus pollutant component
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions
Can a correctly calculated AQI still differ from my street?
Yes. A broad model grid or distant monitor may not represent every local source, building, road, terrain feature, or plume.
Does AirAgora calculate a regulatory AQI?
No. It preserves OpenWeather’s official 1–5 provider scale and applies its own transparent concentration-band window-ranking rule.
Is a station always more accurate?
A station measures its site more directly, but representativeness, siting, quality control, and timing still matter.
Can forecasts be verified?
Yes, by preserving the issued forecast and comparing matching pollutants, locations, valid times, units, and averaging periods with reviewed observations.
Does AirAgora treat “Is AQI accurate” as a personal guarantee?
AirAgora uses OpenWeather’s official 1–5 values and pollutant concentrations from a modeled OpenWeather forecast. It does not describe those values as street-level observations or personal exposure measurements.
Evidence register
Sources and further reading
The links below identify the primary references used on this page. Selection, summary, and presentation are AirAgora modifications.
Keep exploring
AirAgora provides informational planning guidance, not medical advice. Local conditions can differ from modeled forecasts; follow official guidance during severe events.