STI staff developed the Data Management Center (DMC) for the U.S. EPA’s AIRNow program. AIRNow is a real-time system that collects nationwide ozone and particulate matter data and air quality forecasts and communicates them to the public. The DMC is the "hub" for collecting, processing, and distributing AIRNow data and information. STI staff operate the DMC year-round, seven days per week. We operate, maintain, and enhance the AIRNow DMC to produce ozone and particulate matter maps for the AIRNow web site; create gridded data files for Weather Service Providers (WSPs); and provide technical support to the local, state, tribal, and national stakeholder agencies that voluntarily supply data to the program. In addition, STI staff developed the web-based software agencies use to submit air quality forecasts to the AIRNow program.
STI software developers and scientists collaborated in the development of a web portal for air quality communicators that provides a single point of access to share files, news stories, and web resources. The web site, www.AirShare.info, offers an air quality news system, real-time air quality data and forecasts from the U.S. EPA's AIRNow system, useful web links, a discussion forum to exchange ideas, and a searchable database of air quality outreach projects. Much of the content is dynamic; AirShare users post content on-line. The web site was built using ColdFusion MX, Java, HTML, and Javascript. The system incorporates an Oracle 9i database. Its design allows public, private, and administrator access to selected areas of the web site; administrators can modify live content. AirShare.info was awarded the U.S. EPA's Clean Air Excellence Award in 2005.
STI scientists have assisted public agencies in the Sacramento, California, region since 1996 with their Spare The Air public outreach program. The program helps protect public health and encourages reduced travel and other behavior changes to limit air pollution. The scope of services for this program has steadily expanded over time. Beginning in 1996, STI provided daily ozone forecasts for the Sacramento region; these daily air quality forecasts continue to be a core part of the program. Ozone forecasts are made for current- and next-day periods and are disseminated to the public via television, radio, newspaper, e-mail, and the Internet. In 1997, we developed software to generate ozone maps and a web site to distribute the maps. Ozone movies using the maps were generated twice daily during that year. Beginning in 1998, STI updated the movies on an hourly basis from 0800 to 2000 PDT, seven days a week. In addition to mapping, we added AirAlert in 1998. This service automatically alerts the public via e-mail or electronic pager at the onset of poor air quality conditions. In more recent years, we have provided access to the station air quality data, implemented the Air Quality Index (AQI), provided five-day ozone forecasts, and designed and added a ColdFusion news page to the Spare The Air web site.
STI developed an interactive ozone simulator that runs via the Internet. This simulator educates users about the cause-and-effect relationships among weather, emissions factors, and ground-level ozone. Users can operate the system by adjusting weather conditions and emissions-producing activities to produce ozone levels that evolve over the course of a day in fictional Smog City. Users can access the program through the Smog City web site at www.smogcity.com or download it to their personal computer. The web site includes 12 pages of information about ozone and its health effects.