• DATA
  • ANALYSIS
  • LOCATION
  • HUMAN

How to analyze air quality trends with your AI

Connect OpenAQ to your AI client to pull historical pollution data and spot shifts in air quality over time.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use my AI to track air quality trends?

Your AI uses OpenAQ to pull specific measurements from various locations and timeframes. You can then ask it to identify spikes, seasonal shifts, or long-term pollution trends. This breakdown shows you how to move from raw data to actionable insights.

The outcomes

What you get from the data

The AI handles the data heavy lifting so you can focus on the results.

DATA

Pull historical records

The AI fetches specific pollutant levels from OpenAQ for any date range you specify. You get the raw numbers without manual searching.

ANALYSIS

Spot pollution patterns

Once the data is in the chat, your AI identifies trends like rising PM2.5 levels or seasonal ozone spikes. It turns lists of numbers into clear observations.

LOCATION

Compare different sites

You can pull data from multiple monitoring stations to see how air quality varies across a city or region. This helps you isolate local pollution sources.

HUMAN

Verify and act

The AI provides the data and the trends, but you decide if the findings require a report or a policy change. You remain the final decision maker.

The workflow

What your AI does when the data arrives.

The AI acts as a bridge between the OpenAQ database and your conversation.

  1. Locate stations

    The AI finds the specific monitoring stations or cities you want to investigate.

    get_locations

  2. Fetch measurements

    It pulls the actual pollutant readings for the time period you've requested.

    get_measurements

  3. Identify trends

    The AI looks through the retrieved data to find spikes, dips, or steady increases in pollutants.

    get_measurements

  4. Summarize findings

    The AI presents the most important shifts in air quality in a format that's easy to read.

    get_measurements

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off your analysis.

Starting points

Swap out the city names and date ranges to match the specific area you're studying.

OpenAQ Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_VGsxrLcNairCyPHFbpo3PocA4AcTLLX4zk50pkNW/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — OpenAQ capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openaq-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_VGsxrLcNairCyPHFbpo3PocA4AcTLLX4zk50pkNW/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find the air quality measurements for Los Angeles from January 2023 to June 2023.

  • List all available monitoring locations in London to see where I can get data.

  • Compare the PM2.5 levels in New York between last summer and this summer.

  • Analyze the trends in ozone levels for Chicago over the last 30 days.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect OpenAQ once, then ask.

Just link the OpenAQ MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start querying data immediately.

Connect OpenAQ to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI change the data in OpenAQ?

    No. The AI can only read measurements and location data. It cannot edit or delete any records in the OpenAQ database.

  • 02

    Can the AI create new air quality sensors?

    No. This MCP is for querying existing historical and real-time data, not for managing hardware or adding new locations.

  • 03

    How does the AI know which locations are available?

    It uses the get_locations tool to see a list of all active monitoring stations.

  • 04

    Can I get data for a specific pollutant like CO2?

    Yes, as long as that pollutant is being measured by the stations the AI accesses via get_measurements.

  • 05

    Does the AI provide visual charts?

    The AI provides the data and text-based descriptions of trends. It does not generate image files or interactive graphs itself.

  • More questions about OpenAQ? The Connector page answers them. See everything the OpenAQ Connector can do

Connect OpenAQ to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more