• LIVE DATA
  • LOCATION
  • SENSORS
  • HUMAN

How to monitor real-time pollution with your AI

Connect OpenAQ to your AI client to pull live air quality readings through simple chat commands.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I check air quality with my AI?

You can ask your AI for the latest PM2.5, NO2, or other pollutant levels in specific cities or from individual sensors. It pulls this data directly from OpenAQ to give you live readings. You'll see how it handles location lookups and specific sensor IDs below.

The outcomes

What you get from the data

The AI turns raw sensor data into answers you can actually use.

LIVE DATA

Current readings

The AI pulls the most recent pollutant measurements for your chosen area. You get immediate numbers for PM2.5, NO2, and more.

LOCATION

City lookups

Your agent identifies valid monitoring locations. It maps your natural language requests to specific geographic points in the OpenAQ database.

SENSORS

Hardware tracking

If you have a sensor ID, the AI pulls data from that exact device. This lets you monitor a specific street corner or facility.

HUMAN

Decision making

The AI provides the numbers, but you decide what they mean. You'll need to interpret the data to make decisions about health or environmental safety.

The workflow

What your AI does when you ask for air quality.

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

  1. Locate the area

    When you mention a city or region, the AI finds the corresponding monitoring stations.

    get_locations

  2. Identify the sensor

    If you're looking for a specific station, the AI targets that exact hardware ID.

    get_sensor_by_id

  3. Fetch the numbers

    The AI pulls the most recent pollutant concentrations for the selected location.

    get_latest_measurements

  4. Report the results

    The AI translates the raw data into a readable format in your chat window.

    get_latest_measurements

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to test the connection immediately.

Starting points

Swap out the city names or pollutant types for the ones you actually care about.

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

  • What is the current PM2.5 level in Los Angeles?

  • Find the latest NO2 measurements for London.

  • Get the most recent air quality readings for sensor ID 12345.

  • Show me the latest pollution data for all sensors in Tokyo.

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

Start here

Connect OpenAQ once, then ask.

One click connects the OpenAQ MCP to your AI client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start querying data immediately.

Connect OpenAQ to your AI

FAQ

How the air quality monitoring works

  • 01

    Can the AI change the sensor settings?

    No. The AI can only read data from OpenAQ. It cannot adjust, calibrate, or turn off any physical sensors.

  • 02

    Can I get historical pollution data?

    No. This specific connection is designed to pull the latest, real-time measurements only.

  • 03

    Does it work for any city in the world?

    It works for any city or location that has active sensors registered in the OpenAQ database.

  • 04

    Can the AI predict future pollution levels?

    No. The AI only reports what the sensors are currently measuring. It does not perform predictive modeling or forecasting.

  • 05

    How often is the data updated?

    The AI pulls whatever the most recent data point is from the OpenAQ API at the moment you ask.

  • More questions about OpenAQ? See everything the OpenAQ Connector can do

Connect OpenAQ to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more