google maps for Android now includes weather information and an air quality overlay to help you plan your trips and avoid pollution.
In Google Maps, at the top left of the screen, below the search bar and location filters, a small box has been added that provides the local weather forecast, temperature, and daily air quality index. The chart can be expanded to provide more detailed weather information and hourly temperature forecasts for the next 12 hours. This information will also be updated if you change locations, allowing you to check the local weather in other areas, helping you plan a trip or simply check the weather in other parts of the world.
Below is the air quality rating, which can be expanded to show a color overlay on the map ranging from green to yellow, orange, red to purple along with a numerical rating from 1 to 10 to indicate quality. from air.
According 9to5Google, Weather information has been added to Android app version 11.113.XX which requires Android 6 and up. However, iOS users will already be familiar with the weather information included in Google Maps, as this feature has been a staple in the iOS version for years.
In practice this works quite well. For example, based on current air quality data seen on Google Maps, most of the UK appears green or 2 on the scale, indicating low air pollution. However, once we move away from Europe and beyond, we start to see higher scores indicating a high level of air pollution. Milan and Venice seemed to show some of the highest levels of yellows (4), reds (8), and even the highest level of purple (10), so you may want to stay away from these areas, especially if you have trouble respiratory. .
Once in the air quality overview, you can expand the “About air quality information” section that will take you to a Google Maps help page that explains what air quality scales are and how they are calculated, as well as information about the most common types of pollutants and where they come from, as well as more information.
The air quality map is not global, but currently includes most of Europe. North America, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Cyprus and Israel.
While this information is available from other sources if you look for it, the added convenience of adding it to maps is much more convenient and could help you plan your trips a little better from now on.
