Following on from our previous blog on what you need to know about air quality, we explore the ways in which this can impact businesses in a variety of sectors. Understanding air quality, and air pollution, can be massively useful in several ways.

1. People-benefits relating to air quality insight – for most businesses, people are 80+% of their expenses and their biggest business asset. So, looking after the health and well-being of your people, makes perfect business sense. This is an indirect impact on business performance. Using air quality data, employers can act quickly and responsibly when air quality is poor -e.g. by shutting doors and windows, providing warnings to employees, making tactical decisions on air filtration and checking up on high-risk employees.

2. Product-benefits relating to air quality insight – for some sectors, air quality data can be used to improve their products and services for their customers. A direct impact on business performance.

Healthcare

Overlaying air quality data onto patient and treatment data for air quality related illnesses.

Locating where high-risk patients live and what level of air quality has a detrimental effect on patients, they can prepare for influxes in air quality related illnesses -targeting, investing and improving respiratory services in these areas, and ensuring treatment is sufficient.

Pinpoint areas of concern through forecasting air pollution to warn patients in high-risk areas in advance.

Insurance

Analyse insurance claims related to air quality-related treatments.

Anticipate which locations are likely to have higher air quality-related claims in future, for accurate policy pricing.

Assess where demand for treatment will be higher, to adjust healthcare insurance policies, policyholder communications and treatment plans.

Automotive

Providing vehicles with route-planners which avoid highly polluted areas.

Identifying highly polluted areas to avoid.

Innovating air filtration so vehicles only take ‘intelligent gulps of external air’ when external air quality is good.

Aiding technological automotive advancements to provide a better service for passengers.

Real estate

Incorporate historical, current air quality and air quality forecasting to design better buildings.

Using outdoor to indoor air quality mix to enable the right balance between fresh and clean air.

Enabling better design choices for both indoor and outdoor spaces

Construct commercial, leisure and housing developments with suitable air filtration and air conditioning, allow continuous management and improvement.

Media

Air quality forecasts can be used to share alerts with the general public, informing air quality in their area.

Councils

Improvements for public transport, traffic and roads.

Where to create out-of-town developments.

Inform the creation of congestion zones.