Context
Nimbus PR 3 (smoke) ships HMS smoke plume polygons only (aviation-relevant visibility data). Surface AQI from AirNow is a useful supplementary data point but not the MVP priority.
Data sources
- AirNow bulk files (
files.airnowtech.org/airnow/today/reportingarea.dat): pipe-delimited, no API key, download + filter by lat/lon proximity. Contains AQI value, category, pollutant, reporting area with coordinates.
- AirNow API (
www.airnowapi.org): JSON, lat/lon point query, but requires a free API key — conflicts with "no API keys for core functionality" convention. Could be optional (degrade to unavailable without key).
Suggested shape
skywatch nimbus aqi LAT LON CLI command returning current AQI, dominant pollutant, category (Good/Moderate/USG/Unhealthy/etc.)- Model:
Nimbus::Models::AirQuality with AQI value, category, pollutant, reporting area, observed_at
- Brief integration: supplementary slot or part of
current_conditions, not adverse (AQI is health/comfort, not flight safety)
Decision needed
Whether to use the keyless bulk files (download ~2MB national dataset, filter client-side) or the API (clean point query, but requires API key). Bulk files are more consistent with the no-key convention.
Context
Nimbus PR 3 (smoke) ships HMS smoke plume polygons only (aviation-relevant visibility data). Surface AQI from AirNow is a useful supplementary data point but not the MVP priority.
Data sources
files.airnowtech.org/airnow/today/reportingarea.dat): pipe-delimited, no API key, download + filter by lat/lon proximity. Contains AQI value, category, pollutant, reporting area with coordinates.www.airnowapi.org): JSON, lat/lon point query, but requires a free API key — conflicts with "no API keys for core functionality" convention. Could be optional (degrade to unavailable without key).Suggested shape
skywatch nimbus aqi LAT LONCLI command returning current AQI, dominant pollutant, category (Good/Moderate/USG/Unhealthy/etc.)Nimbus::Models::AirQualitywith AQI value, category, pollutant, reporting area, observed_atcurrent_conditions, not adverse (AQI is health/comfort, not flight safety)Decision needed
Whether to use the keyless bulk files (download ~2MB national dataset, filter client-side) or the API (clean point query, but requires API key). Bulk files are more consistent with the no-key convention.