public / 2020
AR Pollution Project
WebAR visualisation of realtime air quality data.
A web-based AR experiment that used the Ambee Air Quality API to visualise realtime pollution levels for the user's current location and locations around the world.
Showcase
AR Pollution Project
The AR Pollution Project was a web-based experiment that used augmented reality to display realtime pollution levels in different locations, including the user's current location.
Ambee's Air Quality API supplied realtime pollution data from around the world. The aim was to make those readings feel more tangible by presenting them through an interactive spatial experience rather than a flat data view.
AR support was available on compatible Android devices through WebXR. For non-AR devices, the project also included a fallback experience so the core idea remained accessible even when AR was not available.
The team consisted of myself as lead developer and one other person who acted as producer and artist. The project had a deliberately simple visual design, so the technical focus was on the AR integration, API-driven data and fallback behaviour.
Technical Overview
AR And Fallback Boundaries
The project needed to work in two modes: an AR presentation for compatible Android devices and a fallback mode for everything else. I kept the data-fetching and presentation logic separate enough that the same air-quality data could drive both paths.
That boundary mattered because WebXR support was not universal. The experiment still needed to communicate the idea even when the browser could not enter AR.
Ambee API
The AR Pollution Project used Ambee's Air Quality API to gather realtime air quality data from around the world, including the user's current location.
The API provided the environmental data that powered the experience, allowing users to compare pollution levels across different places and understand the data through a more visual, interactive format.
AR Integration and Fallback
The AR feature used WebXR on compatible Android devices to visualise pollution data spatially. The aim was to connect abstract air-quality numbers to the user's physical environment rather than presenting them as another flat data panel.
A fallback mode was also provided for devices without AR support. This meant the project could still be used across a wider range of browsers and devices, rather than only working for users with compatible Android hardware.
Problem
- Making abstract pollution data feel understandable through a spatial, interactive presentation.
- Supporting AR-capable Android devices while still providing a fallback for non-AR devices.
- Working with realtime air quality data from multiple locations, including the user's current location.
- Keeping the experience simple enough to be accessible while still making the environmental data feel tangible.
Approach
- Led development of the WebAR browser experience.
- Integrated Ambee's Air Quality API to source realtime pollution data from around the world.
- Implemented the AR presentation layer for compatible Android devices using WebXR.
- Built fallback behaviour so the experience could still be used on non-AR devices.
- Worked in a compact two-person team with one producer/artist due to the simplicity of the visual design.
Interesting Bits
- WebXR AR integration
- Ambee Air Quality API
- Realtime environmental data
- Non-AR fallback experience
- Spatial data visualisation
- PixiJS/Odie browser runtime
Outcome
- Delivered an experimental environmental-data visualisation experience.
- Created an AR-led way to understand pollution levels in local and global locations.
- Kept the project accessible beyond AR-capable devices through a fallback mode.