I think this should have been the link:<p><a href="https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/maps-platform/going-beyond-map-introducing-environment-apis" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/maps-platform/going-b...</a><p>It's a new initiative with multiple new API's: Solar API, Air Quality API, Pollen API. And that link gives an overview for them all.
> According to the World Health Organization, up to ⅓ of the global population suffers from allergic rhinitis,<p>Has anyone yet figured out <i>why</i> so many humans suffer from an allergy to many natural plants which we have lived around for millions of years?<p>It looks like the first documented case of Hayfever was March 1819[1], and at the time it was considered a very unusual and rare affliction. When and why has it now become so common?<p>[1]: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110966/#:~:text=March%201819%20Bostock" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3110966/#:~:tex...</a>,
> Pollen data presents a unique opportunity for businesses–whether it’s an opportunity to build brand loyalty and trust, increase engagement and product value, or become a catalyst for a more resilient community.<p>Such a perfect example of Google-speak. Every data point is an engagement hack.
The Air Quality and Pollen data in these APIs are from Google's fairly recent purchase of Breezometer, the same company Apple uses for AQI across iOS weather products.
I’m guessing this is a direct result of their acquisition of BreezoMeter: <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/breezometer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/breezometer</a>
Accuweather API is pretty decent and relatively affordable(free) for personal use: <a href="https://developer.accuweather.com/apis" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://developer.accuweather.com/apis</a>
Fan of these interesting APIs, even if they feel experimental. Google also used to have a Flu Trends API [1], based on search query data in 25 countries.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Flu_Trends" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Flu_Trends</a>
The title mentions "Providing actionable info" but I don't see what's actually actionable here? The text also mentions "Actionable tips to minimize pollen exposure", what besides avoid going outside or wearing a mask could you actually do?
If this does take off, it might actually turn out to be extremely dangerous.<p>Lets say you buy into all the marketing nonsense about how it can value add to your business and maybe even someone decides to create something genuinely useful for people with crippling alergies, maybe different routes, or some kind of alert system.<p>Then Google in their usual way shuts down the api service with no recourse or alternative. Now you've left people who were using it, maybe heavily during certain seasons etc, stranded.<p>I agree with the other posts, this smells of a "POC" that was pushed forward to demonstrate work done. Will be interesting to see how good the data is, but moreso how long the service will last.
So random (but useful). With this name I was expecting an AI Model.<p>Is there a theory that at some point we will have an API for every environmental event?
Google: We're shutting down Google domains cause we need to focus.<p>Also Google: Here's the pollen API you guys have been asking for for ages.
I’m a bit surprised to see a single geodata theme packaged as a whole “thing.” And goodness the marketing fluff is quite repetitive given they have so little to talk about.<p>Call me jaded but it feels like someone’s really announcing, “I shipped something! Give me my promotion!”<p>> Our Pollen API is based on a model that calculates the seasonality and daily amount of pollen grains on a 1x1 km2 grid in over 65 countries worldwide, supporting an up to 5-day forecast, 3 plant types, and 15 different plant species. The model uses various inputs like land cover, climatological data, annual pollen production per plant, and more to deliver reliable output predictions of the local pollen level and exposure risk.<p>The maps look like what you get when you throw Ordinary Kriging at a dataset of very limited coverage. I’d be skeptical of this model without thorough analysis.