Urban air pollution is one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. In 2014 38 our of 43 cities in the UK failed to meet air pollution targets. Nationally the government's independent advisory body estimates fine particle air pollution is responsible for 29,000 early deaths in the UK, or put another way, is shortening our lives by an average of six months.

The London Air Quality Network collects and disseminates air quality data from 100 continuous monitoring stations across the capital which are largely owned by the boroughs. The LondonAir API exposes nearly 100 million data points to developers stretching back to the group's inception in 1993.

Urban air quality is rising up the public and political agenda but still has a way to go. Air pollution can be a difficult subject to communicate as it is mostly invisible. The LondonAir API is a valuable resource for developers to integrate real-time and comparative air quality information into applications that can help the public make better decisions about their emissions and exposure and help the clear the air for everyone.