Hyderabad: Now a chatbot on Facebook will deliver the latest air quality index of the city. The bot named Smokey is on Facebook’s popular messaging app.
A simple text to the bot fetches a quick response asking where the user is located. It is then analyses the data from Central Pollution Control Board website and sends it back to the user. In Hyderabad, it will be looking at the six monitoring stations at Zoo Park, Sanath Nagar, Hyderabad Central University, Paradise, Abids and Jubliee Hills. The bot compiles the data on the ozone presence and carbon monoxide level, among other statistics. “We use the data from CPCB and match them with the air quality monitoring system installed by the US embassy. So, it is authentic information,” said Mr Amrit Sharma, the founder of AirAirAir.org which made the bot.
The bot has fetched a good response with over 1,000 people subscribing to it. “The PCB should put up the data everywhere. Currently, there is very less idea about the pollution levels,” says a user.
