Punjab's environment department gives citizens live, forecast-led air-quality intelligence

The department had access to environmental data, but not to a public-facing way of explaining it. A raw sensor feed offers little to a resident deciding whether to spend time outdoors, or to a planner weighing a response. Readings needed to be translated into the standard AQI categories people recognise, broken down by pollutant so the cause of poor air was visible, and placed alongside the weather conditions that influence it. Equally important, a current reading on its own only describes the present. The department wanted citizens and planners to see where air quality was heading, which required a forecast grounded in real-time data rather than a static snapshot. All of this had to be delivered as a credible public service, with a clear channel for the department to communicate with residents.

VulcanTech delivered a live air-quality dashboard for the province. Real-time sensor and weather data feed an AQI gauge that reports both the index and its category, colour-coded against the standard six-tier scale from Good through to Hazardous, for Lahore and the wider province. An AI/ML model produces a 72-hour air-quality forecast, refreshed hourly and published as a public chart. Each reading is broken down by pollutant, covering PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO and O3, and shown alongside live temperature, humidity and wind speed. A GIS mapping layer places conditions geographically across Punjab. A public blog and contact channel complete the service, allowing the department to publish information and hear directly from residents.