OpenAQ
OpenAQ is a US nonprofit that aggregates and harmonizes global ground-level air quality data from hundreds of sources into a free, open-source platform with a REST API, web Explorer, and AWS S3 archive, serving researchers, community organizations, developers, and policymakers working to address air inequality.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenAQ does
OpenAQ is a US-incorporated nonprofit organization, founded around 2015–2016 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that operates an open-source data platform aggregating ground-level ambient air quality data from hundreds of sources worldwide. The platform harmonizes heterogeneous measurements—primarily PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, O3, BC, and selected meteorological parameters—into a single uniform format expressed in physical units, and distributes both near real-time and historical data. Core products include the OpenAQ REST API (v3, the sole active version since January 31, 2025), the OpenAQ Explorer web application, the Open Data on AWS S3 archive (Hive-partitioned for Athena queries), official Python and R client libraries, and the AQI Hub educational resource. Technology is built on AWS infrastructure (S3 storage and Web Application Firewall, hosted in AWS US East – N. Virginia), with the underlying data-fetching software released as open source.
The organization serves a horizontal user base spanning scientific researchers (e.g., Finnish Meteorological Institute, NOAA/NSF NCAR), grassroots community organizations (e.g., Clean Air One Atmosphere in Ghana and Malawi), developers, and policymakers engaged in air pollution research, satellite validation, community monitoring, and policy advocacy. OpenAQ does not charge for any of its products or services; the business model relies entirely on donations processed through the GiveLively platform and on sponsorship relationships, with no pricing tiers, enterprise contracts, or venture funding disclosed. Marketing and community engagement are conducted through the company website, a Medium blog, an active GitHub presence, a Slack community, a Bluesky social channel, and a quarterly email newsletter, with Plausible Analytics and Mailchimp supporting the underlying infrastructure.
OpenAQ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenAQ
- Legal name
- OpenAQ Inc.
- Website
- https://openaq.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenAQ is a US nonprofit that aggregates and harmonizes global ground-level air quality data from hundreds of sources into a free, open-source platform with a REST API, web Explorer, and AWS S3 archive, serving researchers, community organizations, developers, and policymakers working to address air inequality.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenAQ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Data Platform
- NAICS
- Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Information (51)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics) (EUAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) & Building Health Assessments (EUAHAGAG), Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC)
Keywords
Where OpenAQ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
OpenAQ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: As a nonprofit organization, OpenAQ is funded through donations and sponsorships. The website features a donate button linking to GiveLively platform and a sponsor page.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free open access to all data and services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
OpenAQ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenAQ aggregates air quality measurements from hundreds of global sources and harmonizes them into a single uniform format on an open-source platform. It provides universal, free access to this data via a REST API, an interactive web-based Explorer tool, and a bulk AWS S3 data archive, supporting pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, O3, BC, and meteorological variables.
Product overview
OpenAQ is a nonprofit organization providing a unified data platform for global air quality information. The core offering consists of the OpenAQ API (primary data access method providing REST endpoints to query measurements, locations, sensors, and providers), the OpenAQ Explorer (interactive web interface with maps and visualizations), and Open Data on AWS (bulk archive access via S3). The AQI Hub provides educational resources on air quality index methodologies. Developer support is available through official Python and R client libraries. All data is harmonized into a single uniform format from hundreds of sources worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OpenAQ Explorer: Interactive map for exploring and understanding global air quality data.
- OpenAQ API
- AQI Hub
Products and services
- OpenAQ API REST API (v3) providing open access to global air quality data with JSON-formatted responses. Aggregates measurements from hundreds of sources worldwide, harmonizing them into a uniform format. Supports filtering by location, parameter, date range, and geospatial queries, with API key authentication and rate limits.
- OpenAQ Explorer Interactive web-based map application that allows users to explore and understand global air quality data through visual maps, latest readings graphs, and pattern analysis. Supports free account registration for saving favorite locations and downloading location-specific data.
- Open Data on AWS Full OpenAQ data archive available as open data on AWS S3 bucket (s3://openaq-data-archive) for large-scale data access. Data is organized in Apache Hive partitioning format with CSV.gz files partitioned by location, year, and month, enabling efficient querying via AWS Athena SQL.
- AQI Hub Information hub providing educational resources about the methodologies different countries use to build their Air Quality Index communications tools, supporting cross-country understanding and interpretation of AQI values.
- Python Client Library Official Python library for interacting with the OpenAQ API, handling rate limiting and other API complexities automatically. Used by developers integrating OpenAQ data into Python-based applications and analyses.
- R Client Library Official R library for interacting with the OpenAQ API, handling rate limiting and other API complexities automatically. Used by R-based researchers and data scientists for air quality analysis.
Quantifiable outcome
- Used by Finnish Meteorological Institute to build machine learning models for satellite PM2.5 retrieval post-process correction (published in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 2024)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenAQ
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OpenAQ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
OpenAQ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreAWS provides cloud infrastructure for hosting the OpenAQ data platform using AWS US East - N. Virginia datacenter, including S3 storage and Web Application Firewall. The personal data collected by OpenAQ is stored on AWS servers. AWS also enables the Open Data on AWS program allowing public access to the data archive.
- Clean Air One Atmosphere (CAOA)coreGrassroots organization using OpenAQ's data platform to provide air quality data access to communities in Ghana and Malawi. CAOA conducts field studies, archives data on OpenAQ, and uses findings to advocate for clean air policies. CAOA's lead Victor Dzidefo Ablo values OpenAQ's consistent, easy-to-use interface and ability to freely access sensor data.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenAQ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BreezoMeter: Provides commercial air quality data APIs serving developers and enterprises with global coverage, pollutant data, and health recommendations. Directly comparable as an API-first air quality data provider targeting the same developer and enterprise user base as OpenAQ.
- World Air Quality Index Project (aqicn.org): Nonprofit-style project aggregating real-time air quality data from worldwide EPA and station sources into a unified index. Directly comparable as an open, multi-source air quality data aggregator serving a global community of users.
Emerging players
- AirGradient: Open-source air quality monitor manufacturer and data platform focused on community and educational deployments. Comparable as an open-source participant in the global air quality ecosystem with overlapping grassroots and education-oriented users.
- Clarity Movement: Operates low-cost air quality sensor networks and provides open data platforms for governments and communities. Comparable as a deployer of distributed air quality monitoring with an open data ethos, particularly relevant to OpenAQ's community-led use cases.
- Plume Labs (AccuWeather): Air quality forecasting and data platform (now part of AccuWeather) offering hyperlocal pollution data and apps. Comparable as a developer- and consumer-facing air quality data service with API distribution.
- Aerostate: AI-driven air quality forecasting and analytics platform serving enterprise customers. Comparable as a value-added air quality data and analytics provider serving enterprise and developer customers similar to OpenAQ's downstream users.
- Sensor.Community: Citizen-science open air quality sensor network contributing crowdsourced PM data globally. Comparable as an open, community-contributed air quality data source that overlaps with OpenAQ's grassroots data ethos and Global South coverage.
Broad incumbents
- IQAir: Global leader in air quality monitoring with commercial hardware sensors, the AirVisual platform, and a widely used world air quality map. Highly comparable as a global aggregator and disseminator of air quality information, though IQAir operates a commercial product suite where OpenAQ is nonprofit open data.
- OpenWeather: Commercial API provider offering weather and air quality data to developers and enterprises worldwide. Comparable as an API-first environmental data platform targeting the same developer segment, though OpenWeather operates a broader weather-first model.
- U.S. EPA AirNow: U.S. government air quality reporting program aggregating data from federal, state, and local agencies. Comparable as a multi-source air quality data aggregator; OpenAQ actually ingests AirNow data as one of its many sources, illustrating the structural similarity and overlap.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenAQ social profiles
Digital presenceOpenAQ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenAQ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
OpenAQ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenAQ M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenAQ
What does OpenAQ do?
OpenAQ aggregates air quality measurements from hundreds of global sources and harmonizes them into a single uniform format on an open-source platform. It provides universal, free access to this data via a REST API, an interactive web-based Explorer tool, and a bulk AWS S3 data archive, supporting pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, O3, BC, and meteorological variables.
Is OpenAQ a public or private company?
OpenAQ is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenAQ founded?
OpenAQ was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenAQ based?
OpenAQ is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenAQ make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Sponsorships.
Who are OpenAQ's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BreezoMeter and World Air Quality Index Project (aqicn.org). Emerging players are AirGradient, Clarity Movement, Plume Labs (AccuWeather), Aerostate and Sensor.Community. Broad incumbents are IQAir, OpenWeather and U.S. EPA AirNow.
Does OpenAQ have an API?
Yes. OpenAQ API version 3 provides open access to global air quality data, following REST principles with resource-oriented URLs, standard HTTP response codes, and JSON-formatted responses. The API focuses on criteria air pollutants, primarily aggregating PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, O3, BC, relative humidity and temperature measurement data, with limited data for PM1, PM4, CO2, NO, NOx, CH4 and UFP. Authentication uses API key via X-API-Key header. Version 1 and version 2 endpoints were retired on January 31, 2025. The API provides official client libraries in Python and R. Developer documentation is at docs.openaq.org.
What industry is OpenAQ in?
OpenAQ's product category is Environmental Data Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAHACAA, Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics), with a secondary code of EUAHAGAG, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) & Building Health Assessments. Its NAICS code is 9241.