  Urban air pollution has been linked to various human health considerations,
including cardiopulmonary diseases. Communities who suffer from poor air
quality often rely on experts to identify pollution sources due to the lack of
accessible tools. Taking this into account, we developed Smell Pittsburgh, a
system that enables community members to report odors and track where these
odors are frequently concentrated. All smell report data are publicly
accessible online. These reports are also sent to the local health department
and visualized on a map along with air quality data from monitoring stations.
This visualization provides a comprehensive overview of the local pollution
landscape. Additionally, with these reports and air quality data, we developed
a model to predict upcoming smell events and send push notifications to inform
communities. Our evaluation of this system demonstrates that engaging residents
in documenting their experiences with pollution odors can help identify local
air pollution patterns, and can empower communities to advocate for better air
quality.
