O₂lytics

Inspiration

Air pollution isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s a personal health problem. Most people know what AQI is, but very few understand how it affects them hour by hour or what actions they can take immediately.
o2lytics was inspired by the gap between raw air-quality data and human-centric understanding. Instead of trying to fix pollution, we focus on helping people reduce exposure intelligently.

What it does

o2lytics is a smart air-quality exposure assistant that tracks, analyzes, and explains pollution in a way people can actually understand.

It provides:

Real-time AQI monitoring
Trend and anomaly alerts
Exposure translated into relatable terms (e.g. cigarettes worth of exposure)
Personalized suggestions based on sensitivity mode and indoor/outdoor context

How we built it

We built o2lytics with a clean, minimal UI focused on clarity and accessibility.
The system analyzes AQI data, detects trends and anomalies, and generates health-based insights. User preferences such as sensitivity level and indoor sensor mode allow the experience to adapt to individual needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was making complex environmental data intuitive without oversimplifying it. Translating AQI values into meaningful health impact required careful design decisions. Another challenge was preventing alert fatigue — ensuring users receive warnings when it truly matters.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of

We’re proud of shifting the focus from raw pollution numbers to real human exposure. Features like exposure equivalence, sensitivity-based alerts, and clean visualization make o2lytics practical, understandable, and calming rather than overwhelming.

What we learned

We learned that data alone is not enough — context and presentation define usefulness. Users care more about what it means for them than the number itself. We also gained valuable experience designing for health, ethics, and trust.