Santa Rosa’s NunnCurtis Labs offers a little breathing room with its recently released app “Canairy.” The app takes checking air local air quality to the next level, and for anyone who has spent a smoky Sonoma County afternoon refreshing an air quality map, we’re here for it.
Created by couple and collaborators Jason Curtis and Jennifer Nunn, the app grew from concern for a family members with asthma that made checking their local air quality a daily task. Wildfires gave that concern an unwelcome boost during the 2017 Tubbs Fire, when they evacuated on their son’s birthday (he ended up opening birthday presents in a Sacramento hotel that year).
Subsequent seasons of smoke bolstered their resolve to help people stay informed without obsessing over every reading.
Canairy, of course, is named for the proverbial “canary in a coal mine” but with the word “air” cleverly tucked into its spelling. It gathers readings from PurpleAir’s community sensor network and EPA AirNow monitors, alongside Google pollen forecasts. Users choose the air quality thresholds that trigger alerts.
The app accounts for different sensitivities and, with paid plans, lets users follow multiple locations.
The venture also has the hallmarks of a local family biz. Curtis came to wine country in 1997, worked at DeLoach, Rodney Strong and Coppola, then moved into winery software. Nunn, an electrical engineer, brought her interests in air quality and solar energy to their next chapter.
“We wanted to do something that really hopefully adds value, makes people’s lives a little bit better,” says Curtis.
The basic app is free; subscriptions help cover data and hosting costs. Curtis also hopes an institutional partner could eventually help make it entirely free.
Canairy is available for iOS and Android. Learn more at canairy-aq.com.