Retrieve current or historical PM2.5 sensor readings from the PurpleAir API for a sensor or bounding box
domain: api.purpleair.com · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Request API read/write keys from PurpleAir since access is not fully self-service.
Call GET https://api.purpleair.com/v1/sensors (or /v1/sensors/{sensor_index}) with the X-API-Key header and a fields parameter listing desired variables (e.g. pm2.5, humidity).
Include the sensor's private read_key in the request if querying a privately registered sensor rather than a publicly listed one.
Use bounding-box or nearby-location parameters to search sensors within a geographic area rather than querying by index one at a time.
For historical data, use the sensor history endpoints with start/end timestamps and an appropriate averaging interval.
Known gotchas
A sensor's read_key is only required for privately registered sensors; omitting it for those sensors causes the request to be denied even with a valid general API key.
PurpleAir raw PM2.5 readings are uncorrected and commonly require a correction formula (e.g. EPA correction) before comparing to regulatory air-quality data like AirNow's.
API key issuance is manual/request-based, not instant self-serve signup, so plan lead time before integration.
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