An interactive web application for visualizing and analyzing the health impacts of wildfire smoke PM₂.₅ pollution across the contiguous United States. This project provides comprehensive data on PM₂.₅ levels, excess mortality, years of life lost (YLL), and demographic factors from 2006-2023.
This interface was developed by an undergraduate intern at Princeton University's High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) with the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (CPREE). The project aims to support air quality management and public health research by providing accessible, interactive visualizations of wildfire smoke impacts.
- County-level choropleth maps showing PM₂.₅ concentrations and health impacts
- Multiple data layers: Average, maximum, and population-weighted PM₂.₅ data
- Time controls: Yearly, monthly, and seasonal data views (2006-2023)
- Dynamic legends with color-coded scales and units (µg/m³)
- Excess mortality estimates by county and age group
- Years of Life Lost (YLL) calculations
- Baseline mortality rates from CDC Wonder data
- County information panels with detailed statistics
- Bar charts for temporal trends and decomposition analysis
- Interactive hover effects with real-time data display
- Multi-metric comparisons (fire vs. non-fire PM₂.₅)
- Concentration-Response Functions from peer-reviewed research
- Statistical models including GEMM and Binned Poisson approaches
- Decomposition analysis for understanding contributing factors
- EPA exceedance tracking (2021-2023 averages vs. standards)
- PM₂.₅ data in CSV format with time period selection
- Excess mortality data with demographic breakdowns
- YLL calculations by county and age group
- Filtered exports by selected time periods and metrics
The PM₂.₅ Wildfire Impact Map is available online at:
https://usfirepollution.mauzerall.scholar.princeton.edu/
Access the interactive map, explore health impact data, and download datasets directly through your web browser.
- React 18 with Material-UI components
- Maplibre GL JS for interactive mapping
- Responsive design for desktop and mobile devices
- Component-based architecture for maintainability
- FastAPI (Python) for high-performance API
- PostgreSQL with PostGIS for geospatial data
- SQLAlchemy ORM for database operations
- GeoPandas for spatial data processing
- PM₂.₅ Data: Surface monitors, satellite observations, model simulations
- Population Data: US Census API (ACS 5-year and 1-year estimates)
- Health Data: CDC Wonder, peer-reviewed epidemiological studies
- Geographic Data: US Census Bureau shapefiles (2018)
- Combined approach integrating multiple data sources
- Fire attribution using concentration-response functions
- Quality control and validation procedures
- Excess mortality using Burnett et al., Ma et al., Qiu et al. CRFs
- Years of Life Lost with age-specific life expectancy data
- Demographic analysis for health equity assessment
This interface is part of ongoing research on improving wildfire smoke PM₂.₅ estimates to support US air quality management. The methodology incorporates peer-reviewed research from leading institutions and follows EPA guidelines for air quality assessment.
- API Documentation - Complete API reference
- Database Schema - Database structure and relationships
- Frontend Components - React component documentation
- Deployment Guide - Docker and production deployment
This project is part of academic research at Princeton University. Please contact the development team for licensing and usage permissions.
- High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) - Project support and resources
- Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment (CPREE) - Research collaboration
This project represents ongoing research in environmental health and air quality management. For the latest updates and research findings, please refer to academic publications.