Whose Data is it Anyway?

“If I doubt your intentions I will never trust your actions.”
― Carlos Wallace

I closely follow news and read articles published around air pollution data in the country. Most people consider these news articles as informative as well as trustworthy. However, I came across two different articles (the second one published in less than 12 hours after the first one) that ostensibly contradict each other. These two articles are: “Delhi’s Air quality now ‘satisfactory’: Environment department” – Click here “Why Delhi’s air pollution problem never gets solved” – Click here A reading of the mere headings of these two articles makes us realize that these two are inherently contradictory. This begs the obvious questions: Can I trust what I read? Whose data is correct? Which media source is more reliable than the other? A statement from the first reads: “‘Ambient air quality index in the national Capital is showing continuous improvement,’ Hussain was told by officials of the environment department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).” On the other hand, the second article reads “The capital city Delhi has yet again been ranked as the most polluted megacity in the world. Last year, the Delhi chief minister compared the city to a ‘gas chamber’, while the Indian Medical Association issued a public warning saying it was in a state of ‘medical health emergency’” The article further quotes “United Airlines had canceled some of its Delhi-bound flights, calling Delhi’s air quality toxic, with conditions similar to a ‘natural disaster‘”. Which of these two sources do you consider as more trust-worthy? Would you rather risk the lives of your loved ones on the basis of data that is unreliable and contradictory? If you use medical thermometers every time you’re taken ill, why rely on government sources/mass media regarding the very quality of air you breathe? Why rely on contradictory sources when you can count on accurate, authentic and dependable sources of air quality data? It is for these circumstances that we built Ambee – circumstances when you need to check information yourself and take effective preventive measures. Having lived through (and successfully combated) the problem and witnessed a plethora of people suffering, we now only believe on what we see on our sensors – sensors that maintain a particular benchmark. Do buy one if you are interested: Click here Always be aware. Know better, Live Better.