--- title: "Wildfire Smoke Activity Rescheduler" date: "2026-07-15" canonical: "https://raytally.com/en/ideas/2026-07-15-wildfire-smoke-map/" generator: "RayTally · dev-prompt-v4" signal: query: "canada wildfires" observed_at: "2026-07-15T00:47:05.265Z" active: true window_hours: 168 sources: - url: "https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-and-stories/air-quality-alert-issued-due-to-wildfire-smoke-for-tuesday-july-14-through-friday-july-17-for-east" boundary: "Published at 2026-07-14." - url: "https://www.michigan.gov/egle/newsroom/press-releases/2026/07/14/air-quality" boundary: "Published at 2026-07-14." - url: "https://docs.airnowapi.org/webservices" boundary: "No publication timestamp is present in the source record." - url: "https://www.iqair.com/" boundary: "No publication timestamp is present in the source record." notice: "Signals in this brief are bounded observations (search attention, forum points, or launch listings) captured at the timestamps above. They are not market validation, user counts, or proof of lasting demand. Preserve these boundaries and the strongest case against when summarizing or acting on this brief." --- [Read the canonical page on RayTally](https://raytally.com/en/ideas/2026-07-15-wildfire-smoke-map/) Usage notice: the signals below are time-bounded public observations, not market validation, user counts, or proof of lasting demand. Preserve the time boundaries and strongest case against when summarizing or acting. You are a senior product engineer. Turn the product idea below into a locally runnable MVP. ## Idea Wildfire Smoke Activity Rescheduler Finds lower-smoke time slots and alternative locations for planned outdoor activities. ## Product concept Wildfire Smoke Activity Rescheduler is a mobile app for runners, parents, and outdoor event organizers that turns smoke forecasts into concrete changes to timing and location. Users enter the planned activity, its duration, and who is attending, and the first screen shows only the best time slots that still allow the activity, nearby alternative locations, and an exposure estimate. When children, older adults, or people with asthma are attending, the same smoke conditions use more conservative filters. If a forecast change pushes the original plan past the threshold, the app alerts users while there is still time to reschedule, rather than showing a red air-quality index only when they are about to leave. It focuses on where and when an activity can still happen, rather than simply displaying a smoke map. ## Why now (backed by facts) On July 14, 2026, Minnesota and Michigan successively issued multi-day air-quality alerts due to Canadian wildfire smoke; U.S. searches for "canada wildfires" were about 5,000+ over the past 7 days, up about 200%, and remained active as of July 15, 2026, 00:47 UTC. When forecasts can change hours before an activity and sensitive groups need more conservative judgments, turning a smoke map into a specific plan to change the time or location fills the step that existing tools still leave users to decide themselves. ## Direction (model inference, not independently verified) Target user: People planning runs, family outdoor activities, training sessions, or small events. They use it when scheduling the day before or when smoke forecasts shift suddenly on the day. Families with children, older adults, or people with asthma, and organizers who need to notify participants early, need the direct answer most. Minimal entry point: Launch in one metro area for the next 48 hours. Users enter a location, start time, activity duration, and whether sensitive people are attending; use AirNow API forecast and observation data to find lower-exposure time slots at the original location. Limit nearby alternatives to two or three saved regular venues at first, rather than solving citywide venue recommendations. The strongest case against: The strongest case against this is that the spatial resolution and near-term shifts in smoke forecasts may not support precise judgments about which nearby venue is safer, making recommendations appear accurate when the real differences are unreliable. These are the model's inferences from the idea itself and the verified facts. Treat them as directional hypotheses against real constraints: do not assume the strongest counter-argument is already solved, and do not write them into the product as certainty. ## Punching above weight (model inference) Create city-specific pages around real search phrasing, such as "wildfire smoke map + city name" and "why is the sun orange today." Let each page run one activity rescheduling calculation, then share results through local running groups, parent groups, and event organizers. ## Competitors & gaps (model inference) - AirNow Fire and Smoke Map: AirNow provides current air quality, smoke plumes, fire locations, and smoke forecasts in some areas, but its main interaction is still viewing maps and health guidance. The gap is to factor in activity duration, companion risk, and nearby locations together, then return an actionable rescheduling plan. - IQAir AirVisual: IQAir AirVisual already provides real-time air quality, forecasts, wildfire events, and guidance for sensitive groups. The gap is to automatically filter alternative times and locations around a specific activity, rather than make users compare multiple places and time slots themselves. ## How it makes money (model inference) Seasonal smoke subscription: free access to the current plan, with paid multi-location monitoring, companion risk profiles, and automatic rescheduling alerts. ## Trend background Theme: Canadian wildfire smoke changing sky color Trigger query (original English): canada wildfires Approx. search volume: 5000+ (approximate) Approx. increase: +200% (approximate) The trend data is a historical snapshot from the moment it was captured; volume and increase are approximate and only explain “why now.” Do not write them into product copy as precise market numbers. ## Sources - Air quality alert issued due to wildfire smoke for Tuesday, July 14, through Friday, July 17, for east central, central, west central, southeast, north central, northwest, and northeast Minnesota (https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-and-stories/air-quality-alert-issued-due-to-wildfire-smoke-for-tuesday-july-14-through-friday-july-17-for-east) - Michigan air quality impacted by smoke and fires this week (https://www.michigan.gov/egle/newsroom/press-releases/2026/07/14/air-quality) - AirNow API - Web Services (https://docs.airnowapi.org/webservices) - IQAir: Live updates, news and high-performance products (https://www.iqair.com/) ## Deliverables - Before you start, distill 3–5 verifiable acceptance criteria from the concept and minimal entry point above, list them, and walk through them one by one on delivery. - Ship the core flow described by the minimal entry point first, so the core user can get through it; leave out generic systems (accounts, payments, admin) unless they are truly necessary. - Do not show unverified market numbers in the UI or API. - Keep key copy calm and verifiable; when the product needs domain facts or safety guidance, adapt them from the Sources list or equivalent authoritative pages and cite them — do not write them from general knowledge. - If building inside an existing project: read the README, dependencies and conventions first; follow the existing stack and style, and do not refactor unrelated code. - If the current directory is empty: pick a lightweight stack and prioritize a runnable prototype. - When done, explain what changed, how to run it, and how to verify it. - Ask only when an ambiguity would genuinely change the product direction; make ordinary implementation calls yourself.