Wildfire Smoke Activity Rescheduler
Finds lower-smoke time slots and alternative locations for planned outdoor activities.
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
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. S1 S2 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.
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.
Punching above its weight
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
- AirNow Fire and Smoke MapGoogle
- 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 AirVisualGoogle
- 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
Seasonal smoke subscription: free access to the current plan, with paid multi-location monitoring, companion risk profiles, and automatic rescheduling alerts.
The 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.