Philadelphia Pollen, Mold & Ragweed Counts: Artificial Intelligence Sensors

The Asthma Center has been the source of daily pollen, mold, and ragweed counts for the metropolitan Philadelphia area for over 30 years. Starting in the summer of 2020, The Asthma Center installed a revolutionary new technology to bring enhanced pollen, mold and ragweed counts to the Philly area. This new pollen collection process uses a proprietary artificial intelligence powered pollen sensor to collect and analyze pollen samples live through the day. With this new pollen technology, we publish live counts and forecasts (coming soon) throughout the spring and fall allergy seasons.

Our previous counts were obtained by manual analysis and interpretation of pollen samples by a technician. The analysis was done daily and resulted in reporting lags of up to 24 hours, and was not available when the office was closed (for instance on weekends).  The new counts come from machine-learning equipped sensors that automatically convert air samples into pollen forecasts and send the data automatically to our office through a Wi-Fi connection.  We then publish the data on our homepage and through a daily email subscription. This new pollen technology will  give allergy sufferers constant access to the data they really need: pollen, ragweed, and mold counts that reflect what is in the air now, not yesterday. For those who want to plan outdoor activities, this is the most reliable way of using current pollen data to make informed decisions about spending outdoor time.

For more information about this exciting advance in pollen technology call Marc F. Goldstein, MD at The Asthma Center, 215-569-1111. The new automated pollen sensor is on the rooftop of our Center City Philadelphia office, 3 blocks north of City Hall; we would be delighted to give you a tour of the device.

Pollen and mold research data is the sole property of The Asthma Center and cannot be reproduced, used commercially (e.g. clinical trials), or redistributed for any reason without written permission from The Asthma Center.

Pollen Interpretation

Mold Spore Interpretation