Introduction & Purpose

GO IAQS Reports serve as a scientifically robust, retrospective tool engineered for long-term data analysis and strategic benchmarking. Rather than focusing on minute-by-minute fluctuations (we have GO IAQS Score for that), these reports aggregate historical data over specific periods—such as days, weeks, or months—and translate raw measurements into a clear binary percentage of healthy versus unhealthy exposure during occupied hours. This structured approach strips away confusing intermediate air quality tiers, providing partners with the definitive, high-integrity metrics needed to audit building performance, verify compliance with ultimate health limits, and effortlessly benchmark environmental safety across different seasons or facilities.

This tool comes as a support to our integrators, facility managers, and researchers in delivering meaningful Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) insights.

More importantly, these reports translate strict protective thresholds/limits into actionable insights. By leveraging GO IAQS Limits (not GO IAQS Score) and specifically the scientifically robust GO IAQS Ultimate Limits, we can accurately measure and report the exact duration of time users are exposed to pollutant levels that impact human health.

Visualizing Exposure through Percentages

Rather than overwhelming users with raw sensor data, the reports simplify air quality into a clear metric: the percentage of time exposure remained safe versus unsafe.

To maintain maximum clarity, these reports do not use intermediate or “moderate” air quality tiers (such as orange). Exposure is binary, using a strict two-color visual hierarchy:

• Healthy Exposure (Blue #728dfb): Time spent below the protective threshold/limit.
• Unhealthy Exposure (Red #db1f12): Time spent above the protective threshold/limit.

Application to Different Pollutant Types:

• Time-Average Pollutants (e.g., PM_2.5, NO₂, O₃, CO): Calculations are based on hourly average measurements during specific timeframes.

• Threshold-Based Pollutants (e.g., CO₂, CH₂O, Radon): Calculations utilize real-time or near-real-time data.

Practical Examples & Calculations

The following examples illustrate how exposure percentages are calculated during occupied hours (7:00 AM to 2:00 PM in a school environment, totaling 212.92 occupied hours for a month).

Example 1: Classroom 1A (Ideal Conditions)

• Scenario: PM_2.5 concentrations never surpassed the 1-hour average limit of 15 μg/m³ during occupied hours for the entire month.
• Result: 100% Healthy Exposure (Visualized in Blue).

Example 2: Classroom 1B (Occasional Exceedances)

• Scenario: PM_2.5 concentrations surpassed the 1-h average limit of 15 μg/m³ exactly 10 times during occupied hours.
• Total Occupied Hours: 212.92 hours
• Healthy Hours: 202.92 hours = 95.30%
• Unhealthy Hours: 10 hours = 4.70%

The Formulas:

Action Protocols & Operational Reality

Theoretically, to ensure absolute health protection, air quality limits should never be compromised. However, operational reality shows that certain spike events (such as outdoor pollution spikes, weather changes, or specific indoor activities) are sometimes outside of immediate control.

Because minor exceedances are occasionally inevitable, partners utilizing these reports are encouraged to establish an Action Protocol. This protocol defines the exact threshold percentage (e.g., when Unhealthy Exposure exceeds a specific percentage of occupied time) that triggers immediate report operational intervention or building remediation.

GO IAQS Reports (Example)

By standardizing these binary exposure percentages, partners and researchers can now effortlessly benchmark indoor air quality performance across different time periods or directly compare the environmental health of different buildings.