Spatial and temporal patterns of air quality in the three economic zones of China

The air pollution problem in China continues to become more severe with dramatic economic development. The focus of this study was to create a map representing the spatial–temporal pattern of the air quality in the three major economic zones in China, including the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Economic Zone, the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone, and the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone in 2014. A calendar view was used to visualize the daily condition of air quality and primary pollutant in each city in 2014, and geographic references were added to each visualization according to their spatial relationships. The map provides an efficient way to investigate and understand the current status of air quality and spatial–temporal patterns of air quality.