Linking OpenAQ as a source
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Skip the manual setup — run this in your project and the wizard auto-detects your databases and APIs and connects them to PostHog.
This source is currently in alpha. The interface and available tables may change.
The OpenAQ connector syncs locations, parameters, countries, and more into the PostHog data warehouse, so you can analyze them alongside your product data.
Prerequisites
Credentials that can read the data you want to sync. PostHog only reads data, so read access is enough.
Adding a data source
- In PostHog, go to the Sources tab of the data pipeline section.
- Click + New source and click Link next to this source.
- Enter your credentials (see Configuration below) and click Next.
- Select the tables you want to sync, choose a sync method and frequency, then click Import.
Once the syncs are complete, you can start querying this data in PostHog.
Enter your OpenAQ API key to pull global air-quality data.
You can create a free API key from your OpenAQ Explorer account.
The free tier is limited to 60 requests per minute. The measurement tables fetch data per sensor, so syncing them against a broad set of locations makes many requests - they're off by default; enable only the sensors you need.
You'll be asked for:
- API key
Sync modes
Each table can be synced in one of several modes, depending on what the source supports:
- Webhook (when available) – the source pushes changes to PostHog in real time. Fastest freshness, lowest ongoing cost, and the only mode that reliably captures updates and deletes.
- Incremental – only new or updated rows are synced on each run, using a cursor field (such as an
updated_attimestamp). Cheaper than a full refresh, but deletes aren't captured. - Append only – new rows are appended using a cursor field; existing rows are never updated. Ideal for immutable, append-only tables like event logs.
- Full refresh – the whole table is reloaded on every sync. Use it when a table has no reliable cursor or when you need deletions reflected.
See sync methods for a full explanation of how each mode works and how to choose between them.
All OpenAQ tables are full refresh. Each sync replaces the contents of the table.
Configuration
| Option | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
API key | password | Yes |
Supported tables
| Table | Description | Sync method | Incremental field | Primary key |
|---|---|---|---|---|
locations | Monitoring locations (stations) that report air-quality measurements. | Full refresh | — | id |
parameters | Pollutants and other parameters measured across the network (e.g. PM2.5, O3, NO2). | Full refresh | — | id |
countries | Countries with at least one monitoring location in the network. | Full refresh | — | id |
providers | Organizations that supply air-quality data to OpenAQ. | Full refresh | — | id |
instruments | Instrument models used by monitoring locations. | Full refresh | — | id |
manufacturers | Manufacturers of the instruments used across the network. | Full refresh | — | id |
owners | Entities that own monitoring locations. | Full refresh | — | id |
licenses | Data licenses that govern how each provider's data may be used. | Full refresh | — | id |
sensors | Sensors materialized from each location's embedded sensor list. Full refresh only | Full refresh | — | id |
measurements | Fetched per sensor across all locations — request-heavy, so off by default | Incremental, Full refresh | datetime_from | sensor_id, datetime_from |
measurements_hourly | Fetched per sensor across all locations — request-heavy, so off by default | Incremental, Full refresh | datetime_from | sensor_id, datetime_from |
measurements_daily | Fetched per sensor across all locations — request-heavy, so off by default | Incremental, Full refresh | datetime_from | sensor_id, datetime_from |
Troubleshooting
- If the connection fails with an authorization error, the API key is wrong, expired, or has been revoked. Create a new one, then reconnect the source.
- If a table syncs no rows, the credential may not have access to that data. Check its permissions, then reconnect the source.
If your sync is failing or data looks wrong, see the Data warehouse troubleshooting guide. If that doesn't help, contact support – we're happy to help.