Turn off accessible linear format and redisplay the web page in it's original layout. About Clean Air Online (CAOL)
Clean Air Online (CAOL) takes advantage of the internet to provide timely, locally relevant and action oriented information, tools and resources focussed on Clean Air or air quality issues. It is an Environment Canada (EC) lead project consisting of a national website linked to a pilot project in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In this way, CAOL coordinates and shares information from different sources in order to present a single air quality story that is geographically relevant, comprehensive, user friendly and applicable.
CAOL's central goal is to create an informed and active Canadian community by:
- Illustrating the links between air quality and our activities; and,
- Providing information and tools that support individual action to improve air quality and protect their health.
CAOL is a key way for the Government of Canada to inform and interact with the public about clean air issues. It helps the Government of Canada meet its obligations for accountability and public reporting under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and the Department of the Environment Act by ensuring that information and data are accessible to communities across Canada.
Intended Audiences
The Clean Air OnLine website provides information to meet the needs of a variety of audiences including students, researchers, decision makers, industry members and many others, with the primary audience being the general public.
In order to do this, content is written and organized with the belief that complex ideas can be developed simply so that they are easily understood by most everyone. Visitors are presented with overview texts to provide the context and links to more technical or specific pieces of information. In this way, CAOL facilitates growth and learning.
However, when the visitor no longer needs to read through this overview text, the navigational design of CAOL allows quicker access, or shortcuts, to any particular piece of information. This feature is of particular importance to those visitors who have specific needs and interests, or are already familiar with the broader story.
