New air pollution maps released by Google show nitrogen dioxide emissions at the hyperlocal level in three California cities. San Francisco is seen in this animated image; scroll down for the full video.

(Google/Aclima)

At a Glance

Google released new hyperlocal data to show the areas of highest pollution in several areas of California.The data was compiled using Street View cars and Aclima sensors to monitor pollution levels.The data has been made available to air quality scientists in hopes it'll lead to better city planning.

With the help of its world-renowned Street View cars, Google recently teamed up with environmental sensor network Aclima to map two California cities and one of the state's regions to give us the most hyperlocal view of those areas' pollution we've ever seen.

Google's vehicles of roads in Los Angeles, San Francisco and California's Central Valley to find out which areas are forced to endure above-average levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, black carbon, particulate matter and methane. They're hopeful that these maps will help local officials zero in on the most polluted areas and think of better solutions for clearing the air.

Earlier this year, in an effort to find that city's locales with the worst air. Earlier this week, Google released briefvideos showing their data for the other three locations. In each of the clips, yellow-shaded areas represent locations of high nitrogen dioxide emissions, while blue shading shows places where NO2 levels are lower.

Nitrogen dioxide, which is emitted as fuel is burned, can lead to respiratory problems if ingested in high concentrations , according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

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San Francisco

High in density and loaded with vehicles, much of the pollution in San Francisco is created in the city. Refineries and power plants, where additional pollution is created, are mostly located along San Francisco's eastern coast – where some of the highest concentration of pollutants were observed.

Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, the famously busy freeways look like yellow veins on the map, but there are other factors that contribute to elevated levels of pollution in the city. Toxic emissions along the coast also become L.A.'s problem when weather patterns blow pollution toward the city. Google studied five neighborhoods, not the entire city, for this round of data: West Los Angeles, North Long Beach, Boyle Heights, Wilmington and Westchester.

Central Valley

In this area, traffic from major interstates is responsible for a lot of the pollution, but so is agriculture and industry; much of the valley is dotted with farms that produce a sizable chunk of the nation's food. It's home to some of the nation's most polluted cities, some of which , according to Earther.

And because of this region's topography, pollution can get trapped and remain in the valley for a long time, Earther also said.

Google has also made its data available to air quality scientists, and a request .