Tailored monitoring products improve air quality
Poor air quality remains a critical global health issue, responsible for the premature deaths of around 7 million people every year. While citizens in developing countries are often more exposed to pollution, certain regions across Europe and the United States can also exceed current World Health Organization air pollution guidelines. This health threat underlines the importance of accurate global and regional air pollution measurements. These are typically carried out by both ground stations and satellite observations, which collect data on the chemical composition of the atmosphere.
Turning air quality data into actionable information
While such data provides experts and policymakers with a clearer idea of the levels of pollution – and sometimes what is causing this pollution – a key challenge is turning this data into actionable and useful information. “While all this satellite data is a potential goldmine, it is often underused,” says AQ-WATCH project coordinator Guy Brasseur from the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany. “The data sits in files and computers.” The rationale behind the AQ-WATCH project therefore was to take full advantage of information that already exists, by creating easy-to-use monitoring products that could directly benefit policymakers, scientists and ultimately citizens. To achieve this, the project brought together not only scientists and academics, but also SMEs with experience in developing IT products. Three geographical regions were focused on: Chile, Beijing in China, and Colorado in the United States. “We began by proposing certain products, then discussed these ideas with end users,” adds Brasseur. “We then built pre-prototypes, engaged in another round of dialogue, and improved the prototypes based on input and suggestions
Developing prototype air quality monitoring products
With the help of the project’s SMEs, the team was able to build a number of prototype air quality monitoring products that utilise existing data. These tools have been designed to be easily integrated into existing monitoring systems and target specific needs. For example, one of the tools is a high-resolution air quality forecast system for urban areas, based on satellite and ground-based information. A second tool is an atlas of air quality. “We also developed an attribution tool, which can help users to identify the source of pollution, and whether the source of pollution is local,” explains Brasseur. “This could allow people to take action that targets the sources of air pollution.” The project team developed a tool to help users estimate the impact of any proposed pollution reduction action, and a system that predicts dust storms. This could be particularly useful for solar energy operators, as dust storms can severely impact performance. A system for wildfire alerts was tested in Colorado, and the team also developed models to predict pollution caused by fracking operations. These prototype tools were then made available via a user interface platform, which was specifically built for the project.
Further development and commercialisation of tools
Since project completion, the consortium has been investigating potential opportunities to further develop and commercialise these tools, and to expand them to cover other parts of the world. An international energy company for example has expressed an interested in integrating air quality monitoring systems into parts of Africa. “A key challenge is that every part of the world has different requirements,” says Brasseur. “These tools will therefore need to be adapted to suit different situations. This will require further cooperation between scientists and companies.”
Keywords
AQ-WATCH, climate, air, pollution, forecasting, satellite, urban, atlas