Final Report Summary - AIRLOG (INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR INTELLIGENT INDOOR AIR QUALITY AUDIT MANAGEMENT)
Executive Summary:
While ambient air pollution is being successfully monitored throughout the EU, the situation for indoor air pollution is not nearly as positive. This is of particular concern, as a much wider range of air pollutants are found at higher levels indoors than outdoors. Indoor air quality is a major concern to businesses, building managers, tenants, and employees because it can impact the health, comfort, well-being, and productivity of building occupants, as most Europeans spend up to 90% of their time indoors and many spend most of their working hours in an office environment.
Studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others show that indoor environments can sometimes have levels of pollutants that are actually higher than levels found outside. In spite of the obvious need to better control and manage the quality of indoor air, no European legislation or standard currently defines indoor air quality auditing and management systems, leaving it to the member states' responsibility to define air quality targets and risk levels, certification procedures and audit management processes.
AIRLOG (www.iaq-airlog.eu) proposes a web-based Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Audit Management platform that will save specialized SMEs up to 40% of the cost of performing audits, helping auditors improve their audits and clients better understand the IAQ process. AIRLOG’s Decision Support System will learn from past experiences and propose the most effective Best Practice mitigation actions to ultimately improve IAQ control and healthier conditions in EU buildings. The link between sustainable building design, energy-efficient management and green procurement will be actively fostered by AIRLOG, through the development of a unique knowledge base at the EU level on successful indoor air management practices for various building types in various EU areas.
The consortium has the complementary business capabilities and commercial networks to guarantee the technology’s quick route to the market, the consortium is registering a European Economic Interest Group with the aim to commercialize the product. All members are fully committed to ensuring the success of the projects, led by the SMEs in testing, validating using and protecting the results.
The project has been divided into research, demonstration, dissemination, exploitation and management activities by means of Work packages. After 30 months of research AIRLOG achieved all the objectives foreseen.
Project Context and Objectives:
Premature deaths, health care and medications due to air pollution amount to 1,000 billion Euros yearly, or up to 9% of the EU GDP. While ambient air pollution is being successfully monitored throughout the EU, the situation for indoor air pollution is not nearly as positive. This is of particular concern, as a much wider range of air pollutants are found at higher levels indoors than outdoors. The combination of generally higher indoor concentrations and long amounts of time spent indoors results in indoor air being a prime source of air pollution exposure, regardless of the sources. Every year, 2.2 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributed in EU-27 to indoor air quality, not including environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Indoor exposure to air pollutants occurs in both private and public environments such as homes, offices, schools, and transport systems. Most indoor air pollutants consist of chemicals released by cleaning products, air fresheners, pesticides and emissions from furniture and construction materials, heating and cooking. Due to the complexity of indoor air pollution and its variability over time, a precise estimation of risk associated with the exposure to complex mixes and generalized results is a challenging task. To cover this knowledge gap, the SCHER Committee states in its Opinion that a comprehensive review of the existing data on the indoor air pollutants, as well as the setup of a pan European database, is required.
The causal mechanism of indoor air pollution is complex, making it technically difficult to control indoor air quality with regulatory instruments alone. IAQ audits are a key tool to prevent health risks and spur productivity, while supporting energy efficient measures. The WECF’s 2010 European study on indoor air quality in children's rooms found that 40% of the studied rooms were above the limit values in volatile organic compound emissions, and only 10% were under 1 μg/m3 (guideline value for long-term exposure) for formaldehyde2. IAQ affects comfort, health and productivity. Indoor air quality parameters are still widely unknown as regards risks and contingency actions, precisely due to the multi-zone interaction of the pollutants and emission sources at the building level. In Finland, the country with the highest air conditioning rate in the EU, national studies have shown that high ventilation rates combined with maintaining comfort temperature lead to enhanced productivity.
While AIRLOG does not aim to solve current gaps in the scientific evidence of IAQ health risks (see SCHER Committee4), it aims at helping auditors improve their audits, helping clients better understand the IAQ Control and maintenance processes and, ultimately, improving IAQ control in EU buildings.
To achieve this goal AIRLOG provides a platform that automates the tedious process of auditing and reporting, queries an intelligent decision support system that learns from past actions and impacts, simulates the effect of contaminants in different environments, permits more efficient interaction with clients, and harmonizes results with similar practices and cases in various environments at the EU level.
The results obtained with the pre-commercial prototype of AIRLOG demonstrated the benefits of using the platform and the SME companies involved in the project are currently planning the next steps for the development of the commercial product and respective market route.
To achieve the current results the objectives set for the AIRLOG project where:
1) Perform a comparative study of national auditing processes (WP1). This study encompassed countries within the EU, as the IAQ auditing process in each is subjected to national regulations and has a different legal status. An analysis was made of existing parameters, methods and processes at EU level– Achieved by month 9– Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
2) Analyze existing IAQ norms and processes valid in the five countries of the participating SMEs (WP1). This entailed the study of the main process steps and the current IAQ parameters and methodologies subject to IAQ audits in the 5 countries represented in the consortium: Portugal, Spain, the UK, Finland and Hungary. Preliminary process maps were drawn for these 5 EU countries, together with a comparison study and assessment of coherences and incoherencies at national level- – Achieved by month 18 – Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
3) Define a Knowledge repository framework (WP1). Input requirements were defined to establish the framework for a knowledge base, to address the clusterizing in WP3. This knowledge base is comprised of a generic process and indicators in English which are easily adaptable to specific national needs, and a country-based access with national processes, indicators and documents, available in the national language - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
4) To create a case study format and a collection of cases (WP1). The case study format summarizes the most relevant information of the audit; several cases have been collected in this format including some exemplar cases extracted from the literature. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM.
5) Define the architecture for the Simulation tool (WP2). A specific architecture was defined for the computer simulation models to be developed. This architecture contemplates the unique combination of a fast multi zone model and a detailed single model to allow faster and more accurate analysis of true impacts of various actions in improving IAQ. A Human Thermal Model predicting thermal sensations and thermal comfort was also included- Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: VTT, FIAC, AD, AS, PAP, GAM, IDMEC, ATEKNEA.
6) Implement an easy to use simulation tool (WP2). The IAQ and Human Thermal Model (HTM) simulation tools have been developed by VTT. The IAQ tool allows performing contaminant calculations of different contaminant types under some space boundaries conditions while HTM has been developed in order to estimate thermal sensation and comfort of individuals under different thermal boundary conditions –Achieved by month M27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, FIAC, VTT, IDMEC.
7) Define the System Architecture and Design Definition (WP3). Based on the knowledge generated and collected in WP1, system architecture was defined including DSS rule-based engine. This will automate, route and approve processes using a process-map OSS. The design also contemplates the creation of a multi-lingual platform and user interfaces and the integration of the system as a web-based platform with various access profiles - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, IDMEC and VTT.
8) Develop of the process management system (WP3). The software process management encompasses the AIRLOG main functionalities divided in five different modules: system administration, guideline administration, company management, audit and reporting. These modules cover the whole audit process and provide guidance to the auditor when performing an audit. As all the information is managed by the platform that is able to generate customized reports with all relevant audit information, saving the auditor this tedious task. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
9) Develop the corrective measure support (WP3). The Decision Support System (DSS) module has been developed and integrated in the main platform. This module provides support to the IAQ consultants during the audit process; it identifies past similar audits and extracts the most relevant information that could be used in the current audit process. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
10) User interface development and integration (WP3). The AIRLOG user interface has been developed and integrated taking into account the special necessities of the tablet pcs. The Decision Support System and Simulation modules have been integrated in the platform and their functionalities can be accessed at different points during the audit process. The interface is prepared to be presented in different languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian and Portuguese) but more can be easily added in the future. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
11) IAQ audit of a large building using various national IAQ audit systems (WP4). AD with ATEKNEA’s assistance selected a large public building with central HVAC system in Portugal. These partners gathered all the preliminary information about the building. Then the consortium partners undertook a baseline IAQ audit at the same building, .audit reports were prepared and the results compared against various performance criteria - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, FIAC, GAM, ISIAQ-NL, ECE and IDMEC.
12) Assessment of preliminary IAQ audits methodologies (WP4): A long term Indoor air quality audit has been performed in the Municipal Theatre of Faro. Analyses carried out in air understood measuring concentrations of gases and analysis of bacteria, yeasts and fungi in the air in various spaces of the building. Building locations indoor and outdoor were analysed for chemical, physical and microbiological IAQ parameters during approximately 1 year in regular 15 day interval –Achieved by month 18 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, GAM, IDMEC.
13) Test and validate the air quality management software (WP5). The SME partners have been using the AI platform for a period of time, both in house and in the field. During this period the platform has been improved based on their feedback. After this period the platform was evaluated based in the following Key Performance Indicators: time saving, cost effective, easy access to data, completeness of the final report, uniformity of the process, traceability, EU-wide procedures, benchmarking, scientific and experience related and standard output –Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD,AS,PAP, GAM, FIAC, IDMEC
14) Design, create and maintain a project website (WP6). A public website was constructed and updated every 3 months (with a restricted area for the access and storage of technical information by the consortium partners) during the project’s lifetime. Achieved by Month 3 – Main participants: All partners.
15) Disseminate results at EU level and define the ways to protect and exploit foreground (WP6 and WP7). A plan for Knowledge transfer to SMEs was defined. Several dissemination materials were developed (logo, video, press notes, etc.) and used in actions performed at an EU level. A draft of the Plan for the Use and Dissemination of Foreground was prepared, collecting the individual intentions of each partner and describing actual achievements in dissemination and exploitation of results, Achieved by Month 9 – Main participants: All partners.
16) Train the SME in the use of the platform (WP6). Two training session have been performed to maximise the comprehension of the ARILOG technology by the SME participants. Additionally an AIRLOG user guide has been provided to the SMEs as a reference in the use of the platform. -Achieved by month 27- Main participants: All partners
17) The dissemination and training are two important tasks since Indoor Air quality lacks stakeholder awareness, and policymakers need to be better informed about the results of audits. a) Serve as model and Best Practices platform for disseminating information on the new service to the IAQ community in all over Europe; b) Communication on impacts of IAQ audits in the workers’ health to the Environmental Consultancy community, to gain SMEs that offer expertise and integrate such service; c) Presentation of coherence need at EU level on a single EU norm and integration with related legal framework such as energy efficiency audits. – Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: All partners
18) Preparing for Exploitation. Knowledge Management and IP protection activities will support the exploitation plans of the SMEs, leading to a clear economic impact. Preparation of the groundwork for further exploitation of the results. – Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: All partners
Project Results:
The project results per WP can be summarized as follows:
During the WP1 the RTD IDMEC with the collaboration of all partners performed a comparative study of national auditing processes. This study comprehended countries within the EU, as the IAQ auditing process in each is subjected to national regulations and has a different legal status. An analysis was made of existing parameters, methods and processes at EU level. IDMEC collected information regarding the state-of-the-art related to EU developments, key priority pollutants (chemical and biological) and their guidelines values. These considerations were a prerequisite for the development of an IAQ audit. In addition, the general roles of the IAQ management, as well as, the schematic indoor air monitoring approach based on main objectives (indoor monitoring typologies) were also derived: Building design IAQ assessment, guideline compliance, health complaint, remediation effectiveness, source attribution, survey. The information available on legislation, guidelines, existing parameters, methods and process on air pollution was collected, reviewed and analysed for 5 countries (Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom). This information was obtained from SMEs partners (AD, AS, PAP, GAM and FIAC) and on an overview of the information related to IAQ processes. Therefore, within each country, where applicable, the IAQ auditing process was also analysed. The information collected for each country was: A. Information regarding national auditing processes; B. Threshold levels defined in the existing processes; C. Information regarding IAQ audit processes; D. Standards regarding measurements and analysis methods; F. Criteria for ecological materials; G. Requirements for mechanical systems; H. Documents required for the IAQ audit process; I. Other documentation related to IAQ monitoring processes.
The basis of the AIRLOG platform architecture and contents was set on four fundamental complementary approaches to the diagnostic and management of IAQ: 1. The outdoor vs indoor air interaction model, bearing in mind the importance of ambient air as a major source of indoor air pollution. 2. The EnVIE model that sets a clear hierarchy of priorities of the strategies for good IAQ. 3. The priority to source control appears as a stimulating step forward in the promotion of good IAQ. 4. The constitution of a library of documentation that already exists at different levels, which will be made available in a user friendly and as complete as possible way. The AIRLOG IAQ Audit Process was defined, encompassing 6 different of IAQ audit objectives by proceeding through 5 steps: (1) Definition of the audit objective, identification of the client and of the building/problem to be inspected; (2) Definition of the IAQ audit boundaries (regulatory: guidelines, standards, regulations; physical: building or buildings to inspect; and economical: budget); (3) Preliminary assessment using the EnVIE model and the WHO IAQ guidelines for the definition of potential pollutants, exposures and sources that will guide the elaboration of questionnaires and interviews to assess the health of the occupants and building conditions. (4) Detailed investigation which will include the planning of the sampling strategy, parameters to measure, methods, number of points of measurement, the instruments to be used and their operational conditions. (5) Analysis & Reporting, critical steps as they will allow justifying the work undertaken and eventually propose remediation measures.
IDMEC collected and analysed the existing IAQ audit steps, using as preliminary model the Portuguese model, which is mandatory for new buildings and comparison between the existing IAQ practices in the countries of the AIRLOG partners. The result aims to contribute to the organization of IAQ procedures and to help professionals in the improvement of their auditing practice by clarifying actions and the associated costs while contributing to a better understanding of and consequent intervention on the IAQ management and maintenance process and ultimately, improving IAQ in European buildings.
ATEKNEA with the support of the SMEs created a Case Study format to help in the process of gathering the input from the partner SMEs representing as many cases as possible from their own experience in the practice of IAQ audits. The case studies supplied by the SME partners has been used to feed the decision support system, creating a repository of cases that will aid in the exploitation of the expert system.
In WP2 VTT, with the support of FIAC and remaining partners, worked on the architecture of an easy to use simulation tool for correcting and mitigating IAQ problems. This work was done in cooperation together with WP1 and WP3, and supervised by SMEs. The simulation tool and risk calculation software package consist of two supplementary applications: Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) model, and Human Thermal Model (HTM) predicting thermal sensations and thermal comfort. These applications are operated and managed through AIRLOG Platform. From the software architecture point of view, the main challenge is the fact that the IAQ solvers are developed in Windows platform using C# and C++. The simulation tool and risk calculation software includes different solvers for multi-zone IAQ simulations and, thermal sensation and thermal comfort simulations. From simulation tool User Interface (UI) and solver integration point of view, the main idea was to utilize web services based API for both VTT’s multi zone IAQ solver and for VTT’s HTM solver. The VTT’s IAQ solver was coded using C# running in Windows based server platform. The VTT’s HTM solver is an existing solver, coded using C++ (Windows DLL), and it runs on a windows based server platform. A requirement analysis was performed, leading to: 1) Functional Requirements: The solver was designed to have such an API, which the simulation software User Interface (UI) can utilize for input and output purposes. The solver was designed to be able to solve the given simulation case. The graphical user-interfaces (GUI) were designed to be able to generate solver input data and read the solver output data. The GUI was designed to be able to utilize and update the existing information stored in the AIRLOG platform. The GUI functions in PCs, tablets and smart phones supporting Java 2) Operational Requirements: The solution is usable, reliable, fault tolerant and scalable. The UI works both indoors and outdoors if a fast enough IP based connection is available. 3) Ergonomic Requirements: The usage of the UI shall be self-explanatory, graphic elements, colours and terminology will be consistent with the AIRLOG platform. The UI provides informative feedback, has controls large enough to be operable with fingers and equipped with the buttons for accessing important commonly used functions. 4) Performance Requirements: The simulation is able to put in batch process and get the simulation results later automatically without waiting the results online. In case of lengthy operation the “in progress” indication should be used with desirable feedback showing competition status. VTT also developed mock-ups for all screens of the basic user interface based on the defined requirements.
Based on the requirements captured at the beginning of the WP, the IAQ simulation tool has been developed in such a way that all relevant space definition boundary conditions (e.g. dimensions, pollutant source strengths, and pollutant removal efficiency) can be fluently defined by auditing personnel directly in AIRLOG Platform. On top of that, three supply air flow options (outdoor air, mechanical ventilation, and air from adjacent spaces) can be introduced in each calculation case. After all relevant boundary conditions are defined estimation of hourly contaminant concentrations can be performed by the tool.
During the AIRLOG project there were discussions with SMEs about amount of alternative contaminants that ought to be included in the IAQ tool. The tool itself has been coded in such a way that it can perform contaminant calculations of any contaminant type (based on both mass, volume, and amount), but only the most relevant pollutants, CO2 and particles, were implemented in AIRLOG Platform calculation tool API. This decision was made by majority of SMEs for simplicity reasons: (i) it is enough to have the most relevant CO2 and particles included, (ii) there seems to be some lack of reliable information related to pollutant source strength data, and (iii) it would be too labour intensive to introduce analysis of several pollutants in typical auditing cases.
Human Thermal Model (HTM) has been developed in order to estimate thermal sensation and comfort of individuals under different thermal boundary conditions. In an earlier stage of the project some activities took place in order to also implement air flow, temperature, and contaminant fields by CFD (computational fluid dynamics). OpenFOAM tool was tested, but it turned out to be too labour intensive to use for typical auditing cases. After discussions with SMEs and ATEKNEA, it was decided not to integrate this tool in the AIRLOG Platform, and the remaining resources were directed to the development and implementation of HTM tool.
By HTM an auditor can estimate impacts of both space-related parameters (air temperature, air humidity and velocity) and occupant-related boundary conditions (gender, age, body-mass-index, muscularity-index) on thermal sensation and comfort.
ATEKNEA, with the assistance of all consortium partners defined the system architecture of the web-based MGT platform, including DSS rule-based engine, during the first period of the WP3. The architecture was defined to automate, route and approve processes using a process-map OSS. The design also contemplates the creation of a multi-lingual platform and user interfaces and the integration of the system as a web-based platform with various access profiles requirement analysis was performed: 1) Functional requirements: a set of capacities and conditions that the system must fulfil were detected and described using a specific format. Between these requirements, some relevant examples are the end-user data (registry, login, edit profile, etc.), vital management data (registry of guidelines, edition, customization, parameters, etc.) and operational data (registry of devices, calibration, clients, audits, reports, etc.) 2) Non-functional requirements: usability, horizontal scalability, modifiability, performance, testability, cross-browser compatibility, offline access and accessibility. Four types of actors have been defined in the system: a) Administrator: User responsible of managing the platform. b) Guideline administrator: In charge of one or more base guidelines. c) User: Company and Auditor. d) Company: IAQ Company that uses AIRLOG. e) Auditor: That performs audits in the field. f) Client: Audited Customers. According to the defined functional requirements, with the aid of the SMEs ATEKNEA defined Use Cases using UML (Universal Modelling Language) summarizing the main features of the AIRLOG platform. The use cases designed were: system login, staff management, client management, devices management, guideline management, audit, reporting and client. The SMEs and ATEKNEA also designed the conceptual model that describes the different entities that have been identified in the system and the relations among them: 1-Guideline: Collection of parameters associated to a standard procedure. 2-Parameter: Atomic components of a guideline. 3-Symptom: Symptom in a health complain procedure. 4-Aspect: Feature of the building 5-Corrective action: The possible corrective action that can be applied. 6-Client: Company client. 7-Building: Building that is being audited. 8-Audit: Examination of one building. 9-Measure: Measured value for one parameter. 10-Visual inspection: Image and description of elements not measurable with devices. 11-Quality: Certificate of quality (document) of the company. 12-Device: Physical device used to perform measures in the field. 13-Staff: Personal resource of the company. 14-Consumable: Used to evaluate parameters. 15-Document review: Document inspection of the building. The architecture of AIRLOG was also defined by ATEKNEA and the SMEs and encompasses of different software technologies: Java, Spring, Hibernate, MySQL, Tomcat, AJAX, Expert System Technologies. The Expert system of AIRLOG was defined, as it will simulate the problem solving behaviour of a human who is an expert in the discipline. The basic components of the expert system are the knowledge base (the expert information expressed by means of rules), user interface (allows interacting with the application) and an inference engine (to perform the reasoning process). The audit process was designed in collaboration with the SME participants in AIRLOG. This process combines different steps, some of them must be performed in a web browser and others in a tablet application. ATEKNEA designed the UI for both the web and the tablet PC applications.
Based on the specifications and the output of the WP1, the web-based MGT platform has been developed by ATKENEA. The platform covers the whole audit process while including a knowledge base of IAQ methodologies. Its structure encompasses five main modules: 1 - Guideline administration module allows managing of all the information related to the guideline, including the parameters, methods, documents, guidelines and corrective actions; 2- Administration module allows the managing of the user access to the platform; 3 – Company management module allows the managing of all the company related information including staff, clients, building or instruments; 4 – Audit module encompasses all of the audit procedures, from registering a new audit to performing the field work; 5 – Reporting allows for the configuration and generatation of reports containing the results of the audit.
The Decision Support System (DSS) module has been developed and integrated in the main platform. This module provides support to the IAQ consultants during the audit process; it identifies past similar audits and extracts the most relevant information that could be used in the current audit process. In addition to the DSS corrective actions provide intelligence to the system based on the consortium SMEs experience. The system automatically detect unconformities and presents them to the auditor, the auditor usually associates a corrective action to the unconformity. When configured, the system is able to suggest the best corrective action to an auditor when an unconformity is presented.
The system has been designed using responsive web design, thus it is suitable to be used on both a desktop and tablet pc devices. The platform is presented in different consortium languages but it has been built to easily integrate other new languages whenever it’s required. The simulation modules developed by VTT have been integrated in the platform by ATEKNEA in order to provide simplified access to these functionalities.
During the WP4 the SME AD, with ATEKNEA’s assistance, selected a large public building with central HVAC system in Portugal: the Municipal Theatre of Faro, in the Algarve region. These partners gathered all the preliminary information about the building, architectural plans, water and HVAC plans, construction materials lists and occupant complaints through inquiries. Then the IAQ-SMEs AD, AS, FIAC and GAM (from Portugal, Spain, Finland and UK) together with ISIAQ-NL (The Netherlands) undertook a baseline IAQ audit at the same building. ATEKNEA, IDMEC and ECE participated as observers. Data was obtained from on-site inspection and samples were processed by local laboratories. Audit reports were prepared by each partner according to existing standards. All reports followed the current technical standard and norm enforced in each country. The reports carried out by the consortium partners are collected in the deliverable 4.1. Data was obtained from on-site inspection and partners used the local laboratory resources of AD for the analyses of samples collected in the building. Attention was given to eventual amendments of the IAQ auditing process and none was reported. The participating technical SMEs, with ATEKNEA’s assistance, measured several IAQ parameters during the preliminary audit (like Air velocity, Temperature, Humidity, Carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbonmonoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Volatile organic compounds (VOC´s) and Particles PM10). These measurements assisted in defining a sampling strategy for the building, identifying contamination sources, emitting materials and potential practices that could cause IAQ problems. Where possible, the data was cross-referenced with information from the questionnaires distributed among the staff of the Municipal Theatre of Faro. With the collaboration of IDMEC, the audit results obtained by the IAQ SMEs were compared against various performance criteria: IAQ, building and other data collected and detailed; Sampling methods and technologies; Action taken in the inspection work; Corrective measures proposed; Communication & reporting. The SME AD and ATEKNEA set up a long term (>7months) IAQ study on the Municipal Theatre of Faro to assess fluctuations in IAQ with an intensive monitoring grid defined in the monitoring plan. ATEKNEA worked side by side with the technicians from AD, and had the responsibility of performing all laboratory analysis of the samples collected. The exhaustive IAQ monitoring focussed on the potential problems detected in the preliminary audit and coevered a wide range of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters: The equipment used for “in situ” monitoring of physical and chemical parameters consisted of portable IAQ dedicated measuring instruments. For the microbiological characterization, air sampling devices (impactors) were used. AD and ATEKNEA used logistic support of local laboratories, for transportation (samples, materials, equipment, technicians), the use of locally available analytical instrumentation, the use of portable probes and sensors, the purchase of consumables (reagents, components, plastic ware, glass ware, gloves, plates, filters, etc.), the use of local facilities (laboratories, warehouses, offices), and the use of special services (incubation of samples, management of biological materials, management and disposal of hazardous materials, calibrations, etc.). AD and ATEKNEA assessed the exterior air quality outside the building since it always has a direct relation with IAQ. Regional data on air quality was collected from the official government monitoring stations and meteorological stations. The long term audit work was performed based on the Regulation of Energy Systems in Buildings HVAC (RSECE) established by Portuguese law 79/2006 of 4 April. The deliverable D4.3 is the summary report of the long-term IAQ Audit performed by the IAQ inspector. The monitoring period extended from 4th May 2012 to 12 May 2013. The methodology used in the audit was based on the Technical Note NT-SCE-02, the audit methodology to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) established by SCE but included a vaster and detailed monitoring plan. Analyses carried out in air encompassed measuring concentrations of gases (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and ozone) and analysis of bacteria, yeasts and fungi in the air in various spaces of the building. Building locations indoor and outdoor, were analysed for chemical, physical and microbiological IAQ parameters during approximately 1 year in regular 15 day intervals.
In WP5, during the meeting held in London on the 8th and 9th of May the consortium SMEs were trained by ATEKNEA in the use of the AIRLOG software platform. After this meeting the demo of the project started and the SMEs started introducing real data and getting used to the platform with the objective of performing audits in the field at the end of the demo period. It was during this meeting when the SMEs debated about the most relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that should be used to benchmark the platform against the traditional non-automated process. The selected KPI where time saving, Ccst effective, easy access to data, completeness of the final report, uniformity of the process, traceability, EU-wide procedures, benchmarking, scientific and experience related and standard output.
During the demo period the AIRLOG platform was updated based on the feedback provided by the SMEs while they were using the platform. Based on this feedback some bugs have been solved and some functionalities have been added/improved to cope better with the necessities while performing the audit on the field.
Firstly, all SMEs have used the software in-house, secondly three of the SMEs, Air Diagnostic, Ambisalud and Green Air Monitoring, have used the platform to conduct real audits in the field with the tablet pc. As a main conclusion of the evaluation the platform improves the traditional paper based work methodologies in each of the selected KPI. The SMEs, while performing the audits, tracked the time needed to perform the same audit with their paper based methodology and with AIRLOG with the purpose of evaluating the savings, both in time and cost. An average of 20% of time is saved on the field work and a 58% on the report preparation when using AIRLOG. The average time saved per audit is 48%. This results in an average of 39% saving in costs.
Dissemination activities have been carefully planned within a strategy that targets four main clusters during WP6; the activities have been led by Mr. Ep MARIUS from the Dutch Chamber of ISIAQ and have been coordinated by the Exploitation Manager, Mr. PEDRO. As for the rest, every partner has taken a very active role in disseminating AIRLOG and therefore dissemination activities have been undertaken by all Consortium members. All Consortium partners submit the content of their dissemination activities to the Exploitation Board and the Management Board, through Mr. PEDRO. In this sense, the Consortium has identified two complementary objectives. On the one hand, the main objective is to disseminate information on the AIRLOG technology and the public funding of the AIRLOG project. This has been achieved by implementing an effective bidirectional dialogue between the partners and all their audiences. On the other hand, disseminate information on any result to reach potential end-users ready to use a final commercial product underpinned by the foreground. This has been useful in reaching the real market before the project ended, so that it can be seen as the necessary seed to complete the AIRLOG project. AIRLOG SMEs and non-profit organisations classified as Other Participants (ECE and ISIAQ) contributed in disseminating the results of the project to stakeholders of the target known as “Potential End-Users”, especially those of the building management and auditing sectors. Although all partners seek to disseminate general information about the project and its achievements, SMEs and non-profit organisations have been the ones responsible for tackling dissemination for “Public Opinion” – the biggest audience and includes several publics. Regarding the scientific community, information presenting scientific interest has been disseminated by the RTD performers, as well as by non-profit organisations, following prior written approval by the Exploitation Board. The AIRLOG Consortium has impacted in these publics through ATEKNEA, VTT and IDMEC. They are the only ones responsible for scientific, technological and technical dissemination. For this purpose, they have been boosting contact with research and technological development organisations, institutes for innovation, public research and innovation ministries/departments at national and regional levels, and universities. Finally, the Consortium has elaborated an updated database with contact and information details on realistic publics, organisations, companies, media and events – most of them from the partners’ own natural networks – to easily schedule and implement this dissemination strategy.
Regarding the scope of WP7, the Exploitation Board has discussed the exploitation strategy since the beginning of the AIRLOG project by considering a successful outcome for the research. Once the results of the project have been achieved, the Exploitation Board has foreseen to agree and sign an Exploitation Agreement based on IPR protection. The Consortium agreed that all members will have access to the foreground of the AIRLOG project in equal opportunities and will share it with regard to individual considerations for the advantage of the whole group. They have also agreed to protect their Trademark blueIndoor by registering it through Mr. Paulo Pedro Zaragoza, the Exploitation Manager, in the in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market. In order to reach a wider public, especially communities affected by air pollution all over Europe and Worldwide, and as a distinction from the competitors, a Trademark registration was done in July 2014. The Trademark registration has been done by Mr. Paulo Zaragoza Pedro, the Exploitation Manager, in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) through their website page. Besides, it serves as a basic tool of SME partners to assist their exploitation activities and the successful market entry of the blueIndoor system. Moreover, during the General Meetings the SMEs have prepared the Technology and Market Watch, as well as possible competition. For exploitation purposes, during the final meeting, the SMEs have decided to first establish a Joint Venture in Madrid at the beginning of 2015 in order to set up a basis for hosting and operating the AIRLOG system. They will acquire a server to host the system and employ the persons necessary to maintain and operate the online platform. All SMEs agree to an alliance and to go further with this Joint Venture, they are going to establish a European Enterprise Interest Group (EEIG) in Madrid, Spain. Therefore, each SME will be part of the Committee and each will have a 20% share. Once the AIRLOG platform is operative, the five SMEs of the project will start using the system and offer the innovative air quality monitoring and auditing service to their clients. Each SME will be responsible for providing this service at its national market. The SMEs will invest the benefits generated by licensing third companies the right to use the AIRLOG platform and trade mark to cover the cost of maintaining and hosting the AIRLOG platform. Any additional benefits will be equally shared by the SMEs. The AIRLOG consortium intends to grant free access to IAQ SMEs which only want to access the process manager and bring further clients into the system, in order to gain as many buildings as possible.
Potential Impact:
The SMEs will be in charge of the audit process validation, pilot studies implementation and exploitation of the information system, as the AIRLOG platform will become their main showcase towards their clients and the general public.
The original market research to support the application for funding of the Airlog project was carried out at the beginning of the project. Consequently with reference to the expected benefits detailed below; the joint-venture consortium, and in particular the SME’s acknowledge that the original research into the potential markets for Airlog across Europe and the associated projected financial forecasts has suffered changes and fluctuations due to the economic recession; changes in legal status of IAQ as a requirement and also the emergence of sustainability and energy issues in building construction and ongoing operations.
• Reduction of IAQ audit and management costs up to 40% due to IT standardization and fewer measurements
• Quicker and more transparent process steps, thanks to regular updates, early warning system and alerts
• Fast on-line report generation on demand, organize IAQ Audit Documentation effortlessly
• Assess on field the most cost-effective and scientifically sound solutions among various EU countries.
• Updated knowledge on thresholds, assessment and remediation strategies, Best Practice Forum
• Introduction of a new EU wide portal gathering Best Practices in IAQ management, creating a new potential EU market worth at least 10M€ in 3 years
• Penetration of at least 8% of the EU IAQ market (approximately 15.000 millions) 6 months after the end of the project and reach up to an additional 10% of other related markets, for instance, energy-efficiency or green building audits thanks to the European Trademark Registration
• The consortium SMEs will have earlier, privileged and free access to the new processes and norms, together with free maintenance, calibration and upgrade contracts, since the system is easily adaptable towards any policy framework amendments
• Expected accumulated cost savings in audited buildings of more than 150.000 € in 3 years’ time
• Expected accumulated income increase 3 years after project completion, for each of the IAQ SMEs of more than 1M€, including benefits through licence sales and training courses
• Income from AIRLOG Software as a Service (SaaS) sales are expected to reach at least 2,2 M€ inside the EU in 3 years’ time (both licenses for IAQ SMEs and subscription fees for building administrators)
• In case legal framework and/or public support programmes for audits (as in the case of energy efficiency audits) in place, the potential market for IAQ audits could increase by at least 5 times at EU level and income from licences and fees could reach up to 10M€
• Fast time-to-market (22 months) and attractive Return of Investment (ROI=1,3) of the project in 3 years, based on 15% market penetration rate in 16 EU countries. In 5 years, the ROI could increase to more than 8, if AIRLOG is in place in EU-27
• ISIAQ-NL and EcoCounselling Europe will assist the AIRLOG Joint-Venture in market pull actions
List of Websites:
http://www.iaq-airlog.eu
While ambient air pollution is being successfully monitored throughout the EU, the situation for indoor air pollution is not nearly as positive. This is of particular concern, as a much wider range of air pollutants are found at higher levels indoors than outdoors. Indoor air quality is a major concern to businesses, building managers, tenants, and employees because it can impact the health, comfort, well-being, and productivity of building occupants, as most Europeans spend up to 90% of their time indoors and many spend most of their working hours in an office environment.
Studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others show that indoor environments can sometimes have levels of pollutants that are actually higher than levels found outside. In spite of the obvious need to better control and manage the quality of indoor air, no European legislation or standard currently defines indoor air quality auditing and management systems, leaving it to the member states' responsibility to define air quality targets and risk levels, certification procedures and audit management processes.
AIRLOG (www.iaq-airlog.eu) proposes a web-based Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Audit Management platform that will save specialized SMEs up to 40% of the cost of performing audits, helping auditors improve their audits and clients better understand the IAQ process. AIRLOG’s Decision Support System will learn from past experiences and propose the most effective Best Practice mitigation actions to ultimately improve IAQ control and healthier conditions in EU buildings. The link between sustainable building design, energy-efficient management and green procurement will be actively fostered by AIRLOG, through the development of a unique knowledge base at the EU level on successful indoor air management practices for various building types in various EU areas.
The consortium has the complementary business capabilities and commercial networks to guarantee the technology’s quick route to the market, the consortium is registering a European Economic Interest Group with the aim to commercialize the product. All members are fully committed to ensuring the success of the projects, led by the SMEs in testing, validating using and protecting the results.
The project has been divided into research, demonstration, dissemination, exploitation and management activities by means of Work packages. After 30 months of research AIRLOG achieved all the objectives foreseen.
Project Context and Objectives:
Premature deaths, health care and medications due to air pollution amount to 1,000 billion Euros yearly, or up to 9% of the EU GDP. While ambient air pollution is being successfully monitored throughout the EU, the situation for indoor air pollution is not nearly as positive. This is of particular concern, as a much wider range of air pollutants are found at higher levels indoors than outdoors. The combination of generally higher indoor concentrations and long amounts of time spent indoors results in indoor air being a prime source of air pollution exposure, regardless of the sources. Every year, 2.2 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributed in EU-27 to indoor air quality, not including environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
Indoor exposure to air pollutants occurs in both private and public environments such as homes, offices, schools, and transport systems. Most indoor air pollutants consist of chemicals released by cleaning products, air fresheners, pesticides and emissions from furniture and construction materials, heating and cooking. Due to the complexity of indoor air pollution and its variability over time, a precise estimation of risk associated with the exposure to complex mixes and generalized results is a challenging task. To cover this knowledge gap, the SCHER Committee states in its Opinion that a comprehensive review of the existing data on the indoor air pollutants, as well as the setup of a pan European database, is required.
The causal mechanism of indoor air pollution is complex, making it technically difficult to control indoor air quality with regulatory instruments alone. IAQ audits are a key tool to prevent health risks and spur productivity, while supporting energy efficient measures. The WECF’s 2010 European study on indoor air quality in children's rooms found that 40% of the studied rooms were above the limit values in volatile organic compound emissions, and only 10% were under 1 μg/m3 (guideline value for long-term exposure) for formaldehyde2. IAQ affects comfort, health and productivity. Indoor air quality parameters are still widely unknown as regards risks and contingency actions, precisely due to the multi-zone interaction of the pollutants and emission sources at the building level. In Finland, the country with the highest air conditioning rate in the EU, national studies have shown that high ventilation rates combined with maintaining comfort temperature lead to enhanced productivity.
While AIRLOG does not aim to solve current gaps in the scientific evidence of IAQ health risks (see SCHER Committee4), it aims at helping auditors improve their audits, helping clients better understand the IAQ Control and maintenance processes and, ultimately, improving IAQ control in EU buildings.
To achieve this goal AIRLOG provides a platform that automates the tedious process of auditing and reporting, queries an intelligent decision support system that learns from past actions and impacts, simulates the effect of contaminants in different environments, permits more efficient interaction with clients, and harmonizes results with similar practices and cases in various environments at the EU level.
The results obtained with the pre-commercial prototype of AIRLOG demonstrated the benefits of using the platform and the SME companies involved in the project are currently planning the next steps for the development of the commercial product and respective market route.
To achieve the current results the objectives set for the AIRLOG project where:
1) Perform a comparative study of national auditing processes (WP1). This study encompassed countries within the EU, as the IAQ auditing process in each is subjected to national regulations and has a different legal status. An analysis was made of existing parameters, methods and processes at EU level– Achieved by month 9– Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
2) Analyze existing IAQ norms and processes valid in the five countries of the participating SMEs (WP1). This entailed the study of the main process steps and the current IAQ parameters and methodologies subject to IAQ audits in the 5 countries represented in the consortium: Portugal, Spain, the UK, Finland and Hungary. Preliminary process maps were drawn for these 5 EU countries, together with a comparison study and assessment of coherences and incoherencies at national level- – Achieved by month 18 – Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
3) Define a Knowledge repository framework (WP1). Input requirements were defined to establish the framework for a knowledge base, to address the clusterizing in WP3. This knowledge base is comprised of a generic process and indicators in English which are easily adaptable to specific national needs, and a country-based access with national processes, indicators and documents, available in the national language - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: IDMEC, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, ATEKNEA.
4) To create a case study format and a collection of cases (WP1). The case study format summarizes the most relevant information of the audit; several cases have been collected in this format including some exemplar cases extracted from the literature. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM.
5) Define the architecture for the Simulation tool (WP2). A specific architecture was defined for the computer simulation models to be developed. This architecture contemplates the unique combination of a fast multi zone model and a detailed single model to allow faster and more accurate analysis of true impacts of various actions in improving IAQ. A Human Thermal Model predicting thermal sensations and thermal comfort was also included- Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: VTT, FIAC, AD, AS, PAP, GAM, IDMEC, ATEKNEA.
6) Implement an easy to use simulation tool (WP2). The IAQ and Human Thermal Model (HTM) simulation tools have been developed by VTT. The IAQ tool allows performing contaminant calculations of different contaminant types under some space boundaries conditions while HTM has been developed in order to estimate thermal sensation and comfort of individuals under different thermal boundary conditions –Achieved by month M27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, FIAC, VTT, IDMEC.
7) Define the System Architecture and Design Definition (WP3). Based on the knowledge generated and collected in WP1, system architecture was defined including DSS rule-based engine. This will automate, route and approve processes using a process-map OSS. The design also contemplates the creation of a multi-lingual platform and user interfaces and the integration of the system as a web-based platform with various access profiles - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, PAP, FIAC, GAM, IDMEC and VTT.
8) Develop of the process management system (WP3). The software process management encompasses the AIRLOG main functionalities divided in five different modules: system administration, guideline administration, company management, audit and reporting. These modules cover the whole audit process and provide guidance to the auditor when performing an audit. As all the information is managed by the platform that is able to generate customized reports with all relevant audit information, saving the auditor this tedious task. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
9) Develop the corrective measure support (WP3). The Decision Support System (DSS) module has been developed and integrated in the main platform. This module provides support to the IAQ consultants during the audit process; it identifies past similar audits and extracts the most relevant information that could be used in the current audit process. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
10) User interface development and integration (WP3). The AIRLOG user interface has been developed and integrated taking into account the special necessities of the tablet pcs. The Decision Support System and Simulation modules have been integrated in the platform and their functionalities can be accessed at different points during the audit process. The interface is prepared to be presented in different languages (English, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian and Portuguese) but more can be easily added in the future. – Achieved by month 27 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AS, PAP, IDMEC
11) IAQ audit of a large building using various national IAQ audit systems (WP4). AD with ATEKNEA’s assistance selected a large public building with central HVAC system in Portugal. These partners gathered all the preliminary information about the building. Then the consortium partners undertook a baseline IAQ audit at the same building, .audit reports were prepared and the results compared against various performance criteria - Achieved by month 9 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, FIAC, GAM, ISIAQ-NL, ECE and IDMEC.
12) Assessment of preliminary IAQ audits methodologies (WP4): A long term Indoor air quality audit has been performed in the Municipal Theatre of Faro. Analyses carried out in air understood measuring concentrations of gases and analysis of bacteria, yeasts and fungi in the air in various spaces of the building. Building locations indoor and outdoor were analysed for chemical, physical and microbiological IAQ parameters during approximately 1 year in regular 15 day interval –Achieved by month 18 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD, AS, GAM, IDMEC.
13) Test and validate the air quality management software (WP5). The SME partners have been using the AI platform for a period of time, both in house and in the field. During this period the platform has been improved based on their feedback. After this period the platform was evaluated based in the following Key Performance Indicators: time saving, cost effective, easy access to data, completeness of the final report, uniformity of the process, traceability, EU-wide procedures, benchmarking, scientific and experience related and standard output –Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: ATEKNEA, AD,AS,PAP, GAM, FIAC, IDMEC
14) Design, create and maintain a project website (WP6). A public website was constructed and updated every 3 months (with a restricted area for the access and storage of technical information by the consortium partners) during the project’s lifetime. Achieved by Month 3 – Main participants: All partners.
15) Disseminate results at EU level and define the ways to protect and exploit foreground (WP6 and WP7). A plan for Knowledge transfer to SMEs was defined. Several dissemination materials were developed (logo, video, press notes, etc.) and used in actions performed at an EU level. A draft of the Plan for the Use and Dissemination of Foreground was prepared, collecting the individual intentions of each partner and describing actual achievements in dissemination and exploitation of results, Achieved by Month 9 – Main participants: All partners.
16) Train the SME in the use of the platform (WP6). Two training session have been performed to maximise the comprehension of the ARILOG technology by the SME participants. Additionally an AIRLOG user guide has been provided to the SMEs as a reference in the use of the platform. -Achieved by month 27- Main participants: All partners
17) The dissemination and training are two important tasks since Indoor Air quality lacks stakeholder awareness, and policymakers need to be better informed about the results of audits. a) Serve as model and Best Practices platform for disseminating information on the new service to the IAQ community in all over Europe; b) Communication on impacts of IAQ audits in the workers’ health to the Environmental Consultancy community, to gain SMEs that offer expertise and integrate such service; c) Presentation of coherence need at EU level on a single EU norm and integration with related legal framework such as energy efficiency audits. – Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: All partners
18) Preparing for Exploitation. Knowledge Management and IP protection activities will support the exploitation plans of the SMEs, leading to a clear economic impact. Preparation of the groundwork for further exploitation of the results. – Achieved by month 30 – Main participants: All partners
Project Results:
The project results per WP can be summarized as follows:
During the WP1 the RTD IDMEC with the collaboration of all partners performed a comparative study of national auditing processes. This study comprehended countries within the EU, as the IAQ auditing process in each is subjected to national regulations and has a different legal status. An analysis was made of existing parameters, methods and processes at EU level. IDMEC collected information regarding the state-of-the-art related to EU developments, key priority pollutants (chemical and biological) and their guidelines values. These considerations were a prerequisite for the development of an IAQ audit. In addition, the general roles of the IAQ management, as well as, the schematic indoor air monitoring approach based on main objectives (indoor monitoring typologies) were also derived: Building design IAQ assessment, guideline compliance, health complaint, remediation effectiveness, source attribution, survey. The information available on legislation, guidelines, existing parameters, methods and process on air pollution was collected, reviewed and analysed for 5 countries (Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom). This information was obtained from SMEs partners (AD, AS, PAP, GAM and FIAC) and on an overview of the information related to IAQ processes. Therefore, within each country, where applicable, the IAQ auditing process was also analysed. The information collected for each country was: A. Information regarding national auditing processes; B. Threshold levels defined in the existing processes; C. Information regarding IAQ audit processes; D. Standards regarding measurements and analysis methods; F. Criteria for ecological materials; G. Requirements for mechanical systems; H. Documents required for the IAQ audit process; I. Other documentation related to IAQ monitoring processes.
The basis of the AIRLOG platform architecture and contents was set on four fundamental complementary approaches to the diagnostic and management of IAQ: 1. The outdoor vs indoor air interaction model, bearing in mind the importance of ambient air as a major source of indoor air pollution. 2. The EnVIE model that sets a clear hierarchy of priorities of the strategies for good IAQ. 3. The priority to source control appears as a stimulating step forward in the promotion of good IAQ. 4. The constitution of a library of documentation that already exists at different levels, which will be made available in a user friendly and as complete as possible way. The AIRLOG IAQ Audit Process was defined, encompassing 6 different of IAQ audit objectives by proceeding through 5 steps: (1) Definition of the audit objective, identification of the client and of the building/problem to be inspected; (2) Definition of the IAQ audit boundaries (regulatory: guidelines, standards, regulations; physical: building or buildings to inspect; and economical: budget); (3) Preliminary assessment using the EnVIE model and the WHO IAQ guidelines for the definition of potential pollutants, exposures and sources that will guide the elaboration of questionnaires and interviews to assess the health of the occupants and building conditions. (4) Detailed investigation which will include the planning of the sampling strategy, parameters to measure, methods, number of points of measurement, the instruments to be used and their operational conditions. (5) Analysis & Reporting, critical steps as they will allow justifying the work undertaken and eventually propose remediation measures.
IDMEC collected and analysed the existing IAQ audit steps, using as preliminary model the Portuguese model, which is mandatory for new buildings and comparison between the existing IAQ practices in the countries of the AIRLOG partners. The result aims to contribute to the organization of IAQ procedures and to help professionals in the improvement of their auditing practice by clarifying actions and the associated costs while contributing to a better understanding of and consequent intervention on the IAQ management and maintenance process and ultimately, improving IAQ in European buildings.
ATEKNEA with the support of the SMEs created a Case Study format to help in the process of gathering the input from the partner SMEs representing as many cases as possible from their own experience in the practice of IAQ audits. The case studies supplied by the SME partners has been used to feed the decision support system, creating a repository of cases that will aid in the exploitation of the expert system.
In WP2 VTT, with the support of FIAC and remaining partners, worked on the architecture of an easy to use simulation tool for correcting and mitigating IAQ problems. This work was done in cooperation together with WP1 and WP3, and supervised by SMEs. The simulation tool and risk calculation software package consist of two supplementary applications: Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) model, and Human Thermal Model (HTM) predicting thermal sensations and thermal comfort. These applications are operated and managed through AIRLOG Platform. From the software architecture point of view, the main challenge is the fact that the IAQ solvers are developed in Windows platform using C# and C++. The simulation tool and risk calculation software includes different solvers for multi-zone IAQ simulations and, thermal sensation and thermal comfort simulations. From simulation tool User Interface (UI) and solver integration point of view, the main idea was to utilize web services based API for both VTT’s multi zone IAQ solver and for VTT’s HTM solver. The VTT’s IAQ solver was coded using C# running in Windows based server platform. The VTT’s HTM solver is an existing solver, coded using C++ (Windows DLL), and it runs on a windows based server platform. A requirement analysis was performed, leading to: 1) Functional Requirements: The solver was designed to have such an API, which the simulation software User Interface (UI) can utilize for input and output purposes. The solver was designed to be able to solve the given simulation case. The graphical user-interfaces (GUI) were designed to be able to generate solver input data and read the solver output data. The GUI was designed to be able to utilize and update the existing information stored in the AIRLOG platform. The GUI functions in PCs, tablets and smart phones supporting Java 2) Operational Requirements: The solution is usable, reliable, fault tolerant and scalable. The UI works both indoors and outdoors if a fast enough IP based connection is available. 3) Ergonomic Requirements: The usage of the UI shall be self-explanatory, graphic elements, colours and terminology will be consistent with the AIRLOG platform. The UI provides informative feedback, has controls large enough to be operable with fingers and equipped with the buttons for accessing important commonly used functions. 4) Performance Requirements: The simulation is able to put in batch process and get the simulation results later automatically without waiting the results online. In case of lengthy operation the “in progress” indication should be used with desirable feedback showing competition status. VTT also developed mock-ups for all screens of the basic user interface based on the defined requirements.
Based on the requirements captured at the beginning of the WP, the IAQ simulation tool has been developed in such a way that all relevant space definition boundary conditions (e.g. dimensions, pollutant source strengths, and pollutant removal efficiency) can be fluently defined by auditing personnel directly in AIRLOG Platform. On top of that, three supply air flow options (outdoor air, mechanical ventilation, and air from adjacent spaces) can be introduced in each calculation case. After all relevant boundary conditions are defined estimation of hourly contaminant concentrations can be performed by the tool.
During the AIRLOG project there were discussions with SMEs about amount of alternative contaminants that ought to be included in the IAQ tool. The tool itself has been coded in such a way that it can perform contaminant calculations of any contaminant type (based on both mass, volume, and amount), but only the most relevant pollutants, CO2 and particles, were implemented in AIRLOG Platform calculation tool API. This decision was made by majority of SMEs for simplicity reasons: (i) it is enough to have the most relevant CO2 and particles included, (ii) there seems to be some lack of reliable information related to pollutant source strength data, and (iii) it would be too labour intensive to introduce analysis of several pollutants in typical auditing cases.
Human Thermal Model (HTM) has been developed in order to estimate thermal sensation and comfort of individuals under different thermal boundary conditions. In an earlier stage of the project some activities took place in order to also implement air flow, temperature, and contaminant fields by CFD (computational fluid dynamics). OpenFOAM tool was tested, but it turned out to be too labour intensive to use for typical auditing cases. After discussions with SMEs and ATEKNEA, it was decided not to integrate this tool in the AIRLOG Platform, and the remaining resources were directed to the development and implementation of HTM tool.
By HTM an auditor can estimate impacts of both space-related parameters (air temperature, air humidity and velocity) and occupant-related boundary conditions (gender, age, body-mass-index, muscularity-index) on thermal sensation and comfort.
ATEKNEA, with the assistance of all consortium partners defined the system architecture of the web-based MGT platform, including DSS rule-based engine, during the first period of the WP3. The architecture was defined to automate, route and approve processes using a process-map OSS. The design also contemplates the creation of a multi-lingual platform and user interfaces and the integration of the system as a web-based platform with various access profiles requirement analysis was performed: 1) Functional requirements: a set of capacities and conditions that the system must fulfil were detected and described using a specific format. Between these requirements, some relevant examples are the end-user data (registry, login, edit profile, etc.), vital management data (registry of guidelines, edition, customization, parameters, etc.) and operational data (registry of devices, calibration, clients, audits, reports, etc.) 2) Non-functional requirements: usability, horizontal scalability, modifiability, performance, testability, cross-browser compatibility, offline access and accessibility. Four types of actors have been defined in the system: a) Administrator: User responsible of managing the platform. b) Guideline administrator: In charge of one or more base guidelines. c) User: Company and Auditor. d) Company: IAQ Company that uses AIRLOG. e) Auditor: That performs audits in the field. f) Client: Audited Customers. According to the defined functional requirements, with the aid of the SMEs ATEKNEA defined Use Cases using UML (Universal Modelling Language) summarizing the main features of the AIRLOG platform. The use cases designed were: system login, staff management, client management, devices management, guideline management, audit, reporting and client. The SMEs and ATEKNEA also designed the conceptual model that describes the different entities that have been identified in the system and the relations among them: 1-Guideline: Collection of parameters associated to a standard procedure. 2-Parameter: Atomic components of a guideline. 3-Symptom: Symptom in a health complain procedure. 4-Aspect: Feature of the building 5-Corrective action: The possible corrective action that can be applied. 6-Client: Company client. 7-Building: Building that is being audited. 8-Audit: Examination of one building. 9-Measure: Measured value for one parameter. 10-Visual inspection: Image and description of elements not measurable with devices. 11-Quality: Certificate of quality (document) of the company. 12-Device: Physical device used to perform measures in the field. 13-Staff: Personal resource of the company. 14-Consumable: Used to evaluate parameters. 15-Document review: Document inspection of the building. The architecture of AIRLOG was also defined by ATEKNEA and the SMEs and encompasses of different software technologies: Java, Spring, Hibernate, MySQL, Tomcat, AJAX, Expert System Technologies. The Expert system of AIRLOG was defined, as it will simulate the problem solving behaviour of a human who is an expert in the discipline. The basic components of the expert system are the knowledge base (the expert information expressed by means of rules), user interface (allows interacting with the application) and an inference engine (to perform the reasoning process). The audit process was designed in collaboration with the SME participants in AIRLOG. This process combines different steps, some of them must be performed in a web browser and others in a tablet application. ATEKNEA designed the UI for both the web and the tablet PC applications.
Based on the specifications and the output of the WP1, the web-based MGT platform has been developed by ATKENEA. The platform covers the whole audit process while including a knowledge base of IAQ methodologies. Its structure encompasses five main modules: 1 - Guideline administration module allows managing of all the information related to the guideline, including the parameters, methods, documents, guidelines and corrective actions; 2- Administration module allows the managing of the user access to the platform; 3 – Company management module allows the managing of all the company related information including staff, clients, building or instruments; 4 – Audit module encompasses all of the audit procedures, from registering a new audit to performing the field work; 5 – Reporting allows for the configuration and generatation of reports containing the results of the audit.
The Decision Support System (DSS) module has been developed and integrated in the main platform. This module provides support to the IAQ consultants during the audit process; it identifies past similar audits and extracts the most relevant information that could be used in the current audit process. In addition to the DSS corrective actions provide intelligence to the system based on the consortium SMEs experience. The system automatically detect unconformities and presents them to the auditor, the auditor usually associates a corrective action to the unconformity. When configured, the system is able to suggest the best corrective action to an auditor when an unconformity is presented.
The system has been designed using responsive web design, thus it is suitable to be used on both a desktop and tablet pc devices. The platform is presented in different consortium languages but it has been built to easily integrate other new languages whenever it’s required. The simulation modules developed by VTT have been integrated in the platform by ATEKNEA in order to provide simplified access to these functionalities.
During the WP4 the SME AD, with ATEKNEA’s assistance, selected a large public building with central HVAC system in Portugal: the Municipal Theatre of Faro, in the Algarve region. These partners gathered all the preliminary information about the building, architectural plans, water and HVAC plans, construction materials lists and occupant complaints through inquiries. Then the IAQ-SMEs AD, AS, FIAC and GAM (from Portugal, Spain, Finland and UK) together with ISIAQ-NL (The Netherlands) undertook a baseline IAQ audit at the same building. ATEKNEA, IDMEC and ECE participated as observers. Data was obtained from on-site inspection and samples were processed by local laboratories. Audit reports were prepared by each partner according to existing standards. All reports followed the current technical standard and norm enforced in each country. The reports carried out by the consortium partners are collected in the deliverable 4.1. Data was obtained from on-site inspection and partners used the local laboratory resources of AD for the analyses of samples collected in the building. Attention was given to eventual amendments of the IAQ auditing process and none was reported. The participating technical SMEs, with ATEKNEA’s assistance, measured several IAQ parameters during the preliminary audit (like Air velocity, Temperature, Humidity, Carbon dioxide (CO2), Carbonmonoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Volatile organic compounds (VOC´s) and Particles PM10). These measurements assisted in defining a sampling strategy for the building, identifying contamination sources, emitting materials and potential practices that could cause IAQ problems. Where possible, the data was cross-referenced with information from the questionnaires distributed among the staff of the Municipal Theatre of Faro. With the collaboration of IDMEC, the audit results obtained by the IAQ SMEs were compared against various performance criteria: IAQ, building and other data collected and detailed; Sampling methods and technologies; Action taken in the inspection work; Corrective measures proposed; Communication & reporting. The SME AD and ATEKNEA set up a long term (>7months) IAQ study on the Municipal Theatre of Faro to assess fluctuations in IAQ with an intensive monitoring grid defined in the monitoring plan. ATEKNEA worked side by side with the technicians from AD, and had the responsibility of performing all laboratory analysis of the samples collected. The exhaustive IAQ monitoring focussed on the potential problems detected in the preliminary audit and coevered a wide range of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters: The equipment used for “in situ” monitoring of physical and chemical parameters consisted of portable IAQ dedicated measuring instruments. For the microbiological characterization, air sampling devices (impactors) were used. AD and ATEKNEA used logistic support of local laboratories, for transportation (samples, materials, equipment, technicians), the use of locally available analytical instrumentation, the use of portable probes and sensors, the purchase of consumables (reagents, components, plastic ware, glass ware, gloves, plates, filters, etc.), the use of local facilities (laboratories, warehouses, offices), and the use of special services (incubation of samples, management of biological materials, management and disposal of hazardous materials, calibrations, etc.). AD and ATEKNEA assessed the exterior air quality outside the building since it always has a direct relation with IAQ. Regional data on air quality was collected from the official government monitoring stations and meteorological stations. The long term audit work was performed based on the Regulation of Energy Systems in Buildings HVAC (RSECE) established by Portuguese law 79/2006 of 4 April. The deliverable D4.3 is the summary report of the long-term IAQ Audit performed by the IAQ inspector. The monitoring period extended from 4th May 2012 to 12 May 2013. The methodology used in the audit was based on the Technical Note NT-SCE-02, the audit methodology to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) established by SCE but included a vaster and detailed monitoring plan. Analyses carried out in air encompassed measuring concentrations of gases (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and ozone) and analysis of bacteria, yeasts and fungi in the air in various spaces of the building. Building locations indoor and outdoor, were analysed for chemical, physical and microbiological IAQ parameters during approximately 1 year in regular 15 day intervals.
In WP5, during the meeting held in London on the 8th and 9th of May the consortium SMEs were trained by ATEKNEA in the use of the AIRLOG software platform. After this meeting the demo of the project started and the SMEs started introducing real data and getting used to the platform with the objective of performing audits in the field at the end of the demo period. It was during this meeting when the SMEs debated about the most relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that should be used to benchmark the platform against the traditional non-automated process. The selected KPI where time saving, Ccst effective, easy access to data, completeness of the final report, uniformity of the process, traceability, EU-wide procedures, benchmarking, scientific and experience related and standard output.
During the demo period the AIRLOG platform was updated based on the feedback provided by the SMEs while they were using the platform. Based on this feedback some bugs have been solved and some functionalities have been added/improved to cope better with the necessities while performing the audit on the field.
Firstly, all SMEs have used the software in-house, secondly three of the SMEs, Air Diagnostic, Ambisalud and Green Air Monitoring, have used the platform to conduct real audits in the field with the tablet pc. As a main conclusion of the evaluation the platform improves the traditional paper based work methodologies in each of the selected KPI. The SMEs, while performing the audits, tracked the time needed to perform the same audit with their paper based methodology and with AIRLOG with the purpose of evaluating the savings, both in time and cost. An average of 20% of time is saved on the field work and a 58% on the report preparation when using AIRLOG. The average time saved per audit is 48%. This results in an average of 39% saving in costs.
Dissemination activities have been carefully planned within a strategy that targets four main clusters during WP6; the activities have been led by Mr. Ep MARIUS from the Dutch Chamber of ISIAQ and have been coordinated by the Exploitation Manager, Mr. PEDRO. As for the rest, every partner has taken a very active role in disseminating AIRLOG and therefore dissemination activities have been undertaken by all Consortium members. All Consortium partners submit the content of their dissemination activities to the Exploitation Board and the Management Board, through Mr. PEDRO. In this sense, the Consortium has identified two complementary objectives. On the one hand, the main objective is to disseminate information on the AIRLOG technology and the public funding of the AIRLOG project. This has been achieved by implementing an effective bidirectional dialogue between the partners and all their audiences. On the other hand, disseminate information on any result to reach potential end-users ready to use a final commercial product underpinned by the foreground. This has been useful in reaching the real market before the project ended, so that it can be seen as the necessary seed to complete the AIRLOG project. AIRLOG SMEs and non-profit organisations classified as Other Participants (ECE and ISIAQ) contributed in disseminating the results of the project to stakeholders of the target known as “Potential End-Users”, especially those of the building management and auditing sectors. Although all partners seek to disseminate general information about the project and its achievements, SMEs and non-profit organisations have been the ones responsible for tackling dissemination for “Public Opinion” – the biggest audience and includes several publics. Regarding the scientific community, information presenting scientific interest has been disseminated by the RTD performers, as well as by non-profit organisations, following prior written approval by the Exploitation Board. The AIRLOG Consortium has impacted in these publics through ATEKNEA, VTT and IDMEC. They are the only ones responsible for scientific, technological and technical dissemination. For this purpose, they have been boosting contact with research and technological development organisations, institutes for innovation, public research and innovation ministries/departments at national and regional levels, and universities. Finally, the Consortium has elaborated an updated database with contact and information details on realistic publics, organisations, companies, media and events – most of them from the partners’ own natural networks – to easily schedule and implement this dissemination strategy.
Regarding the scope of WP7, the Exploitation Board has discussed the exploitation strategy since the beginning of the AIRLOG project by considering a successful outcome for the research. Once the results of the project have been achieved, the Exploitation Board has foreseen to agree and sign an Exploitation Agreement based on IPR protection. The Consortium agreed that all members will have access to the foreground of the AIRLOG project in equal opportunities and will share it with regard to individual considerations for the advantage of the whole group. They have also agreed to protect their Trademark blueIndoor by registering it through Mr. Paulo Pedro Zaragoza, the Exploitation Manager, in the in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market. In order to reach a wider public, especially communities affected by air pollution all over Europe and Worldwide, and as a distinction from the competitors, a Trademark registration was done in July 2014. The Trademark registration has been done by Mr. Paulo Zaragoza Pedro, the Exploitation Manager, in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) through their website page. Besides, it serves as a basic tool of SME partners to assist their exploitation activities and the successful market entry of the blueIndoor system. Moreover, during the General Meetings the SMEs have prepared the Technology and Market Watch, as well as possible competition. For exploitation purposes, during the final meeting, the SMEs have decided to first establish a Joint Venture in Madrid at the beginning of 2015 in order to set up a basis for hosting and operating the AIRLOG system. They will acquire a server to host the system and employ the persons necessary to maintain and operate the online platform. All SMEs agree to an alliance and to go further with this Joint Venture, they are going to establish a European Enterprise Interest Group (EEIG) in Madrid, Spain. Therefore, each SME will be part of the Committee and each will have a 20% share. Once the AIRLOG platform is operative, the five SMEs of the project will start using the system and offer the innovative air quality monitoring and auditing service to their clients. Each SME will be responsible for providing this service at its national market. The SMEs will invest the benefits generated by licensing third companies the right to use the AIRLOG platform and trade mark to cover the cost of maintaining and hosting the AIRLOG platform. Any additional benefits will be equally shared by the SMEs. The AIRLOG consortium intends to grant free access to IAQ SMEs which only want to access the process manager and bring further clients into the system, in order to gain as many buildings as possible.
Potential Impact:
The SMEs will be in charge of the audit process validation, pilot studies implementation and exploitation of the information system, as the AIRLOG platform will become their main showcase towards their clients and the general public.
The original market research to support the application for funding of the Airlog project was carried out at the beginning of the project. Consequently with reference to the expected benefits detailed below; the joint-venture consortium, and in particular the SME’s acknowledge that the original research into the potential markets for Airlog across Europe and the associated projected financial forecasts has suffered changes and fluctuations due to the economic recession; changes in legal status of IAQ as a requirement and also the emergence of sustainability and energy issues in building construction and ongoing operations.
• Reduction of IAQ audit and management costs up to 40% due to IT standardization and fewer measurements
• Quicker and more transparent process steps, thanks to regular updates, early warning system and alerts
• Fast on-line report generation on demand, organize IAQ Audit Documentation effortlessly
• Assess on field the most cost-effective and scientifically sound solutions among various EU countries.
• Updated knowledge on thresholds, assessment and remediation strategies, Best Practice Forum
• Introduction of a new EU wide portal gathering Best Practices in IAQ management, creating a new potential EU market worth at least 10M€ in 3 years
• Penetration of at least 8% of the EU IAQ market (approximately 15.000 millions) 6 months after the end of the project and reach up to an additional 10% of other related markets, for instance, energy-efficiency or green building audits thanks to the European Trademark Registration
• The consortium SMEs will have earlier, privileged and free access to the new processes and norms, together with free maintenance, calibration and upgrade contracts, since the system is easily adaptable towards any policy framework amendments
• Expected accumulated cost savings in audited buildings of more than 150.000 € in 3 years’ time
• Expected accumulated income increase 3 years after project completion, for each of the IAQ SMEs of more than 1M€, including benefits through licence sales and training courses
• Income from AIRLOG Software as a Service (SaaS) sales are expected to reach at least 2,2 M€ inside the EU in 3 years’ time (both licenses for IAQ SMEs and subscription fees for building administrators)
• In case legal framework and/or public support programmes for audits (as in the case of energy efficiency audits) in place, the potential market for IAQ audits could increase by at least 5 times at EU level and income from licences and fees could reach up to 10M€
• Fast time-to-market (22 months) and attractive Return of Investment (ROI=1,3) of the project in 3 years, based on 15% market penetration rate in 16 EU countries. In 5 years, the ROI could increase to more than 8, if AIRLOG is in place in EU-27
• ISIAQ-NL and EcoCounselling Europe will assist the AIRLOG Joint-Venture in market pull actions
List of Websites:
http://www.iaq-airlog.eu