ATMOSYS is a set (suite) of modular air quality management software tools and (visualisation) applications to support the implementation of air quality legislation and policies at a regional to urban (street) scale. The (modelling) tools address the key pillars of air management, and are predominantly used for forecasting air pollution episodes, monitoring pollution levels in near real-time, mapping air quality to street level and supporting air quality plans to improve air quality.
The core underlying atmospheric computer models have been developed by VITO researchers since the early 2000’s. Initially to support the Belgian interregional Environment Agency (IRCEL) and the Flemish Environmental Agency (VMM)
2010 - 2013 LIFE+
Within ATMOSYS, a LIFE+ project co-financed by the European Commission from 2010 to 2013, these state-of-the-art models were improved, tested and validated in Flanders as air quality modelling tools that could also be applied to other European air pollution hotspots. Based on requirements from the Flemish administrations and the wider EU air quality modelling community, user friendly web-based visualisation and analysis applications were developed to increase the usability and accessibility (INSPIRE compliant) of the modelling outputs for air quality experts.
The result, a generic web-based air quality management system, containing Air Quality Tools specifically designed to support EPA’s in predicting, assessing and planning actions to achieve and maintain a good air quality.
ATMOSYS was among 17 projects in 2015 to receive the award for "Best LIFE Environment project"
Established in Belgium
For the whole region of Flanders, detailed air quality levels for NO2 are now available down to street level, with practical applications including helping people decide the healthiest route to work
Internationalisation
Since the LIFE+ project ended, our ATMOSYS applications have been helping environment and meteorological agencies across the EU and China.
In France, the national air quality surveillance laboratory (the LCSQA) uses our ATMOSYS model evaluation tool to ensure that air quality evaluations across the country are harmonised.
VITO are working with the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service to implement specific modules of the ATMOSYS system to improve and complement their existing air quality modelling services within the framework of their ‘AIRQ project’.
In southern Poland, the large-scale LIFE Integrated Project ‘Malopolska in a healthy atmosphere’ uses ATMOSYS to generate near real-time insights into air pollution across the regions of Malopolska and Silesia – and beyond into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Whilst ATMO-Plan supports the Krakow municipality in assessing and optimizing measures to reduce transport emissions in Krakow.
In China, over 25 local Environmental Pollution Bureau’s, use OPAQ to monitor and warn their citizens of air pollution episodes.
Whilst in India, the CPCB, supported by TERI are evaluating the use of OPAQ to provide near reliable real-time monitoring and 3-day forecast information in India.