Published:
07 Feb 2008 - The EEA has concluded an agreement
with a consortium led by the European Space
Agency to provide improved information on
air pollution.
Combining satellite
data, surface measurements from 29 European
countries and sophisticated processing will
deliver state of the art information on
air quality.
The Copenhagen-based
EEA will provide timely information on Europe's
environment at an unprecedented level. The
initiative will result in the supply of
Europe-wide coverage on a daily basis and
take into account complex variables such
as interactions between weather patterns
and emissions.
This pilot service is
part of GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment
and Security) which will integrate space
based earth observation data received from
satellites with ground based information
to offer a sharper picture of Europe's air
quality on a daily basis.
The EEA has been assigned
a key role to coordinate the provision of
surface measurements and other data for
GMES services. The EEA already manages networks
of data providers from 33 member countries
in order to fulfill its mandate.
Other expert bodies
will contribute with data, processing capacity
and expertise to create GMES services. The
consortium providing the service for EEA
includes environmental, aerospace agencies
and meteorological organisations.
The EEA will use the
service to support the implementation of
European air quality policies, particularly
the Air Quality Directive. The system will
present an additional benefit for the wider
public: the ability to better protect their
health by avoiding exposure and take measures
to reduce air pollution.
Background to the serviceGMES
responds to Europe’s needs for geo-spatial
information services by bringing together
the capacity of Europe to collect and manage
data and information on the environment
and civil security, for the benefit of European
citizens.
