AirQUIS

Definition:

A complete Air Quality Management Strategy (AQMS) system contains modules for Air Quality Assessment, Abatement Measure Assessment, Cost/benefit analyses and Optimum Abatement Strategy identification. Norwegian institute for Air Research, NILU, has developed professional management software for such work, AirQUIS. AirQUIS represents a main tool for establishing and integrating the different components of the AQMS. The system has been established and operated in more than 20 cities and urban areas world-wide. It received the European IT prize in 1998, and is being further developed and improved for a variety of applications.

Main objective:

A main objective of the modern environmental management system is to enable direct data and information transfer and obtain a remote quality control of the data collection. The system must:

• Provide information on how much pollution the population is exposed to,
• Establish a basis for strategies to reduce pollution,
• Estimate environmental impacts from present and future developments.

One of the main challenges in today’s society is to have timely and appropriate access to relevant and good quality environmental data. The aim is to enable actions whenever environmental requirements and limits are violated. These were the challenges that a group of Dose / response Dose Exposure / Dose Modelling Emissions Mode Measurements Best Option: Control options Cost / benefit analysis scientists faced when a new generation of GIS based monitoring and planning system was to be developed in Norway. 

The AirQUIS technologies are now being used in environmental management to support integrated pollution prevention and control. It can aso be part of an emergency management system to support actions and crisis management during emergencies and accidents of various kinds. The environmental information system will have to combine the latest sensor and monitor technologies with data acquisition; data base developments, quality assurance, statistical and numerical models and advanced computer platforms for data processing, as well as distribution and dissemination of data and model results.

The AirQUIS components :

AirQUIS consists of six components and makes use of an Oracle database. The system has integrated forms and maps developed in VisualBasic and MapObject (GIS):
• A manual data entering application,
• An on line monitoring system,
• A module for online data acquisition and quality control,
• A measurement data base for meteorology and air quality,
• A modern emission inventory data base with emission models,
• Numerical models for transport and dispersion in air of pollutants,
• A module for exposure estimates and population exposure assessment,
• Statistical treatment and graphical presentation of measurements and modelling results.

The GIS based air quality planning system:

Based on a Geographical Information System (GIS) platform AirQUIS has been developed to handle air pollution problems. The main objective of a modern environmental surveillance platform of this kind is to enable direct data and information transfer and obtain a remote quality control of the data collection. The system combine monitoring, data presentation and modelling in one package, which enable the user not only to present and evaluate the present
situation, but also to undertake environmental planning for a sustainable future. The GIS platform, on which the system is operated, provides easy access to the data and gives a perfect and easily understandable data presentation tool.