Fostering resource efficiency and climate change resilience through community based Air Quality Internet of Things

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Balkan-Mediterranean

Date of latest update: 2022-10-04

Description

Description (EN):

Air pollution has been one of the first environmental problems to be addressed by the EU, in that sense clean air is considered essential to good health and a basic human need. EU law has recognised this need and given legal protection to it through Directive 2008/50/EC by imposing stringent limits on levels of harmful air pollution in ambient air. Late reports confirm that up to one-third of the EU urban population are exposed to air pollution which exceeds EU limit values. Direct economic damage includes €15bn from lost workdays, €4bn healthcare costs, €3bn crop yield loss and €1bn damage to buildings. Air pollution is the number one environmental cause of death in the EU, responsible for 406,000 premature deaths. In addition to premature mortality there are also substantial quality-of-life impacts, ranging from asthma to exacerbation of cardiovascular symptoms. Health-related external costs range between €330 - €940bn per year depending on the valuation methodology. Currently the primary responsibility for complying and monitoring of the air quality is assigned to respective environmental ministries and agencies, although it is evident that all public bodies, including regional and local authorities, must take coherent proactive measures to secure clean air. The transboundary component of air pollution is significant. A state's pollution emissions are not just its own problem but affect also its neighbors. To address this issue, common environmental objectives must be agreed, and these can only be achieved if a common multi country approach is in place. The project will leverage the emerging technologies through Internet of Things intelligent air quality measuring sensors providing new, real time data through internet - forming network of connected cities jointly monitoring air quality, cloud based "Open data" system with predictive analytics and advanced machine learning capabilities enabling public bodies timely actions and feeding the general public with easy understandable information fostering sustainable way of living. In combination with city specific guidelines and methodologies for air quality monitoring, establishment of common policy framework analysis towards decrease of regional pollutants and 3D MEMO, 3D MARS-aero and 3D MIMO air quality assessments models the project will effectively address the air pollution and will enable information driven decisions to be taken by public authorities, citizens and businesses. Essentially, it will result in increased public authorities control over air pollutants which will naturally lead to decrease of air pollution levels, thus guaranteeing compliance with Air Quality Directive objectives on one side, and on the other, preserving citizens health and ensuring clean air as basic human right.

Website: https://airthings-project.com/

Expected Results (EN):

The project main result is expected to be reduction of air pollutants (e.g. PM, NO2, CO) in the air which are directly harmful to the health of citizens, ecosystems, crops and buildings, as well as compliance with the Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC stringent value limits within participating regions. The cheap access to air quality data will result in adaptation and mitigation measures taken by policy makers towards resource efficiency. Reduced concentration of air pollution will not only decrease the health problems of human and deaths but it will also ensure balance in the environmental ecosystem, allowing crops to thrive in the urbanized areas. Inevitably the process will positively impact climate change by decreasing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Rising awareness among citizens with regards to air pollutants caused by various sources e.g. road traffic, combined with suggestions on green transportation alternatives and routes provided by the smart applications, shall bring immediate result with regards to increased resource efficiency and decreased CO2 in the atmosphere. Тhe active participation of citizens will demonstrate new model of engagement towards sustainable use of resources and will decrease environmental impacts and forming economy based on a sustainable relationship between nature and human well-being. It is important to highlight that the information which will be published in the Open Data portal will be available for everyone to re-use and add new value of it, moreover other municipalities, public and private entities will be able to join the cluster and test the model. All information will be provided absolutely free, therefore guaranteeing high level of transparency and sustainability.

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project main outputs will be supply and installation of approx. 100 Internet of Things intelligent air quality measuring sensors evenly saparated between all five countries, providing new, real time data through internet - forming network of connected cities jointly monitoring air quality, alongside with cloud based "Open data" system with predictive analytics and advanced machine learning capabilities.The common use of these emerging technologies will clearly demonstrate transnational cooperation leading to resource efficiency and climate change mitigation. In combination with five city specific analysis for air quality monitoring, establishment of common policy framework analysis towards decrease of regional pollutants, SWOT analysis, analysis of counter trends: Scenarios for the Balkan Cities Atmosphere Towards 2030 and 3D MEMO (Eulerian non-hydrostatic prognostic meteorological model for simulation of atmospheric air flow complex terrains), 3D MARS-aero (3D chemical transport model that simulates transport and transformation of gaseous pollutants and atmospheric aerosols) and 3D MIMO (3D Eulerian Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) CFD code for simulating microscale wind flow and dispersion of pollutants in built-up areas) air quality assessments models the project will effectively address resource management efficiency through reduction and monitoring of air pollution The smart phone and tablet applications with "Push notifications" will enable active public awareness rising and engagement towards air pollution reduction and sustainable development behavior. The state of the art instrumentation and methodologies will be combined in order to propose new, easy replicable model for reduction and monitoring of directly harmful to the health of citizens, ecosystems, crops and buildings air pollutants. The common multinational approach will guarantee environmental protection, eco balance and will support the climate change resilience.

Thematic information

Soil and air quality Climate change and biodiversity

Specific Objective: Sustainable territories: fostering transnational cooperation for resource efficiency and climate change resilience

Thematic Objective: (06) preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency by:

Investment Priority: (06f) promoting innovative technologies to improve environmental protection and resource efficiency in the waste sector, water sector and with regard to soil, or to reduce air pollution

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Столична община

Address: 33 Moskovska str., Sofia 1000Sofia, Bulgaria

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.sofia.bg/

Total budget: EUR 481 724.00

ERDF budget: EUR 409 465.40

IPA2 budget: EUR 72 258.60

CENTRE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ‘CARDET’ LTD

Name: CENTRE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY ‘CARDET’ LTD

Address: 29 Lykavitou Avenuys, 1st Floor, EngomiEngomi, Cyprus

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.cardet.org/

Total budget: EUR 215 830.00

ERDF budget: EUR 183 455.50

IPA2 budget: EUR 32 374.50

Државен Инсепкторат за животна средина

Name: Државен Инсепкторат за животна средина

Address: Quay Dimitar Vlahov No.4 (Old Comercial Bank Building), floor 1, GATE EASTSkopje, North Macedonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.sei.gov.mk/index_mk.asp

Total budget: EUR 135 500.00

ERDF budget: EUR 115 175.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 20 325.00

Δήμος Θεσσαλονίκης

Name: Δήμος Θεσσαλονίκης

Address: Vasileos Georgiou 1A , 54640 Thessaloniki, 54640 Thessaloniki, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: https://thessaloniki.gr/

Total budget: EUR 227 390.00

ERDF budget: EUR 193 281.50

IPA2 budget: EUR 34 108.50

ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΕΙΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ - ΕΙΔΙΚΟΣ ΛΟΓΑΡΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΚΟΝΔΥΛΙΩΝ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ - ΤΜΗΜΑ ΜΗΧΑΝΟΛΟΓΩΝ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ

Name: ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΕΙΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ - ΕΙΔΙΚΟΣ ΛΟΓΑΡΙΑΣΜΟΣ ΚΟΝΔΥΛΙΩΝ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ - ΤΜΗΜΑ ΜΗΧΑΝΟΛΟΓΩΝ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ

Address: University campus, AUTH, PO Box 483, Post Code 54124, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://aix.meng.auth.gr/lhtee/

Total budget: EUR 208 682.26

ERDF budget: EUR 177 379.92

IPA2 budget: EUR 31 302.34

Bashkia Tirane

Name: Bashkia Tirane

Address: bulevardi Deshmoret e KombitTirana, Albania

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.tirana.al/

Total budget: EUR 148 196.40

ERDF budget: EUR 125 966.94

IPA2 budget: EUR 22 229.46

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Fostering resource efficiency and climate change resilience through community based Air Quality Internet of Things

Project acronym: AIRTHINGS

Project start date: 2017-11-15

Project end date: 2020-10-14

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 417 322.66

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 204 724.26

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 963 582.32.
IPA/IPA II/IPA III: Amount, EUR 241 141.94.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

REPORT Results and suggestions for locating the network of sensors for monitoring the atmospheric air quality - Summary

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/approved-project/11/

Publication date: 2022-07-27

Document date: 2019-02-27

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

"Developing a Guide to Best Practices in Other European Cities" under European project Contract BMP1/2.2/2169/2017 for "Efficient use of innovative technologies for clean air" (AIRTHINGS), funded under the Balkans - Mediterranean Program (2014-2020) of the European Union

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/approved-project/11/

Publication date: 2022-07-27

Document date: 2018-06-01

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Videos / films

AIRTHINGS Project - Interreg BalkanMed

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/approved-project/11/

Publication date: 2022-07-27

Document date: 2020-07-24

Languages: en

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Balkan-Mediterranean

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2022-12-09

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

44 / 44 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

282 / 282 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interreg-balkanmed.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-09-20.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Fostering resource efficiency and climate change resilience through community based Air Quality Internet of Things

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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