RI-URBANS is aiming to demonstrate how Service Tools (STs) from atmospheric Research Infrastructures (RIs) can be adapted and enhanced to better address the challenges and societal needs concerning air quality (AQ) in European cities and industrial hotspots. RI-URBANS is responding to urgent needs to substantially reduce air pollution across the EU by providing enhanced AQ observations in support of advanced AQ policy assessment. The project is developing and enhancing synergies between AQ Monitoring Networks (AQMNs) and RIs in the atmospheric domain, combining advanced scientific knowledge and innovative technologies to create pilot STs. These tools are intended to enhance the capacity of AQMNs to evaluate, predict, and support policies for mitigating urban air pollution. RI-URBANS is deploying tools and information systems in the hands of citizens and communities to support decision-making by AQ managers and regulators. The focus is on ambient nanoparticles and atmospheric particulate matter—their sizes, constituents, source contributions, and gaseous precursors. The project is evaluating novel AQ parameters, source contributions, and their associated health effects in order to demonstrate the European added value of implementing such STs. RI-URBANS is building on existing initiatives for advanced research-driven AQ observations at supersites in European cities to provide innovative AQ STs. Five pilot implementations in nine cities are demonstrating the capacity to integrate complementary STs in AQMNs and to manage data using FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) principles. The project is addressing all aspects of sustainability, including the efficient curation, preservation, and provision of access to data, as well as training and capacity building. It is also focusing on ensuring that the tools will continue to be used in the future. Finally, upscaling and long-term sustainability are being pursued for the interoperable AQMNs-RIs services offered, using advanced instrumentation, modelling, source apportionment, integrated citizen observatories, and mobile measurements.
The project has been running since 2021 and is scheduled to end in 2025.
More details here: ri-urbans.eu