Tracasa Global upgrades the European Air Quality Index web application with a map featuring real-time information

As part of its work for the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, the public company has managed, using artificial intelligence techniques, to display the concentrations of four air pollutants, anywhere on the continent, hourly, and with a resolution of one km².

Tracasa Global, a public company of the Government of Navarre attached to the Department of Universities, Innovation and Digital Transformation and integrated into the Public Business Corporation of Navarre (CPEN), has enhanced the web application of the European Air Quality Index with a map featuring real-time information. Using artificial intelligence techniques, the tool displays, hour by hour, and with a resolution of one km², the concentrations of four atmospheric pollutants anywhere on the continent. This update of the application, previously deployed in the version for mobile devices, was implemented by the Navarrese public company as part of its work for the European Commission and the European Environment Agency.

Tracasa Global has been working on the European Air Quality Index since 2017; first, on the web version; and, since 2021, on the version for mobile devices. During this time this application has been established as a leading instrument to consult and learn about air quality data in Europe. The index, based on the concentration values of four key pollutants – Fine particles (PM_2.5), Particles (PM₁₀), Ozone (O₃) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) – indicates six possible values according to air quality (from bad to good) and incorporates health messages and recommendations for citizens.

The latest update to the web application incorporates two major new features. The first of these, in the functional sphere, has made it possible to add a new layer of information. Named Modelled Map, a continuous raster of all of Europe has been enabled, which, based on a model trained with artificial intelligence techniques, makes it possible to consult the air quality in any location on the continent, with a resolution of one km^{2 ,}in real time, and with the possibility of checking the air quality during the last 24 hours and the forecast for the next day.

In this way, the new Modelled Map joins the Station Map, which shows air quality data collected by more than 3,500 stations scattered throughout Europe, in combination with other data sources, such as the CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service).

The second new feature in this version is that the web application shows air quality values based on the latest global guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which establish stricter levels for six air pollutants: Fine particles (PM_2.5), Particles (PM₁₀), Ozone (O₃), Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), Sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and Carbon monoxide (CO). These global guidelines, more restrictive than those found in previous publications,  aim to provide quantitative health recommendations for air quality management, expressed as long-term or short-term concentrations of a range of air pollutants. This new feature has also been implemented in the version for mobile devices.

Tracasa Global has carried out this work within its framework contract with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment and the European Environment Agency. In the context of this agreement, which has recently been renewed until 2028, the public company of the Government of Navarre performs consulting, collection, design and dissemination work involving environmental data from European states, allowing European authorities to publicize and share numerous actions on sustainability and environmental protection.

Juan Luis García, Minister of Universities, Innovation and Digital Transformation with the Government of Navarre and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tracasa Global, underscored that “we live in a key moment in which the protection of the environment must be a priority for any institution”. Along these lines, he recalled that both Navarre and the European Union have been demonstrating a firm commitment to this issue for years, and stresse that the revamping of the European Air Quality Index application is “another step in that direction, making available to the public an updated map in real time that facilitates awareness and reinforces sustainability as a hallmark of our community”. He also pointed out that, with initiatives like this, “Navarre stands out as a leading territory in the development of technological solutions applied to the environment, thanks to the work of public companies such as Tracasa Global, which promote digitization and contribute to the well-being of society.”

Tracasa Global CEO Daniel Goñi explained that “the Modelled Map that has been incorporated into the web application is a very important step as a service to citizens, enabling them to check air quality anywhere on the continent at any time, while providing a forecast for the next 24 hours. For our company, with a long history in the development of innovative geospatial solutions, it is very important to continue introducing new advances, especially in applications that have a direct relationship with sustainability and environmental protection”.