icaros-net project

ICAROS-NET Project

Dr Nikolaos Soulakellis

2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03

Department of GeographyUniversity of the Aegean

ICAROSNET IT Architecture

ICAROS-NET Project 2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03

The ICAROS-NET platform can be operated in two different configurations:

Stand-alone, single-user configuration and Server-based, multi-user configuration.

CentralGeographical

Database

Icaros-Net Applications addressing the needs of end-user communities.

These applications can be used through any workstation with internet access, including mobile palmtop devices with wireless network connections.

Central Geographical Database

Handles the management of all the spatio-temporal data categorized in multiple layers, using state-of-the-art modeling techniques.

SpatialEngine

DataReport

Visualization tools

EO-data processing

Data Fusion

Health Impact Assessment

Satellite Data Ancillary DataGround MeasurementsModeling Data Demographic Data

EO-DATA PROCESSINGThis application performs: Radiometric Correction AOT calculation

ATMOSPHERIC MODELLING

This application performs:

Horizontal and vertical distribution of atmospheric

pollutants

“Icaros-Net” Server Provides a number of basic services to all Icaros-Net applications:Data ImportData reportMetadataVisualization ToolsSpatial Engine for handling geographical datasets

HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT

This application performs:

Health Vulnerability estimation

DATA FUSIONThis application performs:

•AOT Normalization•Pollutant estimation•Fused pollutant map generation

Atmospheric Modelling

IT-Architecture 2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03

ICAROS-NET α-editionMulti-modular Information System:

•Database Management

•Aerosol Optical Thickness Calculation

•Atmospheric Modelling

•Data Fusion

•Health Impact Assessment

•Network Optimization


ICAROS-NET Project 2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03

ICAROS-NET Database Management System

ICAROS-NET α-edition2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03


Integrated access to modelling tools and spatial data in a unique environment

Wizard-like user interface

Atmospheric Modelling Functionality

•Environmental description

• Data pre-processing

• Model input

• Model run

• Output representation


Data Fusion


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8/4/99 8/4/99

Module Functionality

Data import

Weight setting on criteria

Network optimisation

Visualisation of results

Comparative assessment of results

ICAROS-NET α-edition

Network Optimization


Multi-criteria optimization User-friendly GUI Transparency of uncertainties & interactivity with users Proven efficacy in AQ monitoring optimization

FeaturesFeatures


Visualization Tools

ICAROS-NET platform provides to the end-user two visualization tools:

Internal Visualization Tool, for visualizing all the available information andInternet Map Server, for serving this information through Internet to the public.

ICAROS-NET α-edition 2nd Review – Brussels 16/01/03

Communication Architecture

Peer to Peer Links64K bips-2M bips

CentralisedFacility

LocalFacility

LocalFacility

Local historicalData

MeasurementGeneric UsersEducation(WEB site)

National/LocalCommunication

Links

LocalAdministrations

Local

Scientists/

Local

Users

National/Local facilities


Weather Classes

Archived AOT maps

Atmospheric Modelling

Forecast of pollutants


The ICAROS-NET partners (JRC and the University of the Aegean) which are responsible for the development of the ICAROS-NET platform, the last three-months of the project, focused on ensuring that the system under development can be operated and managed by non-experts. To meet this goal several subroutines of the system has been fully automated either by applying default values to the required parameters or by using data warehouses for the new datasets. More precisely the following modifications has been made:

1. Module-1. ICAROS-NET Database Management:

Automatic retrieval and import of new datasets. Using predefined paths for all the required information, the software regularly checks for new available datasets to import (ground-based measurements, atmospheric modelling results etc). This functionality enables the operational use of Module-1 24hours/day without requiring any user input. After every import process the system informs the user by providing a database report.

Exploitation of remote data-sources by using FTP-connection. This functionality offers the opportunity to access databases available into different locations for enhancing the operability of the platform without requiring any expertise by the end-user. For example the end-user may have access to satellite-image databases, atmospheric modelling outputs etc.

Minimization of interaction for the geometric correction of satellite images. Geometric correction is an important process for ensuring the accurate geographical match of EO-data. Normally this process requires the identification on the image of more than 20 control points with known geographical coordinates. ICAROS-Net platform stores the relational site of the control points from previous geometric corrections and requires the identification of only one predefined control point. A very user-friendly interface helps the user to identify this point.


Module-2. Aerosol Optical Thickness Calculation: Automatic activation of Module-2 after importing a new satellite

image. This functionality enables the operational use of this module 24hours/day without requiring any interaction by the end-user. After every new satellite data import process the system starts the Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) calculation.

Creation of a database with all the parameters needed for the AOT calculation. This database provides all the necessary values (i.e. sun elevation angle, gain and offset values for each band etc) to the algorithm that performs the AOT-calculation.The combination of the two previous modifications enables the operational use of Module 2 without requiring any input of the user.

Module-3. Atmospheric Modelling: Creation of a user-friendly interface: The atmospheric modelling

module of the ICAROS NET software platform is geared with a user-friendly, “wizard”-like interface, which guides the user through the necessary steps for running the CTDM+ model. Most of the file specifications are already hard-wired in the stand-alone version of the platform for each application site. This renders the whole operation of the model very user-friendly. The I/O files are all put in ASCII format to facilitate the communication with the other platform modules and the easy integration in the GIS environment.


Module-4. Data Fusion: Automatic activation of Module-4 after the end of Module-2. After

saving the AOT-values in a predefined directory (Module-2) the DataFusion module is activated automatically. This functionality enables the operational use of this module without requiring any interaction by the end-user and provides the platform with the appropriate maps.

Creation of a database with all the parameters needed for the Data Fusion module. This database provides all the necessary values/parameters (i.e. functions for estimating air pollution concentrations based on AOT values reckoned from satellite images etc) to the algorithm that performs the Data-Fusion.The combination of the two previous modifications enables the operational use of Module-4 without requiring any interaction by the end-user.

Module-5. Health Impact Assessment:

Automatic activation of Module-5 after creating new fused-air pollution maps. After saving the air-pollution maps produced by Module-4, in a predefined directory, the Health Impact Assessment module is activated automatically. Without requiring any interaction by the end-user Module-5 provides to the end-user spatially resolved information on health risk and stores the derived information into a predefined directory.

ICAROS-NET α-edition

User Requirements


The consultation process took the form of a series of meetings of the core partners with the respective representatives of the end-users:

FZK-IFU met three times with the Bavarian Environmental Protection Agency in order to best convey the end-user interest in the platform development

JRC met with the Minister and the representatives of the technical service of the Ministry of the Environment in Athens in order to formalise the co-operation, present the ICAROS NET concept and incorporate the user requirements in the platform specification design process

JRC met with the Regional Administration in Lombardy to present the ICAROS NET concept and incorporate user requirements. JRC also met twice with CRASL, the technical and scientific arm of the regional administration in environmental matters to further consolidate the technical exchange and streamline data transferability between the regional environmental information system and ICAROS NET.

Telespazio met with the regional administrations in Basilicata and Lazio (Italian regions) to explore the requirements of the respective environmental protection agencies, which would be future potential users of the ICAROS NET technology.

JRC met with the Minister of Research in Hungary, who expressed his interest in ICAROS NET as one of the best examples of collaboration of European and Community-funded research with Hungarian institutions in the European Research Area.


Environmental Protection Agency of Bavaria (Landesamt für Umwelt)

The most important priorities in air quality monitoring in the area of responsibility of the LfU are: daily monitoring,

reliable yearly average, 50 %-, 95 %-, 98 %, 99,8 %-, maximum-values for policy evaluation, real-time monitoring and early alert of extreme incidents (SO2, H2S, NO2, O3,

forecast of extreme incidents (O3),

daily forecast of air quality values(O3 in summer months)

The most important use of a system like ICAROS NET, which would allow the services of the LfU to monitor the distribution of particulate matter at high spatial resolution (of the order of hundreds of meters) would be the possibility to have a rapid and reliable overview of aerosol distribution. This would be used primarily for more effective communication with the public and other stakeholders, and for strategic analysis of the effectiveness of policy initiatives targeting air pollution reduction. LfU is interested in a spatial high-resolution overview of air pollution in addition to the high temporal resolution information delivered by their monitoring network.


Hellenic Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works

According to the Hellenic Ministry of the Environment it would be extremely useful if through this project some or the total of the following could be produced on an operational basis:

1. Short-term forecast of aerosol content (either in mass fraction or in concentration term) at ground base level

2. Exploitation of the ICAROS NET infrastructure for detection and forecast of crucial meteorological parameters (such as temperature inversions, short-range advection mechanisms, etc)

3. Assessment of contribution of natural sources to the total particulate concentrations.

4. Assessment of medium and long-range particulate transport mechanisms with emphasis on the Sahara dust effect in the southern Mediterranean.

The department of air quality of the Ministry would like to host an ICAROS NET server in order to be able to operate independently the information fusion system.


Regional Administration of Lombardy

The interest of CRASL in becoming a user of ICAROS NET, responding to the needs of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency, is twofold:

• The software can provide synoptic representation of atmospheric pollution (in particular PM10) over the whole territory, its trends in time, the correlation with meteorology and climate and the correlation with impacts on human health and vegetation;

• The software could represent a pillar of a multi-criteria monitoring and emergency management system, which will need to be developed to serve the operational and strategic planning needs of the regional administration for optimised management of air quality and its impacts on human health.

Based on the current state of development and further evolution of the air quality monitoring system in the region, the most important uses of ICAROS NET could be:

• Optimisation of the monitoring network. • Forecast of critical PM10 concentration in support to alert systems and traffic regulation. • Fundamental research on atmospheric pollution phenomena in particular PM generation and

diffusion.The operational requirements of the ICAROS NET platform in order to ensure successful implementation

in Lombardy include:• Easy graphical user interface and data visualisation capabilities in order to allow the fast

communication of the information for management decision-making and communication to the public.

• Availability of stand-alone version of the ICAROS NET platform to allow independent control and operation of the system.

• Possibility of TCP/IP-based data I/O and exchange.• Easy incorporation of existing spatial databases with information such as population density,

emissions inventory, and ground-based data.


Regional Administration of Basilicata, Italy

The Regional Administration has the following legal competences in the air quality management field:• Preparation of the air quality protection plan• Release of the authorization for atmospheric emission.• Management of the three monitoring networks currently operating in Basilicata (in Melfese, Potenza,

and Val d’Agri). Two out of the three networks will be managed in the near future by the Regional Environment Agency of Basilicata (ARPAB)

The characteristic of the Basilicata territory is such that the pollution risk comes mainly from industrial sources located near vegetated protected areas. In fact a large part of the regional territory is characterised as natural park and includes a significant number of protected areas. For this reason, pollution risk and sources are quantitatively limited and delineated by urban areas, taking into account that in Basilicata the urban areas are not very extended.

Based on the above, the ARPAB and the Regional Authority have a very strong interest for vegetation damage estimation and prevention due to pollution fallout.


Institute for Public Health and Meteorological Service, Hungary

Overall, the reasoning behind the inclusion of partner organisations (end-users and data suppliers) from one the leading accession countries, Hungary, was primarily the need to benchmark and assess the transferability and applicability of the ICAROS NET information system in the accession country setting. One of the major challenges accession countries will have to face during the period 2003-2004 will be the acquisition (where necessary) of the technical and scientific capacity to enforce cost-effectively the body of the EU law (the acquis communautaire) in key policy areas, such as the EU sustainable development strategy and, in particular, the community legislation relating to environmental quality and health. Hence, the inclusion of end-users from accession countries such as Hungary, serves the purpose of streamlining the ICAROS NET technology and making sure that it can be readily incorporated in the armoury of best available technologies for cost-effective implementation of Community legislation in environment and health. This was highlighted in a recent (October 2002) presentation of the array of collaborative efforts between the Hungarian scientific community and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The presentation was given by Dr. Siegler, the Hungarian Minister of Research on the occasion of a meeting in Budapest between the Hungarian scientific community and the European Commission’s JRC. Dr Siegler presented ICAROS NET as the top example of collaboration between the Hungarian researchers and competent authorities and the JRC in one of the most important areas in the science and policy implementation interface, namely, in the study of the link between environmental quality and health.


Conclusions

The key objectives of the ICAROS NET environmental and health impact information system according to the end-users are the following:

• Rapid overview and short-term forecast of tropospheric aerosol distribution • Provision of information on annual mean values of aerosol loading and the frequency of annual

exceedances of regulatory thresholds• Optimised development of the PM2.5 and PM10 monitoring networks• Contribute to the completion and operation of multi-criteria monitoring and emergency management system

in the areas under the competence of the end-users with emphasis on key health stressors such as PM 2.5,

PM10 and O3.• Synoptic estimation of environmental stress due to air pollution (and in particular aerosol) loading (e.g.

estimation of vegetation damage due to airborne chemicals).These are the main objectives towards which the ICAROS NET platform development and its application in the

verification sites will be geared.The key highlights of the end-user requirements for the ICAROS NET information system, which will be used as

guidelines for the platform development can be summarised as follows:o The system needs to operate via an Internet-based telematic connection and data transfer protocolso A stand-alone version of the system must be made available to the end-users in order for it to be operated

by the technical staff of the competent authoritieso Easy graphical user interface and data visualisation tools must be made available to facilitate data input-

output as well as data interpretation and communication of consolidated resultso Existing spatial databases at the verification sites must be readily importableo Training of the technical staff of the end-users is required, accompanied by a detailed technical user’s

manualThe IT system architecture outlined in the following chapter addresses all of the points made above, as the end-

users were involved in the verification of the adaptability of the ICAROS NET computational platform to their specific needs.

User training seminars have been planned during the later part of 2003 and 2004. Furthermore, stand-alone alpha versions of the software will be installed in all end-user sites in order to obtain further feedback on how well ICAROS NET fits the purpose for the end-users and meets their technical requirements in practice.

icaros-net project

Documents

data fusion2nd review

spatial data

icarosnet partners jrc

spatiotemporal data

modelling tools

internet access

singleuser configuration

internal visualization