Urban Tool for Air Quality
UTAQ (Urban Tool for Air Quality) is a project developed by TerrAria and funded by ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) under the CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) call. UTAQ aims to provide a mathematical tool developed as a web-based application for high-resolution (10–50 m) urban-scale air quality forecasting, calibrated on air quality monitoring stations. UTAQ uses background pollutant concentrations derived from air quality data provided by the CAMS atmospheric monitoring service.
| Project type: CAMS_95I – ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service on behalf of the European Commission. Budget: 78’210 Euros Duration: 2018 – 2020 Number and Partner involved: TerrAria s.r.l. Role: Sole contractor Project website: www.utaq.eu |
 |
European Union (EU) air quality legislation, adopted by Member States in 2008 (2008/50/EC), defines a short-term action plan that each Member State must prepare, specifying the measures to be implemented in the short term to reduce the risk or duration of exceedances of concentration limits for key urban pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), particulate matter PM10, and fine particulate matter PM2.5, with particular attention to densely populated metropolitan areas.
This approach aims to protect the population from peak pollutant concentrations and promotes the prevention of severe episodes through the implementation of air quality forecasting systems. In addition, it supports evidence-based decision-making by enabling authorities to anticipate pollution events and act proactively.
To comply with short-term limit values established by legislation and reduce hazardous concentration levels, emission reduction actions must be planned at least one or two days in advance. Furthermore, according to European Union directives, local authorities are required to inform the public about current air quality conditions and expected trends for the following days.
Through the UTAQ project, TerrAria addressed these needs while also meeting the requirements of CAMS calls, which required the configuration and demonstration of downstream applications using one or more CAMS products as input, known as “Use Cases.”
The project led to the development of the UTAQ web application and a dedicated mobile app, designed to support urban planners and municipal agencies in assessing pollutant concentrations and forecasting air quality at the urban scale within their areas. These applications enable the analysis and forecasting of atmospheric conditions to rapidly manage potential exceedances of regulatory thresholds, supporting timely interventions and coordinated policy responses.
The tool produces high-resolution air quality maps, both in near-real time and as forecasts up to 4 days ahead. It also enables the evaluation of emission reductions linked to traffic and vehicle restrictions implemented to manage emergency situations caused by exceedances of air quality limits. Moreover, it integrates spatial and temporal variability, offering a detailed representation of pollution patterns across urban environments.
UTAQ allows, on one hand, citizens, municipal technicians, and epidemiologists to assess and thus limit exposure to pollutants through GPS positioning; on the other hand, it enables spatial planners and decision-makers to evaluate in advance the effectiveness of traffic and vehicle restrictions (e.g. traffic reduction, heavy vehicle limitations, establishment of Low Emission Zones, etc.) in bringing pollutant concentrations back within regulatory limits.
H3 THE ROLE OF TERRARIA
TerrAria, as the sole project partner, was responsible for the development of the UTAQ system (web application and mobile app), as well as for its dissemination and commercialisation. In the early months of 2020, UTAQ was tested by AMAT (Agenzia Mobilità Ambiente e Territorio), the technical body supporting the Municipality of Milan in planning, managing, and monitoring mobility, environmental, and air quality policies. The pilot conducted in the city of Milan demonstrated the effectiveness of the tool in assessing pollutant concentrations and forecasting air quality at the urban scale.
