The widespread diffusion of sensors, mobile devices, social media and open data are reconfiguring the way data underpinning policy and science are being produced and consumed. This in turn is creating both opportunities and challenges for policy-making and science. There can be major benefits from the deployment of the IoT in smart cities and environmental monitoring, but to realize such benefits, and reduce potential risks, there is an urgent need to address current limitations, including the interoperability of sensors, data quality, security of access and new methods for spatio-temporal analysis. Within this context, the manuscript provides an overview of the AirSensEUR project, which establishes an affordable open software/hardware multi-sensor platform, which is nonetheless able to monitor air pollution at low concentration levels. AirSensEUR is described from the perspective of interoperable data management with emphasis on possible use case scenarios, where reliable and timely air quality data would be essential.

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Next Generation Air Quality Platform: Openness and Interoperability for the Internet of Things.

The development, integration, and distribution of the information and spatial data infrastructure (i.e. Digital Earth; DE) necessary to support the vision and goals of Future Earth (FE) will occur in a distributed fashion, in very diverse technological, institutional, socio-cultural, and economic contexts around the world. This complex context and ambitious goals require bringing to bear not only the best minds, but also the best science and technologies available. Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial Applications (FOSS4G) offers mature, capable and reliable software to contribute to the creation of this infrastructure. In this paper we point to a selected set of some of the most mature and reliable FOSS4G solutions that can be used to develop the functionality required as part of DE and FE. We provide examples of large-scale, sophisticated, mission-critical applications of each software to illustrate their power and capabilities in systems where they perform roles or functionality similar...

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Free and open source software for geospatial applications (FOSS4G) to support Future Earth

The availability of timely, accessible and well documented data plays a central role in the process of digital transformation in our societies and businesses. Considering this, the European Commission has established an ambitious agenda that aims to leverage on the favourable technological and political context and build a society that is empowered by data-driven innovation. Within this context, geospatial data remains critically important for many businesses and public services. The process of establishing Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) in response to the legal provisions of the European Union INSPIRE Directive has a long history. While INSPIRE focuses mainly on ’unlocking’ data from the public sector, there is need to address emerging technological trends, and consider the role of other actors such as the private sector and citizen science initiatives. The objective of this paper, given those bounding conditions is twofold. Firstly, we position SDI-related developments in Europe within the broader context of the current political and technological scenery. In doing so, we pay particular attention to relevant technological developments and emerging trends that we see as enablers for the evolution of European SDIs. Secondly, we propose a high level concept of a pan-European (geo)data space with a 10-year horizon in mind. We do this by considering today’s technology while trying to adopt an evolutionary approach with developments that are incremental to contemporary SDIs.

https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/9/3/176/pdf

From Spatial Data Infrastructures to Data Spaces—A Technological Perspective on the Evolution of European SDIs

Generic land registry and cadastre data model supporting interoperability based on international standards for Turkey

https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=beschspart

Maritime Spatial Planning supported by Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE)

The collection, exchange and use of air quality data require diverse monitoring, processing and dissemination systems to work seamlessly together. These systems should supply data in a format usable for other applications such as planning, assessing population exposure and environmental impact assessment. As air quality does not change abruptly near national borders, international cooperation within this domain is highly desirable. This manuscript reports lessons learned during the implementation phase of one the world’s largest data harmonisation effort of environmental information infrastructures, INSPIRE, a backbone of a European wide spatial data reporting system which involves an unprecedented number of actors and volumes of data. It is important within the context of the Digital Earth concept and the establishment of a global spatial data infrastructure (SDI) through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), as the quality of ambient air is among the most pressing contemporary environmental problems. We summarise our findings from the perspective of national public authorities, obliged by law to transmit standardised spatio-temporal data to streamline reporting and facilitate the use of information, while keeping public expenditure under control. To develop implementation strategies for these type of e-reporting data flows we established a cross-border case study, looking at the process of harmonisation and exchange of data in Belgium and the Netherlands based on interoperable standards. Our results cover the legal, semantic, technological and organisational aspects of reporting. They are relevant to a cross-thematic audience having to undergo similar processes of reporting, such as climate change, environmental noise, marine, biodiversity, water management, etc.

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Building bridges: experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of INSPIRE and e-reporting of air quality data in Europe

This contribution describes experiences gained with the practical application of the OGC Sensor Observation Service (SOS) standard for reporting air quality information of member states to the European Environment Agency (EEA). It is not only shown how the member states are enabled to fulfil environmental reporting obligations but it is also explained how the EEA is able to benefit from the use of the SOS interface. Keywords—Sensor Web; OGC, Sensor Observation Service; air quality; e-Reporting I. EXTENDED ABSTRACT Over the past years, significant efforts to collect observation data about ambient air quality in Europe have been expended [1], [2]. National air quality measurements have been set-up across the EU since the 1990's and European policies requiring the exchange of the measured data have been established, since a recent revision of the Implementing Provisions for Reporting [3] this also includes “primary up-todate assessment data”. These Implementing Provisions also explicitly refer to a “standardised machine-readable form in line with the requirements of Directive 2007/2/EC” (INSPIRE) [4], hence implicitly mentioning using (Web) services for data transmission. In this context, the European Environment Agency has the task to collect, assess and integrate the measured data of the different member states. To perform this data collection across political and organizational borders, interoperability is a key factor to reduce the efforts necessary during data integration. For this purpose, a specific data model and encoding a profile of the ISO/OGC Observations and Measurements (O&M) 2.0 standard was developed. This data specification is mandatory for all member states when delivering air quality data to the EEA. However, to ensure the full benefits of interoperability, not only the data model/format but also the way, how this data can be accessed, is important. Although there are no legally binding requirements regarding the specific data access interface, several member states (Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom) as well as the EEA have decided to implement the OGC Sensor Observation Service (SOS) 2.0 interface [5] as a way to exchange and publish the measured air quality data. The member states are not only intending to use the SOS interface in this case the open source stand-alone SOS implementation of 52°North to make their data available for harvesting by the EEA. There are also on-going activities to Adjunct Proceedings of the 29th EnviroInfo and 3rd ICT4S Conference 2015 Copenhagen, Denmark September 7-9, 2015

Using the OGC SOS Interface for Reporting Ambient Air Quality Data

Air pollution is difficult to detect with human senses. It is to a large extent out of sight and out of sense, while causing a burden on our economy, our health and our environment. A relevant illustration of this is the exposure to air pollution during commutes. The air pollution commuters are exposed to remains to a considerable extent a hidden geography, with, for example, a lack of available reliable information regarding the on-the-road concentrations of several air pollutants. This research aims to unravel, to the best possible extent, spatio-temporal air pollution patterns (active) commuters are exposed to. Cyclists and pedestrians can be unaware that they commute in polluted air. They often travel close to motorised traffic, resulting in high exposure to several air pollutants, which have elevated levels on the road due to vehicular emissions. Significantly higher concentrations of particulate matter (<2.5 µm), black carbon and nitrogen dioxide were found on roads with high-traffic intensities than on roads with less traffic, cycling highways or separated cycle lanes. The amplitude of the concentration differences between routes depends on both temporal factors, such as the season, the day of the week, or the time of day, and spatial factors, such as the traffic’s density, the footpath or cycle lane’s location, the architectural makeup (e.g. street canyons) and the meteorological conditions. Using high-resolution air pollution models, it is possible to distinguish between routes of higher and lower air pollution concentrations, allowing active road users to choose an alternative route to lower their air pollution exposure. However, on-the-road concentrations displayed by the Belgian ATMO-Street model are often considerably underestimated, especially for routes with high levels of motorised traffic. In general, for air pollution models to distinguish between routes, a minimum spatial-model resolution of 10 m2 including street configuration effects (e.g. street canyons) is desired. For temporal resolution, static seasonal-hourly raster model data, calculated from a previous year’s hourly data, are sufficient to make a scientifically sound distinction between alternative routes regarding exposure to air pollution. Those tools are a great help in uncovering the spatio-temporal pollution patterns (active) commuters are exposed to and also provide relevant insights to reduce the health and economic burden of air pollution, which is unseen to a large extent and of which most people are not aware. Additional research using microscale measurement setups to further unravel gradients in air pollutant concentrations and further reveal reliable estimates of on-the-road concentrations of those pollutants is recommended.

Uncovering Spatio-temporal Air Pollution Exposure Patterns During Commutes to Create an Open-Data Endpoint for Routing Purposes

As part of the STEREO-III BUMBA (Belgian Urban NO2 Monitoring Based on APEX hyperspectral data) project, we try to exploit the synergy between NO2 column measurements derived from the aircraft-based APEX hyperspectral imaging system and high-resolution model data from a combined land use regression-Gaussian plume model system for the complex city-port region of Antwerp (Belgium). The resulting model maps are then used to determine the NO2-exposure of the population of the region.

Olav Peeters

Papers

Building bridges: experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of INSPIRE and e-reporting of air quality data in Europe

Using the OGC SOS Interface for Reporting Ambient Air Quality Data

Uncovering Spatio-temporal Air Pollution Exposure Patterns During Commutes to Create an Open-Data Endpoint for Routing Purposes

Can Aircraft-Based Remote-Sensing NO 2 Measurements Combined with High Resolution Model Data Improve NO 2 Exposure Estimates over Urban Areas?