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FAIRMODE - Forum for Air Quality Modeling

FAIRMODE brings together air quality modelers and users to promote and support the harmonized use of models by EU Member States to support the European Air Quality Directives.

  • Page | Last updated: 07 Nov 2025
Monitoring design, spatial representativeness and associated exceedance situation indicators (Working Group 8)

The AAQD offers the opportunity for MS to use model applications (alone or as supplementary information of measurements) to assess the air quality.

Guidance

Leaders: Matthew Ross-Jones (Naturvardsverket), Leonor Tarrason (NILU)

FAIRMODE WG8 – Guidance Document on the estimation of spatial representativeness

Description

The AAQD offers the opportunity for MS to use model applications (alone or as supplementary information of measurements) to assess the air quality. The Implementing Provision on Reporting (IPR) and related e-Reporting process have defined how to report these model applications. As a result, an increasing number of MS are reporting modelling data and model based indicators requested by the IPR. However, there is still a clear lack of guidance on the use of model results for assessment and planning purposes and, therefore, in the formal reporting cycle (e.g. estimation of exceedances, exposure in given areas or spatial representativeness of the monitoring station).

Based on the work carried out in the past years, future WG8 activities will focus on:

  1. Best practice identification - Fine-tuning and further testing spatial representativeness methods
  2. Best practice identification - Fit-for-purpose modelling approaches to assess Exceedance Situation Indicator
  3. Benchmarking - Better describing the details of implementation of the Exceedance Flagging Indicator
  4. Benchmarking - Compiling experience from the Intercomparison exercise on monitoring network design
  5. Benchmarking – Intercomparison exercise in cooperation with CAMS on the contribution of natural sources to exceedances
  6. Competence Building - Providing recommendations on monitoring network design and consequences for e-reporting
  7. Guidance - Elaboration of guidance document on spatial representativeness and monitoring design
  8. Guidance – Elaboration of guidance document for use of models for exceedance situations

 

Documents

Publications

WG8 Meetings