The Forum for Air quality Modeling (FAIRMODE) was launched in 2007 as a joint response initiative of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and is chaired by the latter. 

FAIRMODE brings together air quality modelers and users in order to exchange experience and results from air quality modeling in the context of the European Air Quality Directives (AQD). Besides that it promotes and supports the harmonized use of models by EU Member States, with emphasis on model application under the European Air Quality Directives.

Its main objectives are:

1. To provide a permanent European Forum for air quality modelers, particularly addressing model users;
2. To study and set-up a system (protocols and tools) on the quality assurance and the continuous improvement of air quality models and input data operating at different spatial scales from national to urban and local;
3. To provide guidance, support the standardization and evaluate the fitness-for-purpose of air quality models and input data, for assessing current and future air quality within the framework of implementing the EU’s Air Quality Directives;
4. To support air quality management (at the national, regional and local level) in developing and implementing plans and measures to improve air quality with efficient modelling tools;
5. To promote capacity building activities aiming at ensuring an optimum use of the proposed common methodologies and guidance and to promote good practice among the EU Member States;
6. To make recommendations on future priorities, research activities and other relevant initiatives to secure Air Quality improvements.

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Who

Steering Committee

National Experts

The current list of FAIRMODE National Experts can be downloaded here:

Nomination to National Experts

Member states can designate one or more representatives to FAIRMODE. The representatives should be experts in the use and/or development of air quality models. More than one representative can be designed as expert. To apply, please read carefully the following recommendation by the EC DG Environment:

What

Priority activities under FAIRMODE’s are carried out following a common implementation plan. The implementation process is similar in each working group (WG). It secures a chronological four-steps working process.

1. Benchmarking is intended as a first step that aims at exploring and comparing results from different approaches. The goal is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches. This stage also requires developing and testing a standardized evaluation or inter-comparison methodology (possibly supported by common tools and common datasets) for collecting and reporting model inputs and outputs in a way that enables relevant comparisons.
2. Best practices. Benchmarking, intercomparing and flagging strengths and weaknesses allows to identify best practices among (modelling) applications. FAIRMODE second step in the implementations of its activities is to identify best practices.
3. Capacity-building is the third step in the FAIRMODE implementation plan where best practices are used with the overall objective of promoting good modelling practices among and within Member States. Capacity building activities include workshops, hackathons and training activities.
4. Recommendations, guidance (incl. on reporting) is the fourth step in the FAIRMODE implementation plan. Based on the experience from the previous three steps, recommendations on which approaches are better suited for different applications are elaborated leading to general guidance documents or publications. Recommendations constitute a necessary step before reaching the level of the guidance documents/publications. They include the list of actions and tests necessary before compiling the final guidance. Guidance documents and publications is the last and more effort- and-resource demanding step of the FAIRMODE implementation process. Guidance is usually compiled in an evolving document that includes a detailed description of all steps required to choose and apply a fit-for-purpose approach for a given modelling application.

When

The FAIRMODE work-plans are structured in three-year periods. The terms of reference of the network are presented, the network structure, a detailed meeting plan and the identification of the planned deliverables. The documents conclude by an overview of the Forum in a broader context and connections to other European activities.

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