Current benchmarking

The current benchmarking activities (in 2026) are done using 2 different tools (both implementing the measurement uncertainty curves of the Ambient Air Quality Directive):

• the "composite mapping on concentrations", available here clicking on "Concentration App" (website accessible with EU login). 
  • This tool allows to load yearly concentrations maps of air pollutant concentrations, and to verify the MQI (long term) on-the-fly, comparing modelling results with EEA data. 
  • This tool is primarily used for joint intercomparison exercises in the context of FAIRMODE. 
  • Please note that, to be able to upload maps in the "Concentration App", you need to be authorized (to do so please write to our functional mailbox and we'll activate your "upload" access). A recording on how to use the tool is available here (password: YMjh5356rkIY). 
• the "delta-tool online" for assessment, available here clicking on "Assessment" (website accessible with EU login). 
  • This tool allows to upload hourly timeseries of paired model and measurement values, and to verify the MQI (both long-term and short-term) plus a number of additional indicators, as defined in this guidance document. 
  • This tool is primarily for your model validation.
  • The python source code used to compute the model validation indicators is available here.

If you have any feedback or suggestions to improve the tools, please write to our functional mailbox. 

Below we describe the legacy tools, that were used to build the "delta-tool online" (that is to say the "Delta Tool" and the "Delta Tool Light"). On top of this, the MQOR was also used as basis to develop the "delta-tool online", as some indicators in MQOR were updated and improved in comparison to the ones defined in the legacy tools.

Delta Tool 

Most of the Tool's functionalities focus on comparing paired modelled and monitored data. It provides diagnostics on model performances using various statistical indicators and diagrams. Some of these statistical indicators are evaluated against threshold values, including performance criteria and model quality objectives. Since its launch in 2010, the Delta Tool has been widely used, with numerous modules added to its original setup.

Towards phasing out…

After many years of development, applications, and implementation of new modules and computational techniques, it became clear that the Delta Tool needed a substantial revision to enhance efficiency and to focus more on computing benchmarking indicators. This is the reason why the Delta Tool light has been developed

Delta Tool Light (DTL)

While the Delta Tool offers extensive features for analyzing air quality model results, its efficiency and batch mode are not well developed. The Delta Tool Light (DTL) prioritizes the calculation and visualization of indicators in multi-model, multi-species, multi-domain, and multi-period studies while considering different approaches to the modelling quality indicators and objectives (MQO and MQI). In addition to graphical representations of these indicators, DTL includes some useful supporting graphical options.

DTL has a general setup, with specific applications defined in an external file. The input formats for air quality model results (i.e., model output), observational data, and startup files (i.e., data regarding monitoring stations) remain identical to those used in the Delta Tool. DTL is currently written in IDL, but an R version will be available in the near future. The DELTA Assessment & Planning (Δ - A&P) software is an IDL-based model evaluation software developed in the framework of the FAIRMODE procedure for benchmarking of Air Quality Directive (AQD) modelling applications.

If your application has been already accepted you can download the DELTA tool and the Delta Tool Light below together with it's user's guides and with a demonstration dataset:

Downloads

Documents