5 steps for policymakers to work on healthy air outdoors

What is the air quality like in my municipality? TNO maps where emissions are highest in your municipality.

We chart this in detail from hour to hour. To do this, we combine insights and data from various sources. In addition to emission and concentration measurements, we also use data on weather, chemistry, and emissions in one big model system.

In order to take effective action and invest in targeted health gains, it’s important to know where and when citizens are most exposed to polluted air.

Insights from anonymised mobile data are used to get an up-to-date and dynamic picture of citizens' locations and movements. They’re linked to air quality data at that specific location. This shows precisely whether many or few people are exposed to the polluted air.

By combining the data from all the different measurements, we gain a better picture of the sources contributing to poor air quality.

Traffic, industry, households, but also the hospitality industry can be major sources of air pollution. Some is also blown in from outside the region. In addition to the source, we also identify the exposure to this source and the potential impact on our health by combining steps 2 and 3.

Together with policymakers we look at targeted measures to reduce exposure, based on the comprehensive data. What control knobs can we turn to improve air quality for residents?

For example, relocating industry, making inner cities car-free, or mandating exhaust systems for the hospitality industry. The effects of different types of measures on air pollution can be calculated and visualised.

Is it time to draw a breath of relief? After implementation of the measures, it will be possible to measure again whether air quality has improved sufficiently, or whether additional measures may be needed. This approach based on local facts also helps create public support among citizens and industry.