LIFE EMERALD

Ireland has taken a significant step towards cleaner air with the launch of its first-ever air quality nowcast and forecasting system, developed under the LIFE EMERALD project. This three-year initiative, led by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with VITO, aims to enhance air quality management across the country and improve public awareness of pollution levels.

The system uses VITO’s advanced ATMOSYS modelling technology, which has been successfully implemented in other EU countries, adapted with Irish-specific data including historical air quality records, land cover, and altitude. It generates hourly Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) maps available in real time on airquality.ie, providing a detailed view of pollution levels even in areas between existing monitoring stations.

In addition to real-time data, the forecasting models can predict air quality up to three days ahead, helping to alert citizens about upcoming pollution episodes and enabling proactive health and environmental measures.

VITO experts collaborated closely with the EPA throughout the project to ensure the system’s long-term sustainability, working alongside IT and air quality specialists. Moreover, a high-resolution street-level model, ATMO-Street, has been configured with Irish emissions and weather data to produce detailed annual pollutant maps for recent years, validated against citizen science campaigns and monitoring data.

This innovative system marks a major advancement in Ireland’s efforts to comply with EU Ambient Air Quality Directives and represents a valuable tool for both policymakers and the public in the fight against air pollution.

The project was a finalist in the LIFE Awards 2025.