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AirBase - the European Air quality dataBase

Historical background of AirBase

Based on a review in 1994 of the old Exchange of Information (EoI) databases APIS and GIRAFE, experience of data suppliers, the new EoI Decision (Council Decision 97/101/EC) and the EEA data needs, it was recommended to develop a new air quality information system.

Under the EEA 1995 subvention, the then operating European Topic Centre on Air quality (ETC-AQ) started in close collaboration with EU DG-ENV and EEA the development of this new system called AirBase.

The first version of AirBase became available in 1997.

In line with the EoI Decision (97/101/EC) the EU Member States have to deliver each year before the 1^st of October the air quality measurement data and meta information (information on networks, stations and measurement configurations) of the previous year. In addition, other member and cooperating countries of the EEA, which include EU (potential)candidate countries and EFTA states, have agreed to follow this reporting procedure as well.

Since 1997 all this information has been uploaded in AirBase. Since 2002 the incoming data has been quality checked and the findings have been discussed with the data suppliers, leading to improved quality of the data in AirBase.

AirBase contains not only air quality measurements data and meta-information on the EoI monitoring networks, stations and measurement configurations, but also meta information on the other air quality dataflows:

• Air Quality Framework Directive, its 'Questionnaire' (Commission Decision 2004/461/EC)) and its Summer ozone reporting
• Near real-time ozoneweb

Furthermore, the meta information of the EMEP monitoring stations has been included.

AirBase becomes more and more the central database for the air quality measurements and its meta information for all air quality data flows.

In addition to the raw measurement data (mostly hourly data) AirBase contains aggregated (daily data) and statistics, calculated from the raw data.

AirBase contains data on about 35 European countries, 140 pollutants, more than 6000 stations and 25000 time series with hourly and daily data of more than 30 years.