INTERACTIVE MODELS FOR URBAN AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT

Urban air pollution continues to contribute to the burden of disease in the developing world. To address the problems of air quality in an effective manner, decision-makers need to be able to analyze them from an environmental, economic, social and political economy viewpoint - in an integrated manner. In a typical city, including in megacities, the information available on various aspects of integrated air quality management is usually inadequate, scattered, fragmented, of uncertain quality and often inaccessible to those working to improve air quality in these cities. Currently, there is no single public access source for even basic information that would be essential for effective integrated air quality management for practically any city in the developing world. Integrated urban air quality management requires flexible analysis frameworks to evaluate options as they emerge, which, in turn, need substantial quantities of relevant information on various aspects of air quality and characteristics of management options. Informed analysis would help policy makers narrow the range of policy, economic, administrative, and technical options to improve air quality to achieve desired objectives. This presentation will focus on development of a systematic knowledge base and basic analysis tools for urban air pollution in selected cities accessed through an interactive and visual interface. It is expected that this evolving tool could serve as a platform for information for those involved in air quality management and other environmental assessment activities relating to the cities targeted (initially in East Asia) so that technical and policy management options can be evaluated from appropriate economic, social and environmental perspectives.