Abstract

The Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) is a software program developed by the US EPA to conduct economic benefits analysis in support of air quality planning and regulatory development. BenMAP combines air quality data, demographic data (population counts and disease incidence/prevalence rates) and health damage functions derived from epidemiological studies to estimate changes in mortality and morbidity incidence. These reductions in health effects are then monetized using valuation functions based on cost-of-illness or willingness-to-pay studies. The US EPA has developed a more flexible version of BenMAP intended to support international applications. US EPA has collaborated with India in conducting training sessions involving BenMAP in both New Delhi (2004) and Mumbai (2005). The latest training session included a demonstration case study analysis involving air quality planning for Mumbai, India. This analysis allowed a range of technical and policy issues related to the application of BenMAP in supporting air quality planning in Indian urban areas to be explored in some depth. In addition, the case study demonstrated the use of sensitivity analysis techniques in assessing the overall importance of specific factors (and their inherent uncertainty) in effecting model results. This presentation will provide a brief overview of BenMAP and then will focus on the Mumbai case study in detail, including a description of the BenMAP parameterization used in modeling Mumbai and a discussion of results.

Presentation: http://www.cleanairnet.org/baq2006/1757/docs/SP9_1.ppt