Le système PREV'AIR: Cartographie et prévision de la qualité de l'air à grande échelle en Europe

Launched in April 2003, PREV'AIR is a system designed for large-scale mapping and forecasting of air quality over Europe. It makes it possible to carry out diagnostic and prospective studies of such large-scale air pollution at the same time as it delivers information about atmospheric pollutant concentrations on a daily basis, thus supporting the French national network for air quality monitoring. This paper provides a brief overview of the system architecture and the digital and mathematic tools and mapping (kriging) methods it uses. We also assess the system's forecasting of ozone levels after its first six months of operation. Finally, we discuss the uses of such a system for public health purposes and present current and future developments.