The EyeOnEarth site provides daily air quality index values across Europe. This index is intended as an overview of air quality conditions in Europe and not a scientific reference. More detailed information can usually be found on national and local web sites. It reports the CAQI (Common Air Quality Index) that is calculated by combining NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide), O3 (Ozone), and PM10 (particulate matter) into a single index valid for city background conditions as recommended by the CITEAR (Common Information to European Air) project. O3, NO2 and PM10 station readings are processed on an hourly basis. Please note a possible time lag of several hours due to technical reasons.

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High concentrations of the air pollutants PM, ozone and NO2 can lead to: 1) Short-term effects such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat; inflammation of the airways, pneumonia; headaches, allergic reactions. 2) long-term effects (particularly concerning PM): chronic respiratory disease; lung cancer; heart disease; damage to the brain, nerves, liver, and kidneys.\ \

Station data consists of recent in-situ measurements of concentrations of the key air pollutants ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10). It is hourly retrieved from EEA’s data base. This data base currently covers more than 5000 European measuring stations from which ca. 1000 report routinely. A station utilises different measurement methods for each pollutant. For example, the local ozone concentration can be derived from measuring the strength of UV-light absorption by ozone molecules. In general measurements show hourly mean values.

Though, these are reported almost immediately to EEA, there will be a time lag of at least one hour due to technical reasons. Comparing station readings to the air model map, one will frequently observe a difference between corresponding values. This is mainly due to the limited grid cell resolution of the underlying air quality model used to calculate the air quality model map. You can compare the discrepancy between model and station data by comparing a weather map to the weather station in your garden. While the current air quality models on the European scale utilize mesh sizes of 50 km, a station is representative for a single point only. Dependent on nearby polluters, e.g. traffic, and the wind direction it will capture the air pollution from 1m to several hundred meters distance from the station.

The model map shows the latest air quality forecast for most of Europe. Colours correspond to the so called Common Air Quality Index (CAQI) which takes into account the concentrations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10). The model forecast is started daily during the early morning hours and is valid for 24 hours. The hourly results from the latest forecast are displayed. State-of-the-art air quality models take into account our current knowledge on air pollution using environmental information on weather conditions, available station readings and even satellite data. The model map currently utilizes the median of corresponding forecast values from three different regional air quality models (EURAD, CHIMERE, MOCAGE). See the providers tab for more information on contributing organisations or visit the PROMOTE project page:

For more information: On air pollutants please visit the Air Quality page of the Directorate General for Environment of the Commission of the European Union or the EEA website and EEA Information Centre.\

The model map shows the latest air quality forecast for most of Europe. Colours correspond to the so called Common Air Quality Index (CAQI) which takes into account the concentrations of ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10). See the CAQI help file for more information. The model forecast is started daily during the early morning hours and is valid for 24 hours. The hourly results from the latest forecast are displayed. State-of-the-art air quality models take into account our current knowledge on air pollution using environmental information on weather conditions, available station readings and even satellite data. The model map currently utilizes the median of corresponding forecast values from three different regional air quality models (EURAD, CHIMERE, MOCAGE).See the providers tab for more information on contributing organisations or visit the PROMOTE project page :

For each location shown (both bathing water and air) shown in the site there are average rating values received each year from web users. For each year, the number of ratings received is displayed.

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The user feedback map is a graphical representation using colours to represent the user feedback, where green is very good, through to red which is very bad. A key is shown at the bottom of the web page. The user feedback maps can be turned on and off using the views drop down.

Where available, the icons for the current year refer to the most recent water quality analysis. They represent only temporary assessments of the latest bathing water quality data. The EEA receives from various sources in Europe the results obtained on the basis of several parameters. After checking the values of those parameters against those set in the EU legislation, the EEA assigns icons as follows:

Good Sites with lower values than the mandatory and guide values. Those waters have excellent or good quality

Average Sites where one of analysed parameters has a higher value than mandatory value

Bad sites with higher values than the mandatory values from the Bathing Water Directive. Those waters have poor quality

The current icons have therefore a different meaning from the overall annual assessment - which is shown by previous year data. An annual assessment for the current year can be done only at the end of the bathing season by analyzing the data submitted for the entire year. Consequently, the icon representing the current year assessment might change throughout the bathing season.

The bathing water quality icons (Red, Yellow, and Green) used in this portal are a simplification of the analyses carried out by the European Commission of the coastal and inland water quality data provided by the 27 EU Member States. For such data the Commission analyses have identified the six water categories presented below:

Good Compliant with the guide values (CG) Compliant with the mandatory values (CI)

Average Insufficiently sampled (NF) Not sampled (NS)

Bad Prohibited throughout the entire bathing season (B) Not compliant with the mandatory values (NC)

In this portal, for all the historical assessments, the Green icon is assigned to a classification \"Compliant with the guide values\" and \"Compliant with the mandatory values\". The yellow icon is assigned to bathing waters that are insufficiently sampled or not sampled, and Red to bathing waters \"Not compliant with the mandatory values\" or that were closed due to bad quality.

For more information -The EU legislation - Bathing Water Directive - requires EU countries to have clean bathing water. To this end, national authorities regularly take water samples throughout the bathing season - generally from May to September at numerous bathing sites. These samples are analysed on the basis of the physical, microbiological and chemical parameters set by legislation. National authorities must ensure that these limits are not exceeded. The findings are then transmitted to the European Commission, which comes up with an annual assessment for the entire bathing season.

The exact values of the physical, chemical and microbiological parameters may be found in the annex 1 of the Bathing Water Directive. Additional information on the state of bathing water quality data is available from the thematic section of the EEA website and EEA Information Centre

For each location shown (both bathing water and air) shown in the site there are average rating values received each year from web users. For each year, the number of ratings received is displayed.

Very Good

Good

Moderate

Bad

Very Bad

The user feedback map is a graphical representation using colours to represent the user feedback, where green is very good, through to red which is very bad. A key is shown at the bottom of the web page. The user feedback maps can be turned on and off using the views drop down.

Environmental noise is one of the most omnipresent pollutants in the world today. Our modern way of life has meant that wherever we live, work, or play we can mostly expect to be subjected to noise from cars, aircraft, industry or even other people. If we are exposed to too much noise for too long it can have detrimental effects on our health and it is for these reasons that people are beginning to pay attention to the sounds around them. NoiseWatch presents you with the chance to offer your opinion on the sounds that surround you and gives you an opportunity to rate the quality of the aural environment wherever you are in the world.

In March 2011, the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe published its findings on the burden of disease from environmental noise. This stated that almost 1 million life years are lost each year in Europe due to noise from road traffic alone.

This conclusion was drawn from the increasing evidence on the detrimental health impacts of noise and information reported to the European Environment Agency (EEA) in accordance with a Directive on Environmental Noise.

This is Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise, otherwise known as the Environmental Noise Directive. This required countries to map the exposure to noise from road traffic, rail traffic, airports and industry in the most populated and busy parts of Europe. Only the first phase of this mapping has been completed to date, which means of course that the assessment of the impact on the health of Europeans is almost certainly an underestimation at the moment.

So, according to the official data, there is a problem with noise, but what is the opinion of the citizen; what do you think about the noise pollution where you live?

NoiseWatch presents you with a rating of the noise environment in the largest of Europe’s cities. This is the European Environment Agency’s own simplified rating and is based upon the data reported in accordance with the Environmental Noise Directive. The purpose of the rating is to provide a starting point from which the citizen can formulate his or her own assessment of the noise environment in the same city.

The EEA rating is presented for each city in terms of four key noise sources: road traffic; rail traffic; aircraft; and industry. Then you, the citizen, have the chance to decide upon your own rating for each noise source in the city, even if it is different to the EEA rating.

The EEA rating is an average of the noise data delivered to it by countries and in many cases the countries derived this data by means of computer based models. In some instance this has been verified or backed up by actual measurements.

NoiseWatch allows the user to also become an acoustic scientist for just a moment by also allowing you to make your own measurements of noise wherever you are. Users of smart phones enabled with decibel measuring functions can make their personal measurement and then simply upload their data to NoiseWatch.

You may even download the EEA’s dedicated application for measuring noise directly to your phone.

For each city, NoiseWatch presents an EEA rating for four key noise sources.These are the four main sources for which EEA has information on at these locations and is EEA’s way of summarising the situation for that source in that particular city.

Each source is rated separately and is described by means of easily identifiable icons illustrating a road vehicle, a train, an aircraft and an industrial building.

By selecting one particular icon, you will be presented with the EEA rating for that source alone. You will see that the quality of the noise environment in that city is described by a simple three colour code.

In this instance green is used to describe a situation where the numbers of people exposed to high levels of noise is relatively low. Yellow describes a situation where the number of people exposed to high levels of noise is moderate and where relatively many people are exposed to high levels of noise, the colour red is displayed.

You, the user may also choose from the same colour choice in order to make your own rating of that noise source in that city. In addition, you may also choose to add a text description of the noise you are rating by selecting descriptive text from the word cloud presented. And, of course you can also download the EEA app and measure your own decibel level.

If you are choosing this measurement option, please be sure to state for how long you made your measurement and what the most dominant noise source was at the time of measuring.

NoiseWatch currently presents an EEA rating for noise sources in the largest European cities only and so does not yet present a rating for noise exposure outside of those cities.

To find out if the city where you are has an EEA rating for noise, please use the push pin function. Using this you can drag and ‘push’ a pin into any location on the map. Then you will see if an EEA rating is available.

Even if you have chosen a location without an EEA rating, you may still create your own rating and upload your own description and decibel measurement.

At present, EEA is only able to rate noise from certain sources and at only certain locations across Europe. It is foreseen that NoiseWatch will be expanded in the future to include other cities, other sources and at an improved resolution of assessment. This will depend greatly upon the data that is sent to EEA by its member countries, but not entirely. As you, the citizen, populate NoiseWatch with your own measurements, ratings and observations, we will through time be able to build another view of the state of the noise environment in Europe and the rest of the world.

So, please submit your data to NoiseWatch, but please remember that it is this type of citizen feedback that NoiseWatch is intended for. If you wish to know more about noise mapping in Europe, or the work associated with Directive 2002/49/EC it is recommended that you please visit the Noise Observation and Information Service for Europe, or the official pages of the European Commission.