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AMIS

Air Management Information System

A Healthy Cities Programme forUrban Air Quality

Management

WHO

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WHOThe contents of this brochure do not necessarily reflect the viewsor policies of WHOFor bibliographic and reference purposes this publication should bereferred to as:WHO 1997AMIS - A Healthy Cities Programme forUrban Air Quality ManagementWHO/EOS 97.10.

This brochure is available through:

World Health OrganizationUrban Environmental HealthCH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Acknowledgements

The photographs are reproduced with kind permission of GerdLudwig, Hamburg (p. 5), Jodi Cobb (p. 6) and Steve Raymer (p. 12)for National Geographic Society, R. Bossu for Scientific American(p. 7), James Nachtwey (pp. 13, 30, 35, 41), Dieter Schwela, WHO/UEH (pp. 17, 19, 29, 36, 37, 39, 40); the donation of Larry C. Price(p. 28, lower image) and James A. Sugar (pp. 8, 34) in using theirphotographs is gratefully acknowledged. The photos on pages 10,25, 28 upper image, 32, 37 and 43 are credited to UNEP/WHO,WHO Photo by Publifoto, and WHO Photo by J. Mohr and P.Almasy. The map on page 14 was produced by WHO/GRA.

WHO would like to thank Philipp Schwela for his contributions tothe planning, development, design, layout and realization of this bro-chure.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Urban Air Pollution: A Threat to Health 6

Healthy Cities: A Worldwide Movement 8

GEMS/AIR: 1973-1995: Historical Achievements 10

1. Programme Objectives 10

2. Programme Activities 12Revitalization of Reporting and Capacity Building 12Data Quality Assurance 13Data Storage, Representation and Access 13Realization of the Twinning Project 13Training Courses and Workshops 14

3. Programme Outputs 15

GEMS/AIR Methodology Review Handbook Series 15GEMS/AIR City Air Quality Trends 16GEMS/AIR Reports and Studies 16PC Programme 19

Creating a Global Air Quality Partnership 20

Air Management Information System AMIS 201. AMIS Objectives 262. AMIS: The Challenge Ahead 273. AMIS Programme Structure 294. AMIS Programme Resources 305. The Building Blocks of AMIS 31

Activity Area 1: The Global Management Network 31Activity Area 2: Methodology Development 33Activity Area 3: Environmental Assessments 34Activity Area 4: Technical Cooperation andTraining 36

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Activity Area 5: Special Studies 37Activity Area 6: Tools and Instruments 38

Collaborative Reviews 38Rapid Inventory Assessment System (RIAS) 38Training Courses 39Decision Support System for Industrial PollutionControl 40Future Tools 40

How to Participate in AMIS ... 41

AMIS Participants share 42AMIS Participants receive 42AMIS Participants enjoy 42

For Further Information Please Contact... 42/43

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Introduction

The purpose of this brochure is to describe the framework andscope of the new WHO Air Management Information System AMISinaugurated in January 1997 and the Global Air Quality Partnershipnetwork. This programme is the successor of the Global Environ-mental Monitoring System GEMS/AIR now continued under the um-brella of the Healthy Cities programme. In this brochure it is aimedto introduce AMIS to a wider audience including potential users,interested cities, international organizations and others.

Industrial air pollution plays a major role in EasternEurope

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Urban Air Pollution -A Threat to Health

Urban areas have dense aggre-gation of man- made air pollutionsources; such as motor vehicle traf-fic, industrial factories, and residen-tial cooking and heating. Urban airpollution not only poses a threat tohuman health and the urban envi-ronment, it also makes a signifi-cant contribution to regional andglobal atmospheric pollution prob-lems: global warming, ozone layerdepletion, and the transboundarytransport of air pollutants. Urbanpopulations and pollution sourcesare growing very rapidly leadingboth to an increase in the emissionsof pollutants, and the number ofpeople exposed directly to thesepollutants. According to the WHOreport "Health and Environment in Sustainable Development" pub-lished in 1997 about three million deaths are due to suspended par-ticulate matter globally each year: 2.8 million due to indoor expo-sures and 0.2 million due to ambient exposures.

To assess the potential impact of air pollution on human healthand the environment, and to develop effective air pollution manage-ment measures, it is necessary to have a reliable, relevant knowledgeof the time pattern, spatial distribution, and sources of air pollutantconcentrations in an area. ‘Winter Smog’, formed by combinationsof suspended particulate matter and some gaseous air pollutants un-der certain weather conditions is a visible sign of poor air quality in acity. ‘Summer smog’, formed from ozone and other oxidants is a

Traffic jam in New York

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less obvious indication of poor air quality. Smog inducing pollutants,like most of the common air pollutants must be measured with ap-propriate equipment. Air quality monitoring is a necessary ingredientto air quality management.

About 1.5 billion people worldwide are exposed tourban air pollution

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Healthy Cities: A Worldwide Movement

The WHO Healthy Cities programme is fundamentally aboutthe links between living conditions, environmental conditions andhealth. In a Healthy City project serious attention is paid to the propo-sition that health can be improved through improved living condi-tions, particularly environmental pollution control interventions. Allthe city and municipal agencies concerned with energy, food, agri-culture, macroeconomic planning, housing, land-use, transportationand other areas, are required to examine the environmental healthimplications of their policies and programmes, and adjust them tobetter promote health and ahealthy environment.

The Healthy Cities pro-gramme works with cities tohelp them make health partof the agenda of city and lo-cal government, and supportsthe formation of partnershipsfor health betweencommunity and local govern-ment, and the private sector.

It provides mecha-nisms for linking the healthsector and health programmesto the work of local and citygovernments. There are the“settings” and “issues” TaskForce mechanisms, where the“settings” are the schools,neighbourhoods, food-mar-kets, workplaces etc.; and the “issues” are major urban issues such

Emmissions by power plants contributesignificantly in developed countries and

dominantly in developing countires

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as urban population growth, poverty, water supply and sanitation,urban air pollution, women’s health, violence and so on.

It helps the city administration undertake city-wide consulta-tions and vision workshops, so people discuss their problems andalso their view of the future direction of the city; and it helps the cityto formulate city and local health plans.

Since local and urban development are influenced by manynational ministries/agencies, attention may be paid by national minis-tries to a national urban health policy that can support these city levelactivities. The application of national air quality standards, supportedby city-wide monitoring is such a measure. This could be suitably befollowed up by incorporating urban air quality management plansinto the municipal health plan process. The settings that support healthare indicated in the figure.

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GEMS/AIR Programme: 1973 - 1995: HistoricalAchievements

1. Programme Objectives

GEMS/AIR evolved from a WorldHealth Organisation urban air qualitymonitoring pilot project, that started in1973. From 1975 to 1995, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and theUnited Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) jointly operated the programmeas a component of the United Nations sys-tem-wide Global Environment Monitor-ing System (GEMS). GEMS is a compo-nent of the UN Earthwatch system.

The original objectives of GEMS/AIR were:

• to strengthen urban air pollution monitoring and assessmentcapabilities in participating countries;

• to improve the validity and comparability of data amongst cities;• to provide global assessments on levels and trends of urban

air pollutants, and their effect on human and ecosystem health.• to collect air pollution concentration data for sulphur dioxide and

suspended particulate matter

GEMS/AIR monitoring stations are run by national city authori-ties who voluntarily contribute their data to the GEMS/AIR data-base. Participating cities represent a wide range of climatic, topo-graphic, and socioeconomic conditions; with different air qualitymanagement capabilities. GEMS/AIR was the only global programmewhich provided long-term air pollution monitoring data for cities indeveloping countries. Thus the programme enabled the production

Industrial emission play a ma-jor role in developing countries

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of global assessments of the levels and trends of urban air pollutionand air pollution management capabilities.

In 1991, a meeting of government-designated experts recom-mended that the GEMS/AIR programme be redirected to providethe comprehensive information needed for rational air pollution man-agement. Five fields of activities were subsequently covered by theGEMS/AIR programme.

1. Coordination of data collection in the global monitoringnetwork

2. Development of appropriate methodologies3. Preparation of population and environmental

exposure assessments4. Provision of technical support and training5. Initiation of special studies

Accordingly, the concrete objectives of GEMS/AIR were extendedto include:

- Expansion to cover additional air pollution compounds such asnitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide and lead; and tofacilitate their reporting to the central GEMS/AIR database runby the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA);

- Improvement of data quality;- Helping cities to develop air pollution abatement strategies;- Use of QC/QA procedures to ensure comparability and compat-

ibility of data;- Development of a QA plan to reflect the different monitoring

goals of different participants- Allowing for different levels of data quality; as long as it is data

of known quality appropriate for its intended use.

An additional brainstorming meeting of experts in 1994 scruti-nized and more accurately specified the objectives of GEMS/AIR. It

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2. Programme Activities

In accordance with the biennial programme and budget cycles ofthe United Nations system, the previous work plan covered the years1994 and 1995. The key programme activities for this period arehighlighted as follows.

Revitalization of Reporting and Capacity Building

In 1994/1995 the programme focused on both revitalizing partici-pant reporting and on encouraging new countries to join the pro-gramme. GEMS/AIR also placed importance on cooperating withmember states in strengthening their national monitoring network. Acloser collaboration between the GEMS/AIR coordinator and localcollaborators has helped and will increasingly help to improve airquality reporting. A detailed study considering and comparing the

was agreed to provide the tools of air quality management includingthe use of: monitoring, emissions inventories, dispersion modelling,and estimates of population and environmental exposure; to also in-corporate air pollution abatement strategies into GEMS/AIR objec-tives.

Air pollution in industrial areas ofEastern Europe

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Air pollution by a power plant in Russia

air quality management capacities of 20 cities was recently com-pleted. quality reporting. A detailed study considering and com-paring the air quality management capacities of 20 cities was recentlycompleted.

Data Quality Assurance

Data validation and hence the reliability and comparability of themonitoring data is considered a crucial element of the programme.This is being achieved by means of collaborative reviews throughUNEP/WHO GEMS/AIR Regional Collaborating Centres; such re-views were performed in Northern and Sub Saharan Africa, SouthAmerica, South East Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Data Storage, Representation and Access

Data were put into the Aerometric Information Retrieval System(AIRS) managed by United States Environmental Protection Agencyunder the auspices of UNEP/WHO. The summary database can beaccessed in the Internet (http://www.epa.gov/docs/AIRSExec/). It wasalso planned to run the complete database via the Internet.

Realization of Twinning Projects

A Twinning Project isan arrangement between adonor agency and a recipi-ent country or city to trans-fer used but operationalmonitoring devices andprovide for shipment costsand some training. A firsttwinning arrangement wasinitiated between VenturaCounty as a donor agencyand Manila, the Philippines

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as a recipient city.Additional twinning arrangements are being implemented between

other donors from the United States and the Netherlands and Ghana,Kenya, Nepal, and Tanzania.

Training Courses and Workshops

GEMS/AIR is committed to training national experts in air qualitymanagement. In the 1994/1995 biennium UNEP/WHO trainingcourses on air pollution monitoring and management were held inAmman, Jordan, Nagpur, India, and Beijing, China.

In order to develop the tool of rapid emissions inventories anexpert meeting was convened in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA,to finalize a tutorial program design on the Rapid Inventory Assess-ment System (RIAS). At the same time, the Decision Support Sys-tem for Industrial Pollution Control (DSS IPC) developed by theWHO Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO/PAHO) and theWorld Bank was tested and refined.

Active, old, and new participants of GEMS/Air

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3. Programme Outputs

Numerous papers have been published in the past 20 years ofAMIS the most recent ones being the following.

Urban Air Pollution in Megacities of the World, 1992

This report presents data and assesses air quality in Bangkok,Beijing, Bombay, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Calcutta, Delhi, Jakarta,Karachi, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow,New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.

GEMS/AIR Methodology Review Handbook Series

Five volumes of this series appeared:

Vol. 1: Quality Assurance in Urban Air QualityMonitoring, UNEP/WHO 1994

Vol. 2: Primary Standard Calibration Methods andNetwork Intercalibrations for Air QualityMonitoring, UNEP/WHO 1994

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Vol. 3: Measurement of Suspended Particulate Matter inAmbient Air, UNEP/WHO 1994

Vol. 4: Passive and Active Sampling Methodologies forMeasurement of Air Quality, UNEP/WHO 1994

Vol. 5: Guidelines for Collaborative Reviews, UNEP/WHO1995

GEMS/AIR City Air Quality Trends

Three volumes of this series appeared:

Vol. 1: Bangkok, Beijing, Bombay, London, SaoPaulo, Shanghai, Tehran, Tokyo, Wroclaw, Zagreb;UNEP/WHO, 1992

Vol. 2: Athens, Cairo, Caracas, Christchurch, Hong Kong,Los Angeles, Madrid, New York, Shenyang, Toronto,UNEP/WHO 1993

Vol. 3: Calcutta, Chicago, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur,Lisbon, Santiago de Chile, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Warsaw,UNEP/WHO, 1995

GEMS/AIR Reports and Studies

GEMS/AIR Air Quality Management and Assessment Capabilities in20 Major Cities, MARC/UNEP/WHO 1996

Assessment of Sources of Air, Water, and Land Pollution, Part One:Rapid Inventory Techniques in environmental Pollution WHO/PEP/GETNET/93.1-A; Part Two: Approaches for Consideration in for-

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Industrial air pollution from brick kiln factories inKathmandu Valley, Nepal

mulating Environmental Control Strategies; by AlexanderEconomopoulos, WHO/PEP/GETNET/93.1-B , 1993

Air Pollution Monitoring Capabilities in Six African Cities, NorskkInstitutt for Luftforskning (NILU) on behalf of WHO/UNEP, NILURR 1/96, O-93066, 1997

UNEP/HEM GEMS/AIR Workshop on the GEMS/AIR System ofCollaborative Reviews, UNEP/WHO 1994

Report on the International Expert Consultations on the UNEP/WHOGEMS/AIR Programme and the proposed GEMS/AIR Global Ur-ban Air Pollution Assessment, 1994

Review of GEMS/AIR Monitoring Station - South East Asia Region,NEERI on behalf of UNEP/WHO, 1996

Review of GEMS/AIR Monitoring Station - South East Asia Region,NEERI on behalf of UNEP/WHO, 1994

Collaborative Reviews of Eastern European Cities, UBA, FederalEnvironmental Agency, Institute for Water, Soil and Air Hygiene

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(WaBoLu), WHO Collaborating Centre for Air Quality Managementon behalf of UNEP/WHO, 1997

Assignment Report for WHO/UNEP: Preliminary Assessment of theStatus of Air Pollution Measurement and Data Use in Sao Paulo,Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Quito, Ecuador; USEPA, Research Tri-angle Park, NC, USA, 1994

Report on the GEMS/AIR Regional Training Course on Air QualityMonitoring, 23-27 October 1994, Amman, Jordan, UNEP/WHO 1995

Report on the GEMS/AIR Training Course on Air Pollution Man-agement, 11-20 September, 1995, Nagpur, India, WHO 1996

Report on the National Training Course on GEMS/AIR Air Pollu-tion Monitoring and Management, 20-24 November 1995, Beijing,China, WHO 1996

GEMS/AIR: A Global Programme for Urban Air Quality Monitoringand Assessment, UNEP/WHO, 1993 (in Arabic, Chinese, English,French, Russian, Spanish,)

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PC programme

Decision Support System for Industrial Pollution Control (DSS IPC),PC programme for the assessment of air emission inventories, liquidand solid waste inventories, estimation of pollution in air, water, andsoil, PAHO/World Bank, 1995

Sometimes a single factory in a developing country emits moresulphur dioxide than Norway and Denmark together

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Creating aGlobal Air Quality Partnership

Air Management Information System AMIS

The Air Management Information System (AMIS) is a programmedeveloped by WHO under the umbrella of the Healthy Cities Pro-gramme. AMIS has the objective to transfer information on air pol-lutant concentrations and air quality management tools between coun-tries. In this context AMIS acts as a global air quality informationexchange system. AMIS programme activity areas include

- Coordinating databases with information on air qualityissues in major and megacities;

- Acting as an information broker between countries;

- Providing and widely distributing technical documents onair quality monitoring and management;

- Publishing and widely distributing Annual Trend Reviewson air pollutant concentrations;

- Providing training courses with respect to air qualitymonitoring and management;

- Running Regional Collaborative Centres to support datatransfer activities, perform training courses and implementtwinning projects.

AMIS is a set of user friendly MS ACCESS based databases. Thecore database contains summary statistics of air pollution data likeannual means, 95-percentiles, and the number of days on whichWHO guidelines are exceeded. Any compound for which WHO air

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quality guidelines exist can be entered into the database. Data han-dling is easy and data validation can be assured with relatively littlemeans. Diskettes and compact disks are now produced. In the exist-ing version data (mostly from 1986 to 1995) from about 60 cities in30 countries are represented. Moreover, a report of the data will beproduced. All these items will be made available to AMIS partici-pants and also distributed to interested non profit organisations freeof charge.Data for this and other AMIS databases which are being planned(see box) could be collected via WHO Regional Offices and AMISRegional Collaborating Centres. For the core database it is intendedto increase the number of contributing cities to 100 by end 1997 and300 by end of the millennium.

The whole framework of AMIS depicted in the diagramme below. Itcontains all the ingredients necessary for air pollution management

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Other AMIS databases which are being planned or developed willstart from the same user friendly structure of the AMIS core data-base. These additional databases are listed in the box.

The Air Management Information System is planned as as compo-nent of a Global Air quality Partnership, which can be visualized asan information turntable provided and used by members, see figurebelow. It is envisaged that all members provide and have access toinformation.

The Global Air Quality Partnership will be operated by membersestablishing an internet link with the Air Management InformationSystem enabling members to contribute and use information. TheGEMS/Air Information System will categorise information providedby:

WHO air quality guidelines and countries’ airquality standards;Characterisation of emissions of major andmegacities;Reference to other air quality databases;Addresses of AMIS participants;Addresses of monitoring device manufacturers;Addresses of training institutions;Use and accessibility of dispersion models in-cluding information on where to access thesemodels;Indoor air pollution levels in urban and ruralareas;Noise pollution levels in major and megacities.Air quality management capabilities and pro-cedures of cities;Control actions and magnitude of their costs;Adverse effects on air pollution on health andmagnitude of their costs.

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Global Air Quality Partnership

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type (eg data, data summaries, software, publications, etc),

subject (eg air quality standards, dispersion models, emis-sions, ambient air quality, methodologies, dose-response, etc)

geography (continent, nation, region, city)

other relevant information (eg global socio-economic data,global health data, other environmental data)

Some hypothetical examples of how members may use the GlobalAir Quality Partnership may help to visualise how the system works.

Example 1

The World Bank is considering project options in India and wishes toview summary air quality information for various cities. It contactsthe Air Management Information System using the internet anddownloads information on AMIS network cities in India.

Example 2

A city in South America wishes to urgently receive some informationon methodologies for measuring an air pollutant it is not currentlymeasuring. It contacts the AMIS using the internet and downloadsinformation from the GEMS/Air Methodology Review HandbookSeries, and information on methodologies used in other countries,stored in their internet home pages, and accessed through the AirManagement Information System. The city can then assess the vari-ous methods, and chose a method suitable for the particular situationof that city.

Example 3

An international aid agency in Scandinavia wishes to collect somesummary air quality information on several countries in South East

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Asia to be included in broad-ranging country assessments. It con-tacts the Air Management Information System using the internetand downloads information from the GEMS/Air Megacities Reportand the City Air Quality Trends Reports, which are published andcan be readily entered into the information system. It may wish toupdate this information with data from the AMIS database, and sup-plement it with information from World Bank reports and Asia De-velopment Bank reports stored in their internethome pages, and ac-cessed through the Air Management Information System, or scannedfrom printed reports and entered on the AMIS .

Example 4

An officer with a national EPA needs to develop some strategies forreducing concentrations of a particular air pollutant, and reads in aconference paper of an approach tried in a European city with initialsuccess. The officer wishes to determine if the initial success wasmaintained. By contacting the Air Management Information Sys-tem, the officer finds that information on the ambient concentrationsof the pollutant in that city is available from the European Uniondatabase, held by RIVM, and available through the Global Air Quality Partnership link on the internet. In addition, internet links to theOECD would provide access to the advanced air quality reportingindex, which provides a summary of trends of various air pollutantsin the major cities of OECD member states.

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1. AMIS objectives

The objectives of the AMIS programme include:

• Conducting global assessments of air quality

• Acting as a global data and information broker for air quality man-agement issues in the sense of the Global Air Quality Partnership

• Facilitating review and validation of assessments and establishingcodes of best practice.

• Identifying and establishing AMIS Regional Collaborating Cen-tres, and experts to coordinate and support activities according tothe needs of the regions.

• Producing technical documents in support of all aspects ofairquality management.

• Running a global database with validated data from an expandednumber of cities.

• Conducting annual reviews and distributing them widely

Traffic emmissions affect the health of most vulnerable groups

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2. AMIS: The Challenge Ahead

In recognition of the growing challenges faced as a result of esca-lating global urbanisation, the overall perspectives of AMIS for theyear 1997 to 2005 are:

• Provision of an international network for the distribution of thecomprehensive information needed for rational air quality man-agement.

• Provision of an internationalframework for coordinated andvalid monitoring of urban air qual-ity, effective data management, andreliable information dissemination;

• Development of methodologies,adapted to the specific needs ofparticipating countries, required forthe comprehensive monitoring, as-sessment and management of ur-ban air quality;

• Production of comprehensive as-sessments which include levels and trends of urban air quality,pollution sources, and options for abatement, as well as of poten-tial health and environmental effects;

• Strengthening of urban air quality monitoring networks, assess-ment and management capabilities in developing countries by pro-vision of technical support and training

• Performance of special studies to contribute to the understandingof key global, regional, and focal air pollution issues.

AMISProgramme

Activity Areas(1997 - 2005)

1. Coordination of the globalmanagement network

2. Development of appropriatemethodologies

3. Preparation of assessments4. Provision of technical sup-

port & training5. Initiation of special studies6. Development of information

transfer instruments.

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Human exposure toair pollution in the

vicinity of a cement-factory in Lithuania.

Industrial air pollution in Eastern Europe

• Development of AMIS tools to a better assessment of the airpollution situation.

.

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3. AMIS ProgrammeStructure

AMIS and the Global Air Quality Partnership are based on thevoluntary collaboration of participating cities. Local focal points im-plement the programme at the city level. Overall programme opera-tion is supported and coordinated by the World Health Organisation(WHO) through its Urban Environmental Health (UEH) Unit in Ge-neva and its Regional Offices and AMIS Regional CollaboratingCentres.

AMIS seeks to aug-ment the resources at itsdisposal through collabo-ration with other actors inthis field; including theWorld Bank, the UnitedNations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP),United Nations Centre forHuman Settlements(UNCHS), and the Com-mission of the EuropeanCommunities (CEC).Other partners will also bewelcome to the Air Man-agement Information Sys-tem. When the full systemis implemented with about 300 cities as partners of the Global AirQuality Partnership it could be imagined to make the AMIS selfsustainably supported by a very a low contribution from each par-ticipant of the partnership.

A brick kiln factory in South East Asia

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4. AMIS ProgrammeResources

WHO hopes to be in a position to continue to provide the baselinesupport to the operation of the programme in terms of manpowerand operational funds; enabling the implementation of core activities.However, additional funds are needed, if the full potential of theprogramme is to be realised. In particular, additional funding has tobe allocated to help countries develop their air pollution managementcapabilities, the first step being establishment and operation of airpollution monitoring networks. Training and technical support pro-grammes will be needed to establish the necessary capabilities inmajor cities in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Extrafunds will also be needed to support special studies which providethe basic information necessary to respond to emerging issues andchanging conditions.

Many cities in the developing world have only limited resourcesavailable for the managementof urban air quality. It is theresponsibility of the interna-tional community to assist suchcities in reducing present andpotential risks from poor airquality; both for human healthand the environment. It is inthe interest of the internationalcommunity to strengthen ef-fective urban air pollutionmanagement. AMIS will seekadditional financial and otherresources from international

and national sources, and to channel them into effective use.

Environmental effects of air pollution

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5. The building blocks of AMISActivity Area 1:The Global Management Network

Provision of informa-tion on urban air pollutionmonitoring and manage-ment in the participatingcountries is the heart of theAMIS programme. It linkscities together and enablesthe transfer and sharing ofknowledge and experienceabout air quality manage-ment. It provides an effec-tive framework for coor-dinated, valid and compa-rable monitoring of urbanair quality. It also leads toeffective data managementand utilisation and reliabledissemination of informa-tion. Network participants provide selected urban air pollution moni-toring data and additional descriptive information to the global data-base. Thus the programme enables data and information compilationon a global scale and the production of assessments on the occur-rences of urban air pollution worldwide. AMIS conducts this work instrategic alliances with other international programmes dealing withthe urban environment to meet common objectives.

In the future AMIS will become a global service for data informa-tion and knowledge sharing and dissemination. It will be a reliableinformation broker, working in close collaboration with other agen-cies. It is developing a AMIS information system, available throughthe internet which will provide summary information on air quality inthe major cities of the world; air quality management tools such as

Coordination of the GlobalManagement Network

• Routine collection of monitoring datafrom participating cities

• Collection of emission inventoriesand supporting data

• Provision of easy-to-use PC-run dis-persion models

• Provision of network collaborativereviews, and oversight of quality as-surance

• Operation of global database• Evaluation of monitoring data, and

preparation of data reports• Expansion of the programme in terms

of cities and pollutants

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modelling software; AMIS publications, air quality guidelines, healthand dose-response data, relevant socioeconomic data, and informa-tion and access to databases held by national ad international agen-cies

In AMIS, this network will be expanded to many more majorcities in all parts of the world. The aim is to have 300 participatingcities by the end of the decade, including 50 major cities with apopulation of more than 3 million. The programme already includes,in addition to sulphur dioxide (SO 2) and suspended particulate matter(SPM), summary data on all common air pollutants, such as carbonmonoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2), ozone (O3), and lead(Pb). Other compounds can be easily incorporated.

In addition to the AMIS core database of air pollutant concentra-tions the planned indoor air quality and noise level databases will beconstructed during summer 1997 and subsequently filled with data.The existing database with the addresses of the AMIS participantswill be adapted to the general AMIS structure to make it more userfriendly.

In developed countries more than 50% of emissions arecaused by traffic

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Activity Area 2:Methodology Development

The development of appropriate methodologies supports both thecollection of air quality data and the management of air pollution byparticipating countries. Suitable methodologies are identified and rec-ommended to participants; utilising their existing knowledge and ex-pertise. Before publication, handbooks and technical reviews are dis-cussed in expert workshops so that international consensus is at-tained.

In AMIS, thedevelopment ofmethodologieswill focus on thefurther harmoni-sation of networkdesign, samplingand analyticalmethods, and as-sessment proce-dures, so that data from the various cities and networks can be bettercompared. The programme aims to continue the production of meth-odology review handbooks and software tools; covering the wholeurban air monitoring field from network design to data interpretationand assessment, as well as air pollution management tools.

Thus, information on tools such as dispersion modelling, e.g. onunder which circumstances to apply which models and from whereto get them will also be distributed. Information on control actionsand the magnitude of their costs, of health effects caused by airpollution and the magnitude of their costs to the society will beprovided as well. Methodologies will also cover the fields of indoorair pollution and noise levels with the intention to incite people toaddress these problems, in particular in developing countries.

Development of Appropriate Methodologies

• Production of methodology handbooks on networkdesign, sampling and analytical methods, and as-sessment techniques

• Development of support tools for emission inven-tories and air pollution management

• Development of monitoring data transfer software• Establishment of global guidelines on urban air

quality

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Activity Area 3: Environmental Assessments

Assessments of ambient and indoor air pollution and noise levelsand estimation of exposure of the general population are the majoroutputs of the programmeand seek a consensus viewon pollution trends, issuesand management needs.They are based on the in-formation collected throughthe AMIS network and in-formation available in the ex-ternal scientific literatureand technical reports. AMISassessments evaluate the re-liability of data and interpretthis data, with additional in-formation in terms of poten-tial health and environmen-tal impacts. Global andtopic-specific assessmentsare supplemented by sum-mary data reports, e.g. theCity Air Quality Trends se-ries.

In AMIS, future globalsynoptic assessments willcompile and assess AMIS network data as well as other availablerelevant information, examining the data in terms of the establishedWHO air quality and noise guidelines, assessing the risks facing hu-man health and sensitive ecosystems. Topic-specific assessments willfocus on problems of specific and current interest, and on regionalissues. City-specific assessments will cover pollutant emissions and

Traffic congestion in Los Angeles

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Industrial air pollution urban areas

Preparation of Assessments

• Global assessment of urbanair pollution levels andtrends

• Topic-specific assessmentsin areas of current interest

• City-specific assessmentsfor selected cities

• Annual reports of AMISmonitoring data

• Summary reports of airpollution concentrationsand trends in the AMISnetwork

sources, meteorological and topo-graphical factors affecting pollutantdispersion, ambient pollutant concen-trations, noise levels, and the result-ing risk faced by urban population andthe environment. They will also con-sider relevant options available for pol-lution management. Assess ments willbe coordinated by the WHO/HQs/UEH and the AMIS Regional Collabo-rating Centres.

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Activity Area 4:Technical Cooperation and Training

Technical support and specific training enables cities, especiallythose in less developed countries, to monitor, assess, and manage airquality. Cities are encouraged to fully participate in and take advan-tage of the AMIS programme. This programme element will con-tinue to be instrumental in strengthening monitoring and assessmentcapabilities in participating cities. It further provides a mechanism toenable developed and developing countries to share experience. Whileactual capacity building in such cities certainly exceeds the financialand technical capabilities of the AMIS programme, the programmewill continue to serve as an effective framework for cost-effectivetechnical support and technology transfer.

AMIS training workshops will be organised for participants inAfrica, Asia, and Latin America, covering all aspects of air pollutionmonitoring, emissions inventories, assessment, and management. Fur-thermore, the Regional CollaboratingCentres will be established in 1998.

Sulphur dioxide from a smelter in Peru ...

Provision of Technical Support &Training

• Support for regional training coursesand expert advice on air pollution

• Training in use of rapid assessmentmethods for developing emission inven-tories

• Strengthening of regional review teamsand support centres

• Support of technology transfer in thefield of air pollution monitoring andmanagement

• Training in use of dispersion models

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Activity Area 5:Special Studies

The initiation of spe-cial studies is a pro-gramme element that al-lows AMIS to rapidly ex-amine emerging issues ornew air quality or noiserequirements. The resultsof these studies will im-prove the understandingof key global, regional andlocal air and noise pollu-tion issues. Implementa-

tion of the studies will depend onparticipating cities and the availabil-ity of extra resources.

AMIS aims to complete fivespecial studies by the end of the dec-ade. Various topics have alreadybeen proposed covering a widerange of issues. New topics may beproposed by programme partici-pants.

Initiation of Special Studies

• Evaluation of the effectiveness of airpollution management programmes

• Quantification of ambient air pollutioncontribution to pollutant exposure

• Contribution of urban SO 2 and NO2emission to regional acid depositions

• Contribution of urban precursor emis-sions to photochemical smog formationin downwind urban and rural areas

• Global survey of NO2 and O3 levels inurban areas

... affects the health of workers andnearby living inhabitants

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Activity Area 6:Tools and Instruments

AMIS makes use of several tools through which the methodologygets wider application and which facilitates the production of specificoutputs. Examples are the following:

Collaborative Reviews

Collaborative reviews examine the capacities and capabilities of acity to monitor and manage air quality. They:

- identify the areas of need- provide support to network participants in obtaining data of

known quality appropriate for their intended use, and- determine the comparability of data within the network and

improve it.

These reviews are conducted under the motto of “scientists helpscientists” or “technicians help technicians”.

Collaborative reviews were performed for Latin America, SouthEast Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Rapid Inventory Assessment System (RIAS)

For an easy and rough but in most cases sufficiently accurateestimation of the emissions of point, area, and line sources, a schemehas been developed to obtain a fairly reliable emissions inventory foran urban area. This scheme has been published under the umbrellaof the Inter-Agency Project on Risk Management; a collabora tionprogramme between UNEP, WHO, United Nations Industrial De-velopment Organization (UNIDO), and the International Atomic En-ergy Agency (IAEA). The RIAS is presently being adapted for useon a PC. This program will enable air pollution abatement engineers

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to develop emissions inventories as a basis for air pollutant concen-tration simulations and estimations of the success of control actions.When used together with a source-receptor-model it will assist tocausally attribute the impacts of various pollutants to the sources.

Training Courses

Regular regional trainingcourses for AMIS partici-pants and those interestedin future participation inAMIS are essential for ob-taining data of known qual-ity. These workshopscover: the health and envi-ronmental effects of air pol-lution, ambient air monitor-ing objectives, air qualityguidelines, standards andregulations, monitoring de-vices and networks, sitingcriteria, data requirements,quality control and assur-ance, problems of ambientair monitoring methods,costs and benefits of air pol-lution monitoring, and databaseconsiderations. Furthermore, training on the rapid emission inven-tory approach includes the consideration of alternative source inven-tory approaches: the source and control system modelling approach,and exercises in source assessment and air quality modelling. Futuretraining courses will consider appropriate dispersion models in moredetail, their use in particular situations, as well as population andenvironment exposure estimates.

Air pollution in South East Asia

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Urban air pollution in Kathmandu,Nepal.

Decision Support System for Industrial Pollution Control

A PC programme has been developed to estimate industrialemissions, the effectiveness of control measures, resulting concen-trations and costs of control actions. This programme supports deci-sion makers in deciding on ap-propriate control actions atminimum costs.

Future Tools

In addition to the tools al-ready used by AMIS future tools will include

- information on dispersion models- estimates of human and environmental exposure

by using appropriate models- cost benefit analysis- use of socioeconomic data in deriving population

exposure- use of damage functions.

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How to participate in AMIS.

AMIS focuses on air pollutionand its related health and envi-ronmental effects in major cities.Any city in a UN member coun-try can join the programme. Par-ticipation, however, should beformalised by the national gov-ernments. Cities can join the pro-gramme by announcing their in-terest directly to WHO (see ad-dresses on back cover) or alter-natively through their nationalWHO focal points. Cities orcountries should designate anAMIS coordinator, ideally a per-son in charge of the operation ofcity monitoring networks or airquality management issues. In thecase of cities already monitoring

air pollution routinely, the AMIS management will send to the coor-dinator detailed information on the organisation of the global pro-gramme, including technical information about monitoring site char-acterisation and global data management. The AMIS managementand the local coordinator will then choose at least four suitable moni-toring sites, representing clean, residential, commercial, and indus-trial influence in the city centre or in suburbs. Summary data fromthese sites will be incorporated into the core database. AMIS canassist in identifying appropriate monitoring equipment, help to defineappropriate data evaluation, advise on suitable control action, pro-vide help in risk assessment, and, hopefully, in finding appropriatefunding sources.

Several advantages exist for participants in the Air ManagementInformation System and the Global Air Quality Partnership:

Air and water pollution in a cityof Poland

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AMIS participants share:

- Air quality management experience among metropolitan areas- Intercountry research on air pollution topics of common interest- Experience exchange through regional workshops and training

courses- Action plans- Reports on case studies- Demonstration projects

AMIS participants receive:

- GEMS/AIR Methodology Review Handbook Series- City Air Quality Trends- AMIS Bulletin- DSS IPC programme- CD ROM with AMIS database and other information on air

quality management

AMIS participants enjoy:

- Support in quality assurance of data and quality assuranceplans- Collaborative reviews of facilities and capabilities AMIS Col-

laborating Centres- Data of known quality appropriate for the intended

use.

For further information please contact

World Health OrganisationUrban Environmental Health

CH-1211 Geneva 27, SwitzerlandTel: +41-22-791- 4261

Fax: +41-22-791- 4127e-mail: Schwelad@who.ch

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or the Regional Offices

WHO Regional Office for Africa(AFRO)P.O.B. # 6Brazzaville, CongoTel.: +242 83 91 11Fax: +242 83 94 00

WHO Regional Office for theEastern Mediterranean (EMRO)P.O.B. 1517Alexandria - 21511, EgyptTel.: +20 3 48 202 23Fax: +20 3 49 38 916

WHO Regional Office for theAmericas (AMRO)525, 23rd Street, N.W.Washingtron D.C. 20037, USATel.: +1 202 861 3200Fax: +1 202 223 5971

WHO Regional Office for Europe(EURO)8, ScherfigsvejDK-2100 CopenhagenTel.: +45 39 17 17 17Fax: +45 39 17 18 18

WHO Regional Office for SouthEast Asia (SEARO)Mahatma Gandhi RoadNew Delhi 110002, IndiaTel.: +91 11 331 7804Fax: +91 11 331 8607

WHO Regional Office for theWestern Pacific (WPRO)P.O.B. 29321099 Manila, PhilippinesTel.: +63 2 522 98 00Fax: +63 2 521 10 36

Pan American Center for SanitaryEngineering and EnvironmentalSciences (CEPIS)Los Pinos 259Urb. CamachoLima 12, PeruTel: +51 14 371 077Fax: +51 14 378 289

Regional Centre for EnvironmentalHealth Activities (CEHA)P.O. Box 926 967Amman 11110, JordanTel: +962 6 552 4655Fax: +962 6 551 6591

European Centre for Environmen-tal Health (ECEH)P.O. Box 1NL 3720 BA BilthovenTel: +31 30 2 295 323Fax: +31 30 2 294 252

Industrial activities in developingcountries of Eastern Europe jeopardize

the health of the population