ArgumentaireSince the 1970s air-quality indices have been used in several of the world's cities. Their main aim is to inform the non-specialist public about atmospheric pollution. In France, the ATMO index has existed since 1995. Its practical use was made official by a decree in March, 2000.
This document provides the results of an original comparative study of 30 air-quality indices used in the world'a This analytical approach has led the authors to consider the major aspects of atmospheric pollution management in urban areas. A detailed exploration of the ATMO index is given, providing readers with a look at the complexity of the systems for monitoring ambient air.
And finally, the authors turn their attention to the designers of air-quality indices by proposing a methodology for elaborating an index according to the desired objectives of communication.
Javier Garcia is an engineer at the National Commission of the Environment in Santiago, Chile. He was hired to design and write up the Plan for Atmospheric Cleaning in the metropolitan area. At present he manages projects for evaluating air pollution's impact on health.
Joëlle Colosio, graduate of ESUG in Toulouse (Post-graduate university of management), is an engineer in France's Department for Air at the Agency for the Environment and Energy Control (ADEME) where she runs the sector for using and communicating air-quality data. In conjunction with the Ministry of the Environment she coordinated the work that led to creating the ATMO index in France.
Philippe Jamet is a civil engineer at Paris' Ecole des Mines where he earned his doctorate in quantitative hydrology and hydrogeology and is accredited for supervising research (Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University). He is currently head of research at the Ecole des Mines where he directs the Higher Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management (ISIGE) and is coordinator of the Geo-Environment sector.