AIS LIFE 

Beneficiary responsible for implementation: UNIFI Beneficiary responsible for implementation: UNIFI

 

Action Comple

 

Foreseen start date: June 1st 2014                              Actual start date: June 1st 2014

Foreseen end date: May 31st 2017                               Actual end date: May 31th 2017

 

The aerobiological data are provided in Tuscan Territory

The study has considered the most common tree species in the Tuscan territory that are the highest responsable of allergy. Families considered were: Oleaceae (olive and ash), Fagaceae (Oak, beech and chestnut), Corylaceae (Hazel, hornbeam and white), Betulaceae (alder and birch), Cupressaceae (Cypress), Platanaceae (plane tree).

The Municipalities of Tuscany have been grouped in four vast regions corresponding to the

Regional Sanitary Districts.

Four  aerobiological  stations  have  been  selected  for  aerobiological  data  collection.  Each station is placed in a different Sanitary District and it represents the aerobiological reference station.

The record of aerobiological and meteorological station is used to create a map of pollen concentration, classified in high, medium, low or absent, for individual tree family in each area study.  Buffering was defined and used to establish 'zones' around potential sources of aeroallergens that reflects the perceived area in which those sources could affect the population. Thus, two buffers around those sources with a diameter of 5 km and 10 km, were established. The buffer areas are indicated with the same colors (different tonality) according to the concentration of pollen source.

For each allergic species the tendency of concentration trends (increasing, decreasing or steady) for the week to come is also provided.

The distribution of pollen concentration maps provides useful information about the level of risk to patients depending on the geographic area and the considered species.

The chosen aerobiological stations are: Pisa, Firenze, Arezzo and Grosseto.

The maps have been elaborated with the use of a geographic information system (GIS).

(Annex 7.2.17). Every week, from end of February/begin of March to the end of June six maps are disseminated in the facebook and webpage of the project for a total of 24 maps every mouth. Each maps contains the name of project and the LIFE logo.

The deliverable B3.1 has been submitted with Integration of Inception Report.

​

Indicators of progress:

Number of maps disseminated in the territory: from the begin of pollen tree season (March/June) 6 map every week have been elaborated; during the project duration more of 200 maps have been disseminates.

Number of map users counted through  access to web site,  questionnaires,  surveys and interviews: not defined

Activities carried out

During  the  AIS  LIFE  project  the  Italian  case study  has been  implemented.  The acquisition  of  pollen  data  concentration  from  four  aerobiological  stations  (Pisa, Arezzo, Firenze and Grosseto) have realized.

 

All regional territory has been taken into consideration and the analysis of land use has been conducted using the Corine Land Cover Software (free downloaded). This database was created through satellite observations and it was used to analyse the use of soil. The “Inventario Forestale della Toscana” (source Tuscany Region), a regional database containing information on forest tree species  (IFR), along with the Corine Land Cover Inventory, was used for selecting tree families producing allergenic pollen in Tuscany.

The study has considered the most common tree species in the Tuscan territory that are the highest provokers of allergy. Families considered were: Oleaceae (olive and ash), Fagaceae (Oak, beech and chestnut), Corylaceae (Hazel, hornbeam and white), Betulaceae (alder and birch), Cupressaceae (Cypress), Platanaceae  (plane tree). The study have taken into consideration tree species; their pollen season usually start in the first month of the year and it finish at the end of June.

The collected  aerobiological  data  and  the  analysis of  meteorological  data  have elaborated in a map of pollen concentration, classified in high, medium, low or absent for  each species in  each area of  study. For each allergic  tree  the  tendency of concentration trends (increasing, decreasing or stationary) for following week also be provided. Details of the methodology are explained in the deliverable B3.3.

The pollen maps has been elaborated for three pollen season (2015, 2016 and 2017). The maps are available to the user in electronic format and diffused every week in the facebook page of the project and in the AIS LIFE web site.

The pollen maps are produced regularly in the pollen season and published on the project  website.  The original  project  document  foresaw  also  the  possibility  to distribute the pollen maps in public buildings as an alternative. We evaluate more efficacy in term of visibility disseminate the maps only on the website instead of distributing the pollen maps in public buildings.

A  questionnaire  for  Italian  users has developed  on  the  web  (www.biometeo.it)

unfortunately, it did not have success.

The access at web site  www.biometeo.it have considered. All access are visible at the following link http://www.biometeo.it/cgi-bin/awstats.pl.

During the project implementation period of the action B3 (from January to July), the recorded access from different visitors have been: 15.248 in 2015; 18.065 in 2016 and

22.974 in 2017.

 

Annexes

B3.3 Report of final results