Odisha Researchers Build India’s First Forecaster Of Air Quality In Metros

Bhubaneswar: Adding another feather to research initiatives in Odisha, researchers in Utkal University here have developed India’s first framework for forecast of air quality.

The ‘System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research’ (SAFAR) is jointly developed by the state’s premier Utkal University and IITM, Pune under a central government initiative.

SAFAR is used to make air quality forecasts in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. It has been mandated under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and developed under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Described as a one-stop solution for air quality management and mitigation, the novel project is meant for decision-makers, researchers and citizens as well to boost forecasting of air quality in metros.

The framework’s findings were published in a research paper titled “India’s maiden air quality forecasting framework for megacities of divergent environments: The SAFAR-project” in the internationally reputed Elsevier Journal ‘Environmental Modelling and Software’ recently.