Ricardo RapidAir Software delivers faster Air Quality Mapping
RapidAir®, developed by the global air quality, energy and environment specialists, is the next generation dispersion modelling and policy support platform that enables users to test the impact of scenarios in minutes, supporting the identification of measures that will reduce traffic emissions and consequently improve public health.
The ground-breaking air quality dispersion modelling software has already been successfully used across Asia, Europe and the UK, supporting Clean Air Zone evaluations, traffic management measures and wider air quality management activities. In response to requests from clients, including transport and health professionals, Ricardo has developed a cloud-based RapidAir software, complimenting its consultancy offering and making the capabilities of RapidAir more accessible to professionals to support air quality research and targeted policy development.
Stuart Sneddon, Technical Director for Air Quality, said: “We are extremely proud of RapidAir. It has been designed and developed with the needs of our clients in mind and has been subject to intensive testing and peer review to ensure that it performs to the highest possible standard. Its capacity to model large complex domains at high resolution, speed of operation and range of innovations really sets it apart from other software offerings, as well as saving clients time and money.
“Users can quickly evaluate the impact of different mitigation scenarios, generating reliable outputs that they can have confidence in, allowing them to make trusted and informed policy decisions.”
Ricardo engineers are active users of the software themselves. RapidAir is currently being deployed as part of a UKGovernment-funded project which uses transport location data to improve air quality in towns and cities around the world. The team is investigating how data from the software can be used in conjunction with vehicle and traffic simulations to understand the full impacts of clean air zones.
RapidAir was initiated in 2012 and has been further developed over the years using an objective and innovative approach, incorporating international best practice and cutting-edge methodologies.
RapidAir was integral to Ricardo’s air quality team’s support of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in the development of a package of mitigation measures that secured £43 million in Government funding to deliver them as part of its Clean Air Zone commitment.
Sally Jones, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager at City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, said: “The air pollution evidence, coupled with Ricardo’s economic assessment, equipped us with the high-quality evidence necessary to support our application for Government funding.
“We’re confident that the selected measures, when implemented, will be successful in reducing air pollution in the city and, in turn, improve public health.”
Dr Sneddon said: “Our team of specialists has been able to overcome common limitations associated with other air quality models to provide rapid, precise and more effective air quality management for authorities, cities and businesses.”
