D6.1 One-pager: Knowledge base/wiki

D6.1 One-pager: Knowledge Base/WIKI

Deliverable D6.1 establishes the architectural, technical, and conceptual framework of the centralized EDIAQI Knowledge Base/WIKI alongside the open-access public IAQ Simulation Tool. Developed under the scientific leadership of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) within Work Package 6 (Task 6.1), this open platform translates cutting-edge indoor environmental science, European building guidelines, and consortium findings into clear, actionable knowledge for non-specialist audiences. It addresses critical gaps in how indoor air pollution (IAP) is identified, monitored, and mitigated across European residential and public buildings[cite: 18, 19].

Why is this topic important?

People in modern urban environments spend up to 90% of their daily lives indoors, where the concentration of pollutants can frequently surpass outdoor levels[cite: 18, 19]. While ambient outdoor air has been strictly governed by European Union directives for decades, statutory indoor environmental quality standards remain fragmented across Member States[cite: 1, 18]. Poor indoor air quality, coupled with inadequate ventilation, moisture accumulation, and internal chemical emissions, substantially increases the incidence of chronic respiratory illnesses, childhood asthma, and sick building syndromes[cite: 18, 19].

This knowledge platform directly supports major European policy initiatives, including the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Renovation Wave for Europe, and the Zero Pollution Action Plan (ZPAP) under the European Green Deal[cite: 1, 18]. As deep energy renovations accelerate across the continent, building owners and facility managers must be equipped with sound building-physics principles to prevent building hermetization without sufficient mechanical air exchange or filtration.

Who is this information for?

This platform and deliverable provide tailored guidance for:

• Homeowners and Residents: Seeking practical steps to identify indoor pollution sources (such as cooking, cleaning, or mold) and optimize domestic ventilation[cite: 18].
• School and Kindergarten Heads: Tasked with safeguarding classroom air hygiene and maintaining optimal CO2 thresholds for cognitive performance and child health[cite: 18].
• Building Owners and Facility Managers: Designing HVAC maintenance protocols, selecting air filters, and conducting continuous indoor environmental monitoring[cite: 18].
• Municipal Authorities and Policymakers: Establishing municipal air quality action plans, benchmarking public buildings, and framing future indoor air quality standards[cite: 18].

Key messages

• The EDIAQI Decision Tree: Navigates users from basic awareness ("Why?") and sensor selection ("How?") to specific diagnosis ("Building vs. Inhabitant vs. Outdoor") and remediation ("What now?")[cite: 18].
• Ventilation and Filtration as Key Levers: Outdoor pollution penetration demands certified mechanical filtration (e.g., ISO 16890 standards), whereas indoor-generated contaminants require adequate ventilation rates (tracer gas CO2 decay validation) and local source extraction[cite: 12, 18, 19].
• Democratizing IAQ Monitoring: Combines commercial low-cost sensor (LCS) networks with high-precision reference instruments, clarifying sensor accuracy, cross-sensitivities, and placement rules[cite: 1, 18, 19].
• Predictive Risk Assessment: The integrated machine learning IAQ Simulator allows users without dedicated hardware to estimate indoor NO2 and PM2.5 concentrations based on household metadata and outdoor GIS proximity data[cite: 18].
• Open and FAIR Repository: The MediaWiki platform acts as a permanent, living knowledge base hosted on DigitalOcean, ensuring continuous updates and long-term sustainability beyond the project timeline[cite: 18].

What did the EDIAQI project do?

Under Task 6.1, TalTech coordinated consortium input to build a dual knowledge transfer infrastructure[cite: 18, 19]:

1. MediaWiki Knowledge Base: Deployed a modular MediaWiki server featuring structured taxonomies covering pollutants (PM, VOCs, radon, bioaerosols, PAHs), monitoring sensors, ventilation engineering, and policy roadmaps[cite: 18]. A visual user guide was produced to empower consortium researchers to contribute deliverable one-pagers continuously[cite: 18].
2. EDIAQI IAQ Simulation Tool: Collaborating with Know-Center (KNOW), developed and launched a free web-based risk evaluation simulator ([1])[cite: 18]. Built using Streamlit, Docker, and CatBoost gradient boosting regression, the tool utilizes retrospective cohort datasets (such as COPSAC2000) and OpenStreetMap spatial features to calculate indoor pollutant exposures[cite: 18].

Main findings

Finding 1: Structured Problem Diagnosis through the Decision Tree

Deliverable D6.1 introduces a hierarchical decision tree to resolve indoor environmental complaints methodically[cite: 18]. It distinguishes whether elevated contaminants originate from outdoor air (which necessitates mechanical filtration) or indoor sources[cite: 18]. Indoor issues are further categorized into occupant behavior (e.g., smoking, unvented gas stoves) or building physical defects (e.g., structural moisture, poor insulation, or insufficient air change rates), ensuring remediation targets the true root cause[cite: 18].

Finding 2: Integration of Machine Learning for Exposure Prediction

The CatBoost regression model implemented in the IAQ Simulator demonstrated that household physical properties (construction year, floor level, total area) combined with user activity patterns (cooking hood usage, gas stove frequency, fireplace operation) and localized outdoor environmental density (surrounding road networks, industrial areas, vegetation buffers) provide reliable baseline estimates for indoor NO2 and PM2.5 burdens when physical sensor nodes are absent[cite: 18].

Finding 3: Bridge to Real-World Interventions and Building Physics

The deliverable establishes clear operational linkages with the ongoing field studies across European pilots (Ferrara P1, Estonia P2, Zagreb P3, and Filtration P4)[cite: 1, 18, 19]. The knowledge base emphasizes that portable air cleaners and HVAC filtration systems cannot compensate for inadequate fresh air supply; successful indoor air hygiene relies on combining continuous sensor feedback with calculated ventilation rates and proper filter maintenance[cite: 13, 18, 19].

Links to Official Deliverables and Resources

• Official Deliverable Report: Deliverable D6.1 Final Version (Ares(2023)6614459)[cite: 18]
• Interactive Web Tool: EDIAQI IAQ Public Simulator[cite: 18]
• Project Repository: EDIAQI Official Deliverables and One-Pagers