ECOMAPS kick-off meeting in Venice

On Tuesday, 3 March 2026, the public launch event of the ECOMAPS project “Environmental and climate change observation through the monitoring of air pollution in cities”, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme, will take place.

The event, organised by Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, a project partner, will be hosted at the university’s Spazi Espositivi (Dorsoduro 3246, Venice). The programme will begin at 10:00 a.m. with institutional greetings and a presentation of the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Programme. The event will be held in Italian and Slovenian, with simultaneous interpretation available.

ECOMAPS addresses climate change and air pollution in an integrated manner, two interconnected and critical challenges, particularly in urban areas known as climate hotspots. On one hand, it examines the influence of specific pollutants on climate and climate change; on the other, it investigates how variations in climate parameters can alter atmospheric chemistry and the reactions that govern the formation and degradation of air pollutants.

Coordinated by the lead partner Istituto di Scienze Polari del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the project involves as partners Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Kemijski inštitut - Odsek za katalizo in reakcijsko inženirstvo and AEROSOL razvoj in proizvodnja znanstvenih instrumentov d.o.o., who will present their contribution during the event. The morning session will conclude with the presentation of the associated partners. The following organisations collaborate in the project: ARPAV – Agenzia Regionale per la prevenzione e protezione ambientale del Veneto, ARSO – Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje, Comune di Venezia, ANCI VENETO, ARPA FVG – Agenzia regionale per la protezione dell’ambiente del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Mestna občina Ljubljana, Comune di Pordenone.

The project is currently in its operational start-up phase, with the first concrete activities underway. Measurement sites for monitoring black carbon have been identified and the first measurements have been launched in both countries. In parallel, the experimental plan for studying the degradation of selected categories of pollutants linked to climate change has been made and we are already getting interesting results.