Air quality monitoring and management in Lisbon

The environmental decision-making process is related with the interpretatio n of data both in spatial and temporal dimensions. This paper presents a me thodology that integrates the time-space framework of air quality data to i nfer the temporal pattern and spatial variability that could be interpreted for environmental decision purposes. Variograms that accommodate time and space lags were used for the analysis and proved to be effective. Its envir onmental meaning, in particular its relationship with traffic patterns is d iscussed. Data from air quality monitoring stations located in the central part of Lisbon were used in this study. It describes a strategy to identify the type of vehicles responsible for certain pollutant levels, particularl y for nitrogen oxides, and discusses the application of new air quality Eur opean legislation to the city of Lisbon, Portugal.