Search

Artificial neural networks are functional alternative techniques in modelling the intricate vehicular exhaust emission dispersion phenomenon. Pollutant predictions are notoriously complex when using either deterministic or stochastic models, which explains why this model was developed using a neural network. Neural networks have the ability to learn about non-linear relationships between the used variables. In this paper a recurrent neural network (Elman model) based forecaster for the prediction of daily maximum concentrations of SO2, O3, PM10, NO2, CO in the city of Palermo is proposed. The effectiveness of the presented forecaster was tested using a time series recorded between 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2004 in eight monitoring stations in urban area of Palermo (Italy). Experimental trials show that the developed and tuned model is appropriate, giving small values of root mean square error (RMSE) , mean absolute error (MAE) and mean square error (MSE). In addition, the related correlation coefficient ranges from 0.72 to 0.97 for each forecasted pollutant, underlying a small difference between the forecasted and the measured values. The above results make the proposed forecaster a powerful tool for pollution management systems.

Indoor air quality near the industrial site is tightly joined to pollutant concentration level, since outdoor pollution heavily influences air quality and, consequently, inhabitants health. A pollution management system is essential for health protection. Automatic air quality management systems have became an important research issue with strong implications for inhabitants’ health. In this paper an automatic forecaster based on neural networks for SO 2 concentration prevision is proposed. The analyzed area covers different small towns near the industrial site of Priolo, in the south of the world. Among these towns, Melilli was the first town in Italy that was evacuated for high level of pollutant concentrations. In the paper, a traditional stochastic method and several neural models are also compared. Overall, the results of the simulation show that the employment of a neural network forecaster is the most efficient tool to follow the big variations of pollutants concentration when thermal inversion height is taking place. In particular, an Elman neural network shows interesting results in 1, 2, and 3 h ahead forecasting of SO 2 concentration, doing the proposed forecaster a powerful tool for both pollution management and health warning systems.

In this paper the first results produced by an Elman neural network for hourly SO2 ground concentration forecasting are presented. Time series has been recorded between 1998 and 2001 and are referred to a monitoring station of SO2 in the industrial site of Priolo, Syracuse, Italy. Data has been kindly provided by CIPA (Consorzio Industriale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente, Siracusa, Italia). Time series parameters are the horizontal and vertical wind velocity, the wind direction, the stability classes of Thomas, the base level of the layer of the atmospheric stability, the gradient of the potential temperature and the difference of the potential temperature of reference.