Microsoft, Environment Agency Join To Provide European Pollution Data

Amsterdam, Netherlands (AHN) - Software giant Microsoft Corp. is embarking on a pioneering five-year alliance with the European Environment Agency (EEA) to deliver real-time information about local air and water pollution levels to more than 500 million Europeans.

Access to the information will be through mobile and Web portals. Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the EEA, and Jan Muehlfeit, chairman of the European division of Microsoft, signed a partnership agreement Thursday aimed at creating an environmental information platform.

The platform will be based on Microsoft's "Virtual Earth" and will host scientific data as well as observations provided by local users. The technology developed by Microsoft will enable users to upload and share their information with others.

"We can only tackle climate change effectively if we truly begin to understand our patterns of living and how they affect our environment. This collaboration between Microsoft and the European Environment Agency will bring information on the environment into our daily lives," McGlade said in a statement by EEA.

"With easy access to such information, we can make well-informed decisions and help improve the environment," she added.

The EEA conceived the idea of an online portal, with the working title of the Global Observatory for Environmental Change, that will compile critical information, including European water, soil, air and ozone indicators, into one place, the press release said.

"This collaboration is a first of its kind to establish a two-way communication on the environment. Until now, authorities, including the EEA, have communicated their data to the public," said McGlade. "But local observers, who are often the first to notice real change in their environment, had difficulties sharing their observations with others. This partnership will provide them a platform to do exactly that," McGlade added.

Both companies have been working on the platform since February.