LOD is the only laboratory accredited for both parts of UNI EN 16841, “Ambient air – Determination of odour in ambient air by field inspection.” This standard, based on the German guideline VDI 3940 Part 1 and adopted in Italy in 2017, regulates Odour Field Inspection, a method for assessing odour impact within a given area through evaluations carried out by selected field assessors.
More specifically, the grid method, described in Part 1 of the above-mentioned standard, consists in mapping sensitive receptors by means of a regular grid of equidistant points distributed across the investigation area, among which the measurement routes are identified.
Following appropriate training, a sufficiently large group of field assessors provides an indication of any odour presence at each point, specifying its type and intensity. The data collected during the survey, which lasts 6 to 12 months in order to be sufficiently representative of the meteorological conditions of the area, are subsequently processed statistically.
Part 2 of the standard, on the other hand, describes the so-called plume method, which, through the use of selected field assessors, makes it possible to carry out targeted surveys aimed at determining the impact area of an emission plume originating from one or more sources. This method provides a snapshot of the area affected by the perception of specific target odour types under well-defined meteorological conditions.
The graphical processing of the results then makes it possible to visualise the actual extent of the area affected by odour nuisance.
LOD has developed Geonose®, a management software that consists of a portal and an application for smartphones, as well as tablets to be used directly by examiners on the spot. This software allows implementing the data related to the Field Inspection, providing a measurement of the geolocalized smell.
Geonose is the first SAAS service (Software As A Service) dedicated to detecting odors in the environment.
