Traditionally odour dose-response studies have been based on questionnaires, surveys, odour diaries, etc under the scope of some guidelines and standards (e.g VDI 3883). However, this methodology has serious limitations. For example, they lack precision on recording time and location stamp of an incident. That is why a group of experts from Spain have decided to work on a new methodology to map annoyance based on citizen science and other tools. Second meeting of this group that discusses about  linking an Odour Impact Critera to an Annoyance Benchmark took place last week. The idea behind is to work together with the Spanish Accreditation Body (UNE) to publish the first standard on this subject.

   Odour Impact Criteria (OIC) set in many parts of the world, are based on dose-response psychometric studies made in Germany and the Netherlands many years ago. Nowadays, with the use of smartphones it is possible to instantaneously record time and location of an odour perception. This is a better way to assess the impact and the only way to link odour with annoyance, that is why a group of experts has met to write the first standard on annoyance mapping.

   The Technical Committee 264 (TC264) on Air Quality has decided to grant an extension to the work developed by the experts on Working Group 41 (WG41) focused on Instrumental Odour Monitoring Systems (IOMS) by activating a work item. That means that the group will have 3 more years to develop this standard.

   The first meeting of this group took place three and a half years ago in Antwerp, Belgium. Much work has been done during this time by the around 15 experts that usually meet in these 2-days sessions that are hold usually three times a year. In addition, there are also Task Group meetings planned around the year and videomeetings hold from time to time. So there is a lot of work and a lot of hours here to develop a standard.