Quality assurance and validation of modelling applications
Article 3
1. Member States shall ensure modelling quality and validate modelling applications in accordance with the criteria laid down in this Article. 2. Where possible, all input datasets shall be quality controlled and assured before being used as input for a modelling application. Member States shall perform those quality checks before executing each modelling application. 3. Where possible, measurement data used to perform the validation of modelling applications shall have variability in terms of sampling-point locations to cover the relevant environments for a given pollutant over the area of interest. 4. The modelling quality objective shall be verified at a sufficient number of sampling points in accordance with the requirements set out in Point A of Annex V to Directive (EU) 2024/2881. 5. When evaluating modelling applications that incorporate the integrated use of models and measurements, only measurement data not used in the modelling application results and complying with the data quality objectives set out in Annex V to Directive (EU) 2024/2881 shall be used for the evaluation of whether the modelling quality objective is fulfilled. In such a case, Member States shall, where possible, evaluate modelling applications that incorporate the integrated use of models and measurements using the methodology set out in Annex II or any other methodology providing equivalent results. 6. Where modelling applications are used for the determination of spatial representativeness areas of sampling points, such modelling applications shall fulfil the requirements set out in Point A of Annex V to Directive (EU) 2024/2881.