The European Union (EU) has the important challenge to reduce air pollution caused by road traffic in order to improve air quality. Traffic contributes with 60% of total emissions in major cities. Pollutants as CO, CO₂, NOx, HC and particulate matter (PM) are the responsible for the bad air quality with negative consequences on environment, climate, health and economy.

Scientific studies show that the 10% of the highest emitter vehicles are responsible for the 80% of the pollution generated by road traffic. Therefore, Europe needs to identify these high emitters on a broad scale to be in disposition of, firstly, to control and, secondly, to reduce air pollution.

In order to adjust this group of vehicles, it is necessary to have reliable measurements of their emissions in real driving conditions. Although there are systems, already in the market, that monitor pollutants regulated by the traffic sector, these commercial systems do not measure in real driving situations, or these equipments are not efficient enough, because they must be installed in one single vehicle, in an intrusive way and be used during a significant period of time to gather valid information.

The LIFE GySTRA is going to give the most effective solution to the problem targeted creating a global system to quantify, in an accurate way, vehicles real driving emissions, not only to control them, but to support in the creation of a policy to reduce these emissions. All this will be achieved by using a newly developed remote sensing device adapted to the current EU requirements: the RSD+.

There is not, up to now, a system in the world that measures vehicle emissions remotely, especially the NO₂, in real driving conditions and with guarantee of accuracy. The RSD+ will do it.