Facilities

ACTRIS Data Centre (DC) is responsible for handling the ACTRIS data. The primary role of ACTRIS DC is to compile, archive, and provide access to well documented and traceable ACTRIS measurement data and data products, including digital tools for visualisations, data analysis, and research. As a tool for science, the highest priority for ACTRIS DC is to maintain and increase the availability of ACTRIS data and data products relevant to climate and air quality research for all interested users. All primary measurement data and produced data products are made available to the users via the ACTRIS data portal. ACTRIS DC provides scientists and other user groups with free and open access to all measurements, both quality-assured data and near-real-time data, archived in interoperable topical data repositories handling diverse types of data.

The Head Office is the central hub of ACTRIS, coordinating ACTRIS operations and enabling ACTRIS services. The Head Office supports the work of the General Assembly and the advisory bodies and committees of the ACTRIS ERIC. The HO coordinates the RI at the European level, in close cooperation with the national ACTRIS consortia, the NFs, and the other CFs. ACTRIS Head Office (HO) is in charge of the strategic development and planning of ACTRIS services for users to solve important scientific questions and in promoting technology development and innovations.
HO also manages and oversees future cooperation with RIs from other domains. HO coordinates and promotes ACTRIS services, handles internal and external communication, operates the legal entity, and ensure the strategic development and sustainability of ACTRIS. The HO coordinates the RI at the European level, in close cooperation with the national ACTRIS consortia, the NFs, and the other CFs.

The European Center for Aerosol Calibration and Characterization (ECAC) aims at acting as the ACTRIS Centre for Aerosol In Situ measurements (CAIS), whose mission is to offer operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities (NFs) for the physical and/or chemical in situ characterisation of atmospheric aerosol particles as well as for particle sampling and subsequent laboratory analysis of these particles. ECAC will also offer measurement and data tools related to aerosol in situ measurements.
Additionally, ECAC will offer specialised services, CAIS-related variables, to ACTRIS users of various types: academia, business, industry, and public services.
ECAC is divided thematically into two branches – one dealing with physical aerosol properties and the other one with the chemical composition of aerosol particles.

The mission of the Centre for Aerosol Remote Sensing (CARS) is to offer operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities operating aerosol remote sensing instrumentation: aerosol high-power aerosol lidars, automatic low power lidars and ceilometers, and automatic sun/sky/polarised/lunar photometer.
Additionally, the Centre for Aerosol Remote Sensing offers specialised services for the above instruments and related ACTRIS variables, to ACTRIS users of various types: academia, business, industry and public services.

The key mission of the Centre for Cloud In Situ Measurements (CIS) is to offer operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities (NFs) operating instrumentation for continuous long-term measurements of cloud occurrence, cloud water content, and cloud droplet effective diameter at observational platforms, or for episodic measurements of cloud particle size distributions, chemical cloud water composition, and ice nucleating particles during dedicated laboratory and field campaigns.
While the main activities focus on the ACTRIS community, specialised services are offered to users from academia, business, industry, and public services.
The aim of CIS is to develop and adapt its procedures and performance to future needs continuously responding to new research and development projects, with a focus on the operation of existing instruments and methods, and the development and implementation of improved and new methods in cooperation with the NFs and other Topical Centres (TCs).

The mission of the Centre for Cloud Remote Sensing (CCRES) is to offer operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities operating cloud remote sensing instrumentation, namely to Doppler Cloud Radars (e.g. Ka, W-band), microwave radiometers for temperature and humidity profiling, and Doppler lidars for wind profiling. CCRES will also provide support for automatic low power lidars and ceilometers used for cloud profiling purposes.

The key mission of CiGas is to offer current state-of-the-art operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities (NFs), operational and exploratory platforms, which are operating instrumentation for continuous long-term measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), condensable vapours and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the atmosphere. That includes activities to guide research and service development in the field of reactive trace gases and to develop towards future user needs, utilising innovative methodologies.
The operational support to ACTRIS NFs is supplemented by tailored services for users from the Global Atmospheric Watch Network (GAW) and other atmospheric observation networks, academia, business, industry, and public services depending on the respective resources.

The mission of the Centre for Reactive Trace Gases Remote Sensing (CREGARS) is to offer operational support to ACTRIS National Facilities operating FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared), UVVIS (UV_visible) spectrometers or Ozone Dial (Differential Absorption) LIDARS.
Additionally, CREGARS should offer specialised services similar to the support offered operationally to ACTRIS beneficiaries, for the above instruments and related ACTRIS variables, to ACTRIS users of various types (academia, research organisations, business, industry and public services) that are part of the global Reactive Trace Gases Remote Sensing (RTGRS) community.