What is EAN?

EAN ("European Aeroallergen Network") is the European pollen database and collection point for pollen and fungal spore data from European pollen networks, individual measuring stations and also non-European data suppliers. The database was launched in 1988 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Siegfried Jäger † ("More about the EAN database") and is currently maintained and further developed by the "Austrian Pollen Information Service" association.

The network covers 38 countries with more than 600 monitoring sites. Up to 400 of these monitoring stations are currently active. The pollen and fungal spore taxa relevant to pollen and fungal spore allergy sufferers, i.e. up to 226 different aerobiological particles, are primarily evaluated. EAN has around 200 registered users, of whom more than 100 are active. Users are usually also data providers. The provision of data can be regarded as a prerequisite for EAN membership. The use of the European Polling Database follows the principle: whoever provides data may use data.

This data is used by scientists (mainly aerobiologists and allergists), mainly in Europe, to produce forecasts, statistics, trends and scientific work on pollen distribution in Europe and to enable clinical studies, international projects and models. Currently, forecasting models such as SILAM, MACC, R-PAS or COSMO-ART work with EAN pollen data. The database itself is the largest non-commercial pollen database in the world.

The importance of the long-term series of the European Pollen Database is invaluable. In addition, there are many European monitoring sites in Austria, Germany, France and Switzerland that have recorded complete data series from the 1980s to the present day.

The European Pollen Database is the basic tool for any pollen forecast and is therefore indispensable for pollen information services throughout Europe. The development of services in recent years, such as the European exposure maps, the pollen diary for pollen allergy sufferers and the personalized symptom forecast, would not have been possible without the data from the European Pollen Database. In addition, the data has been and continues to be used for international research projects at the highest European level and international clinical studies and is therefore of great importance for climatological, allergological, ecological and meteorological research questions.