Meet the Partner: VITO - Turning High-Resolution Modelling into Actionable Urban Climate Solutions

Our weekly series introducing the organisations behind the UrbanAIR project continues with VITO.

UrbanAIR is a Horizon Europe project developing a digital twin for cities to tackle urban heat and air pollution. Each week, we’re spotlighting one of our partners contributing to better-informed, more climate-resilient urban planning.

About VITO

VITO is a leading European research and technology organisation in the field of cleantech and sustainable development, based in Belgium.  Its expertise spans climate change, air quality, health, sustainable land use, and digital transition, making it well-positioned to contribute to complex urban challenges. VITO’s mission is to support both public and private sectors in making evidence-based decisions for a more sustainable future.

VITO bridges the gap between research and practical solutions to societal challenges, helping policymakers, industry, and civil society manage complex environmental challenges through advanced modelling and strategic planning.

Learn more: vito.be

VITO’s Role in UrbanAIR

In UrbanAIR, VITO plays a key role as research performer, technology developer, and intermediary between science and stakeholders, ensuring effective translation of research into practice. Its contributions include:

• High-resolution simulations of urban heat and air quality, combined with expertise in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies

• Application of digital twin technologies to support dynamic, data-driven urban planning and scenario analysis.

• Stakeholder engagement and support for policy recommendations

• Support participatory co-design processes with citizens and stakeholders

• Translate environmental data into actionable insights for local governments and urban planners

Physics based modelling for air quality and heat

VITO's climate modelling team is having a pivotal role in deepening the integration of air quality and climate within the digital twin framework Destination Earth Service Platform piloted in Antwerp and Barcelona. This work aims to create street scale, actionable environmental models tailored to local built environment. The team's objectives include:

• Advancing the integration of ATMO-Flow into the digital twin architecture to enable scenario simulations that reflect both environmental and urban planning complexities.

• Supporting and aligning model chains with the practical needs and priorities of local stakeholders, ensuring that outputs are relevant, interpretable, and fit-for-purpose in real urban contexts.

• Incorporating the team's UrbClim model within the digital twin environment.

  
  

Data assimilation and AI-supported urban models

VITO's team is also actively contributing to the development and application of data assimilation (DA) techniques, uncertainty quantification methods, and the use of AI to streamline complex model operations. They are aiming to:

• Advance DA methodologies, building on their strengths alongside partners such as BSC, CERFACS and TU Delft, to improve the accuracy and responsiveness of urban climate and air quality models.

• Align these advanced tools with real-world use cases, ensuring that model results are both scientifically robust and practically useful for urban planners and decision-makers.

  
  

The VITO Team

With a strong interdisciplinary team and close collaboration with public authorities, VITO will ensure that UrbanAir’s innovations are both scientifically sound and socially embedded.

• Nele Veldeman - Project Manager

• Dirk Lauwaet - Senior Researcher – Heat Stress

• Jorge Sousa - Senior Researcher – Air Quality

Follow the Series

Stay tuned as we continue to highlight the organisations shaping the UrbanAIR project. Follow us, UrbanAIR on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

Part of this article was firstly published on https://atmosys.vito.be/en/urbanair and on UrbanAIR LinkedIn articles