A Computational Approach Based on GIS Technology for the Development of an Anthropogenic Emission Inventory of Gaseous Pollutants in Greece Konstantinos Markakis & Anastasia Poupkou & Dimitrios Melas & Paraskevi Tzoumaka & Maksinos Petrakakis Received: 29 October 2008 / Accepted: 4 June 2009 / Published online: 27 June 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009 Abstract This paper describes a computational system developed for the compilation of an anthropogenic emission inventory of gaseous pollutants for Greece. The inventory was developed using a geographical information system integrated with SQL programming language to provide high temporal gridded emission fields for CO, NO 2 , NO, SO 2 , NH 3 and 23 non- methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) species for the reference year 2003. Activity and statistical data from national sources were used for the quantification of emissions from the road transport, the other mobile sources and machinery sectors and from range activities using top-down or bottom-up methodologies. Annual emission data from existing national and European emission databases were also used. The emission data were spatially and temporally disaggregated using source-specific spatiotemporal indicators. On national scale, the road transport sector produces about 60% of the annual CO and NMVOC total emissions, with gasoline vehicles being the main CO and NMVOC emissions source. The road transport is responsible for approximately half of the higher alkanes and for more than half of the ethene and toluene emissions. The maritime sector accounts for about 40% of the annual total NO x emissions, most of which are emitted by the international shipping subsector, whilst SO 2 is emitted mainly by the energy sector. The evaluation of the emissions inventory suggests that it provides a good representation of the amounts of gaseous pollutants emitted on national scale and a good characterisation of the relative composition of CO and NO x emission in the large urban centres. Keywords Emission inventories . Temporal and spatial disaggregation . GIS . Greece . Evaluation . CO/NO x ratios 1 Introduction Emission inventories are a vital component in our growing effort to understand the impact of human activity on air quality, particularly in the large urban areas. Spatially and temporarily resolved emission data provide a convenient means of accounting for the important emission sources in a geographical area and develop or test the applicability of mitigation strategies. They are also important input data to chemical transport models (CTMs) that simulate the atmospheric processes Water Air Soil Pollut (2010) 207:157–180 DOI 10.1007/s11270-009-0126-5 K. Markakis (*) : A. Poupkou : D. Melas Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 149, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece e-mail: kmarkak@auth.gr P. Tzoumaka : M. Petrakakis Environmental Department, Municipality of Thessaloniki, Paparigopoulou 7, Thessaloniki 54630, Greece