Task 4.3: New developments in estimation of radon priority areas

The aim of this task is to review and to propose new technical developments related to the RPA estimation, including the development of a methodology for a harmonised “Rn hazard index” (RHI) as a tool to visualise radon priority areas, and to address uncertainty budgets and classification errors which emerge in this context.
RPAs, however defined, are objects that can be interpreted as highly aggregated quantities, which renders uncertainty budgets complicated. As estimated from data and based on models, the uncertainty budgets can be considered “random objects” (an object whose properties are defined only in probabilistic terms, in this case the geometry of RPA, i.e. area, shape, border, topology) that are subject to different types of uncertainty that propagate into the target quantity from its constituents. Experience has shown that establishing uncertainty budgets for (in this case spatially) aggregated Rn related quantities is challenging.
RPAs are sometimes estimated differently in different countries or regions which can lead to inconsistency across borders. This can have a significant impact on the credibility of the prediction of radon hazard areas and renders the data incomparable, which will be subject of Task 4.4. However, in this task, a major innovation will be the development of a methodology for a harmonised “Rn hazard index” (RHI). The concept of the RHI is to provide a universally applicable tool to quantify the susceptibility of an area to geogenic Rn and hence to quantify the “Rn prone-ness”, independent of available datasets, and applicable irrespective borders, e.g. throughout Europe. The RHI could serve, to an extent (depending on political constraints – see Task 4.1. for stakeholder interests), to tackle the problem of inconsistency at a European level.