Pollen report - from public service to commercial concepts

Abstract

Finnish Aerobiology Group was founded in 1971 in order to study basic aerobiological methods. Funding was granted by the Academy of Finland. is study resulted continuous Burkard trapping of pollen and spores in Turku, started in 1974. In 1976 two more sampling sites were established in Oulu (Northern Finland) and Kevo (the Northernmost Lapland), and broadcasting of the national pollen reports were started same year. e pollen information was distributed by publishing a weekly newsletter, e Finnish Pollen Bulletin for medical authorities, and by a weekly pollen report for public. e pollen reports were provided for free of charge, as public service, and broadcasted by Finland‘s national public service broadcasting company (YLE). A private news agency, STT, distributed the pollen reports to national newspapers. Funding continued as various research projects funded by Academy of Finland until 1980 when National Board of Health gave an annual allowance to the Finnish Aerobiology Group for aerobiological information service. At the same year the sampling network was extended with one more site by establishing a sampling site to Kuopio. In 1981 TV and Text-TV of YLE started to broadcast pollen reports weekly. However, the funding was inadequate for data covering the whole country. Additional funding was gathered by chargeable services by selling the pollen data and calendars for pharmaceutical companies. Also various sponsors have supported the Aerobiology Group from time to time. Since 1992 the group has extended Aerobiological studies into indoor air studies. Due to commonness of mould problems in Finnish buildings, this has become a remarkable factor in the economy of the group. More over, the group has funded pollen information by various research projects that need monitored pollen data. All this made it possible to increase the network up to 9 sites at present (Fig. 1). In 1995 the funding was changed, as Ministry of Education and Culture become in charge of it. Funding was granted for two aerobiology researcher posts for scienti c research. Pollen information for media was o ered still free of charge. e following year pollen and spore information was started to give over the Internet. At the late 1990’s budget cuts of the University made it unfeasible to continue to give pollen information for free to media. Pollen reports became subject to a charge. is caused some of the media to give up distributing the pollen reports, and the sale value of information service has never been high enough to cover its expenses. In year 2000 the nancial support was cut further; the group lost its another budget funded researcher post. e weekly Bulletin aimed to physicians become unpro table to publish, and after few years published only as a yearly summary, it was completely discontinued. Nowadays less than 20 members of media are publishing pollen reports in Finland. However, this portion covers the largest media companies in Finland, and the pollen reports are still distributed via national newspapers, television, radio and websites, and also in some local newspapers and radios. New information channels, as media service via digital signage players in pharmacies has also been developed. During the pollen season, the daily pollen situation is reported every weekday and ve-day pollen forecasts are made twice a week. Income from pollen information charges covers the costs of reporting service, but is not enough for the pollen monitoring and research activities. Funding for the sampling and analysis needs to be covered by other funding methods. erefore there is an ongoing demand for new funding methods to assure continuation and development of pollen information service.