The prioritization of air quality measures to prevent atmospheric episodes, was part of an investigation supported by the Colombian Polytechnic Jaime Isaza Cadavid and the Environmental Authority Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley - AMVA, a collective and systematic work between nine (9) experts on the subject. The methodology started from the analysis of 22 priority measures for the reduction of emissions, included in the Air Quality Management Plan -PIGECA-. Applying technical criteria associated with the concept of episode and the critical pollutant PM2.5, nine (9) measures were selected, which were the basic input for the experts work. This workshop, combined with the Delphi structuring technique was focused on achieving a consensus among the experts, who highlighted the convergence of opinions on the valuation of a set of attributes for each measure, without generating group discussion and achieving the unification or sum of responses, as a collective activity. Relevance, receptivity, ease of implementation, costs, synergy, dependence, collateral benefits, timeframe for impact manifestation and effects of each of the measures, were the attributes evaluated by this work of experts.

The priority measures to prevent atmospheric episodes were: the expansion, strengthening, promotion and modernization of public transport; the policies to reduce the impact of freight transport and dump trucks and, the promotion of bicycle use articulated to the public transport system. The indicators of this set of measures for the prevention of episodes have been monitored, in order to determine their impact on the prevention of critical episodes and the institutional decision-making.