Simple Interactive Models for better Air quality (SIM-air)
The Simple Interactive Models for better Air quality (SIM-air) family of tools are designed to collate the necessary information, to estimate key parameters (e.g. emissions from various sources) and to simulate the interactions between emissions, pollution dispersion, impacts, and management options in an environmental and economic context.
Air pollution is a growing problem for most cities in the world and this is more serious for cities in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. In response to the deteriorating urban health and growing civic demand, scientists and policy makers have recognized the need for an integrated air quality management, for better urban planning and clean air.
A majority of the existing tools for integrated assessment are complex and data-intensive. There is a need to develop an organized knowledge base to feed into a robust decision support tool that takes into account the various institutional and technical challenges in developing countries.
The SIM-air family of tools are developed with one objective – make use of the best available information with the academic, government, and non-governmental bodies, in order to support integrated air quality management.
The following tools are part of the SIM-air suite:
- Vehicular Air Pollution Information System (VAPIS), a vehicular emissions calculator to estimate and compare emissions inventories;
- Smart Carbon Analysis of Road Transport (Smart-CART), a simple calculator for carbon analysis along a road corridor;
- Air Quality Index (AQI) Calculator, a simplified calculator designed to use monitoring data to estimate real time or forecasted AQI;
- Atmospheric Transport Modeling System (ATMoS) Dispersion Model, a model that generates transfer matrices for multiple source and multiple pollutant types; and
- V-Dust, a simple calculator for fugitive dust emissions attributable to vehicles.
Key questions addressed:
- How much pollution is coming from each source?
- What are the economic and health impacts of that pollution?
- What can we do to reduce that pollution?
Sample data inputs:
- City parameters
- Fuel characteristics
- Vehicle statistics
- On road statistics
- Industrial fuel usage
- Residential fuel usage
- Open garbage burning
Sample quantitative outputs:
- Emissions data
- Health impacts
- Cost of impacts
- Management option costs and benefits
Manuals for the Sim-air tools are available online.