# AERQ--A Web-Based Decision Support Tool for Air Quality Assessment
## 3 Results
### The Job-on-Demand App  
The job-on-demand interface manages computing resources to submit jobs, overseeing all necessary geoprocessing phases for AERMOD and its applications. It streamlines data flow and storage, simplifying system complexity for users. Through this interface, users can access specific software and tools for calculations, simulations, or data analyses directly from their web browser, eliminating the need for local software installation. Users with appropriate privileges can design new simulation scenarios, specify parameters, and submit tasks for processing on remote high-performance computing (HPC) servers as needed. The interface facilitates the preparation, control, and configuration of input files for the AERMOD atmospheric dispersion modeling system. This includes details about pollution sources (e.g., factories, power plants, new roads, vehicle emissions), meteorological data, terrain characteristics, receptor locations (where pollutant concentrations are measured), and other settings. AERMOD's numerical applications require advanced and diverse technical skillsand significant computational resources for running the model (e.g., image processing and scenarios preparation). AERQ hides this complexity from the user who is challenged only to the design of significant scenarios of interest and not in data I/O management. The AERQ job-on-demand interface enhances the efficiency and usability of the AERMOD model for air quality analysts, engineers, and environmental scientists by minimizing manual input and providing streamlined access to necessary datasets and configurations (Figure 4). This ultimately improves accuracy in air quality modeling projects. The job-on-demand interface offers a comprehensive and flexible system for environmental modeling, allowing users to simulate and study pollution dynamics through various customizable features:  
Pollutant Selection: Users can select specific pollutants for analysis, including CO2, SO2, NO2, PM (particulate matter), CO, SO2, and NMHC. This flexibility enables targeted simulations and analysis based on specific environmental concerns or regulatory needs. Dynamic Road Emission Control: Roads can be activated or deactivated as emission sources directly from the web-GIS map by simply clicking on them. When deactivated, roads do not contribute to emissions, simulating scenarios such as road closures for maintenance, construction, or traffic restrictions. This function allows for the precise simulation of changes in traffic patterns and their impact on air quality. Vehicle Volume Adjustment: Users can adjust the total number of circulating vehicles across the city or on specific roads, allowing simulations of varying traffic densities during events like national celebrations, concerts, or sports matches. Vehicle Type Distribution: The interface enables changes in the composition of vehicle fleets by adjusting the percentage of vehicles in each emission standard category (Euro 0, Euro 1, Euro 2, etc.). These adjustments can be made for both working days and holidays, capturing different emission profiles based on vehicle age and efficiency standards. Additional Pollution Sources: New pollution sources can be introduced to model exceptional events, such as fires, industrial releases, or port activities like ship arrivals. The  
Figure 4: The job-on-demand interface facilitates the design and execution of scenarios of interest. In the figure, the user can control the number of vehicles (Parco auto), distinguishing between short vehicles (leggeri) such as passenger cars, and motorcycles and long vehicles (pesanti) such as trucks, and buses for both working days (Feriali) and holidays (Festivi). Emission loads are then calculated by combining this traffic scenario with the calibrated emission coefficients for the selected parameters (Parametri). Once completed, the scenarios appear in the catalog.