Humankind's dependence on fossil fuels has resulted in environmental stresses and negative consequences at local, regional, and global levels. It is important for students to have an understanding of the processes involved in pollution transport, concentrations, and depletion. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project from Global Positions, LLC proposes an Internet-based software tool, the Internet-Based Geographical Pollution Prediction Simulator (IGPPS), that will allow students to investigate the spatial distribution and concentrations of air pollution, through dynamic simulation, modeling and visualization. The research will utilize an EPA-approved air dispersion model, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) coupled with the Internet to afford synergistic benefits, including a capacity to view complex pollution patterns and the provisions of a better understanding of the dynamics of air pollution, through dynamic exploration. This tool will provide an understanding of existing situations as well as provide mechanisms for predicting the outcome of future scenarios. Ecological factors are playing a greater role in planning and decision processes of communities and will continue to grow in significance. In this context, the proffered internet-based simulator of airborne pollution dispersion, which promises to be easy to use, inexpensive, and promote enhanced student learning of pollution modeling through virtual experimentation and visualization, represents a valuable contribution. It has the potential to be widely used in classrooms on many subjects, including geography, cartography, environmental studies, industrial and other fields of engineering, and city planning, and integrated into a number of different curricula.
