A web-based support system for estimating and visualizing the emissions of diesel transit buses

Diesel transit buses are heavy-duty vehicles that are major sources of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants. Although various models have been used to estimate their emissions, it has been difficult to effectively apply these estimation models due to the need for user-friendly interfaces, the large amounts of underlying data, and the potential data inaccuracy. In this paper, we present a web-based support system developed for transit operators who need to estimate and visualize the emissions of diesel transit buses where a micro-scale Vehicle Specific Power approach is used to estimate emissions based on global positioning system data. Case studies show that the web-based support system provides a user-friendly environment that makes it easier to apply emission estimation methodologies and visualize emissions.