Quintessa-online is an initiative designed to explore the benefits of making scientific modelling tools available on the internet. Online modelling can:

• enable large numbers of people to interact with scientific models,
• allow users to access models that are frequently updated with new data or algorithms,

Where online modelling can be very powerful is in presenting and demonstrating key principles that underlie more detailed mathematical models. For example, the key features of global climate change modelling could be demonstrated to interested parties with a simple model that allows them to consider the possible impacts of different levels of reduction from present-day CO2 levels.

Online modelling can also be very useful for other reasons. For example, there may be a need for a number of people in remote locations to have access to a single model that uses data that is frequently updated at a central location, e.g. environmental monitoring data or financial information. An online currency converter is an example of a very simple ’model’ that works on these principles.

Online modelling applications can be developed for a very wide range of problems, however there are some natural restrictions that result from a web-browser interface. For example, it is not really feasible to add large amounts of input data. This is time consuming, needs a complicated interface, and the casual user may not have the information to hand in any case.

Another challenge is the speed of execution of the model. Since the models must run on a webserver, every effort needs to be made to solve the models in as fast a time as possible. The best way of achieving this is to consider carefully the level of ambition for the model, and then to choose the most suitable mathematical solution methods for the problem.

A key feature in making scientific models available online is the speed of access to input data. Here there is a trade-off between the amount of processing (of input) that is assumed to be possible in the browser against the range of browsers that are supported. The online modelling examples have been designed to work with as wide a range of browsers as possible, which means that they are relatively slow, but could easily be speeded up for specific browsers.

If you’re interested in online modelling or would like to discuss ideas or give any feedback, please contact us.

Information and modelling tools are provided here for convenience and demonstration purposes only, as part of the service we offer on this website. However, Quintessa Ltd. cannot accept any liability for accuracy of the results and figures generated. Visitors who rely on this information do so at their own risk.