Designed to provide immediate access to all runs for a facility or project or multiple facilities and projects.

Within each run provides immediate access to all model data and control specifications

The UI keeps track of all model data and the resulting input and output files for all runs ensuring accuracy in preparing and executing model runs

Facility data can be entered directly into edit forms or graphically laying out the facility buildings and emission points positioned on Google Earth

Facility data layout (emission point locations, buildings, fence line) can be extracted from Google Earth Mark Up and entered directly into the model database under user control

Data is entered once and is then available for any future runs that require the same data

The UI can also import a validated AERMOD input file created in rapidAER or other software

Model data repository

A Data Repository is provided to maintain permanent data for each facility as well as emission data which can be imported to new runs

Constantly updated data status summary which validates data against the requirements of the particular model version

This ensures that once an input file is produced it will be acceptable to the AERMOD verification step

Modelling dashboard provides single screen access to all operations that need to be carried out in processing a model run and reviewing the results

The Dashboard includes a directory view of model files and preview of user selected files, as well as menus for the various operations required such as verifying the input files, initiating model runs, monitoring the status of the runs, and model output operations

Integration with Google Earth and Surfer

Google Earth is used to map out a facility for import into rapidAER as well as display output results. It is used to produce a facility map (as the model would see it) and perform the contouring (using AERPLOT) and reporting preparation.

rapidAER provides tight integration with the Surfer program if available to permit customization of plotting.

Three options provided for running AERMOD

SINGLE - Run the EPA executable for the preferred version

MC (Multi-Chemical) - Supply emission rates for any number of chemicals and submit in batch mode for simultaneous execution on up to 7 CPU

MULTI - Run AERMOD and store intermediate results for subsequent post-processing for multiple scenarios

For small one-of model runs the SINGLE processing option is generally sufficient.

If you have to run many chemicals you can supply emission information for each chemical for all relevant sources and rapidAER will create the input files and run them in batch model simultaneously on up to 7 CPU

The MULTI processing option is designed to handle large model runs and runs that will require re-runs whether for multiple chemicals or scenarios or to test modifications to source scenarios or the source physical data.

A MULTI run only requires the specification of the emission rate for each of the sources. This can be entered directly or imported in various ways.

The MULTI approach permits performing the run on up to 16 processors thus greatly reducing execution time

A large model run which would normally take 60 hours to run can be completed in 4 hours.

Modifications to one or more sources can be done without rerunning the complete set of sources, thus reducing re-run times to minutes.

The MULTI approach also runs the post-processor on up to 8 processors and performs simultaneous calculations on a hundred or more scenarios

In the above scenario it would take up to 2 hours to do 100 scenario runs of the model. Thus in 6 hours rapidAER can perform 100 runs which take up to 60 hours each to run using the EPA executable.

The MULTI post-processor can be run to produce the AERMOD standard output file in addition to the ranked maxima and detailed source apportionment

If the user requires the standard output for a run in addition to the MULTI detailed output, this can be produced within minutes by running AERMOD from the intermediate data.

The results of the rapidAER run with post-processor are identical to the EPA SINGLE mode run since there is no parallel or simplified calculation used.

Output from a MULTI run includes ranked lists of maximum values (maximum per period over the grid as well as per receptor) with detailed source attribution as well as frequency of exceedence of multiple thresholds

The output from a MULTI run includes a large number of data summaries which allow the user to extract the relevant statistic to match the regulation of choice.

The detailed source attribution for each of the statistics gives the user the data to understand how each source contributes to the maximum values.

MULTI allows for interactive modelling for specified receptor (including interpolation) and period, including time series and frequency analysis

Interactive modelling allows the user to request concentration or frequency of exceedence for selected or all receptors for specified periods.

This includes time series for any location for any period up to the total length of met input, as well as exceedence frequency of specified threshold and percentiles of the threshold.

It is called an Interactive run because it does not require preparation of AERMOD input files and because it takes seconds to execute even for very large model cases.

MULTI also allows interactive modification of scenario emissions without creating new scenario runs

The interactive run uses the emissions specified for the selected scenario run. For what-if analysis the user is also given the option to make modifications to the source emission input to rerun the interactive run without the need to create a new scenario run.

Integrated BPIP, Aermet, Aermap, Aerplot, Screen3

For example BPIP input is created on request on the Building input form and the BPIP model is run in background to produce the output file. The input file creation process then retrieves the needed information to enter into the input file.

Similarly the Aermap process uses the receptor, emission point and building information to extract elevation data and automatically enters the elevations into the database.

Integrated import facility for EIS data with user specified source mapping

Emission data for source scenario specification can be imported directly from an Emission Inventory System or read from a csv file of EIS derived data.

To accommodate the difference in model source characterization from EIS characterization, the user can prepare a mapping between the two which is then used to import and distribute the emission information to the model sources.

To accommodate different user requirements, there are two versions of rapidAER

rapidAER GUI – basic version of rapidAER which provides the User Interface and allows running the AERMOD executable

Uses the embedded database for simplified installation and zero database management

rapidAER – includes the MULTI capabilities to handle larger runs more quickly as well as the enhanced analysis facilities.Uses up to 8 processors to speed up model and scenario runs.

Uses the embedded database for simplified installation and zero database management