2015-09-02 Tools Workgroup
Date: September 2, 2015
Time: 1-3pm MDT
Call in: 1-800-768-2983 and access code 4918837
IWDW Visualization Tools Workgroup
Agenda
Minutes
Attendees:
Kevin Briggs, Ken Rairigh, Chris Pennell, Rebecca Matichuk, Ryan McCammon, Mary Uhl, Jeff Sorkin, Gail Tonnesen, Ralph Morris, Leonard Herr, Mike Barna, Craig Nichols, John Vimont, Tom Moore, Shawn McClure, Dustin Schmidt, Rodger Ames (others?)
Overview
This was the kick-off meeting with the IWDW Team and interested members of the WAQS Tech. Committee to engage Project Cooperators in IWDW visualization tool development and deployment. The call included a webinar with demos of five IWDW online visualization tools that display, and provide MPE functionality for, the modeling platforms supported by the IWDW. Desired outcomes from the meeting were to obtain feedback on the tools, and to solicit volunteers from the Tech. Committee for a visualization tool workgroup.Rodger Ames introduced the group and presented an outline for the call. A timeline for IWDW tool development showed progress made on IWDW tools starting in 2014 (largely tools adopted from previous projects), tools that have been deployed or are currently under development, and anticipated milestones through the end of the current IWDW contract (mid-2016). A smaller workgroup was proposed to work with the IWDW development team on visualization tools. Rodger showed a template for Cooperator feedback, and then presented the first two demos.
Demos:
Image Browser:
Purpose: Provides access to pre-generated model performance evaluation plots. Users can view a wide variety of scatter plots, soccer plots, bar charts, and maps demonstrating model performance for WAQS modeling platforms and modeling scenarios.
The demo showed examples of sensitivity analysis results for various model configurations, including met. (e.g. 2011b winter WRF), and PGM (MOVES 2014 sensitivities, GCBCs, NOx adjustments) configurations.
An index of the available images for the 2011 platform illustrated the current organizational structure of the plots included in the tool, and provides a means to search the image archive. For example searching by obs. network generates the following statistics for number of images for each netowrk: CASTNET (1663); CSN (670); AQS (2549); AMON (99); NADP (792); IMPROVE (3329); UGWOS (126); CDPHE (60); WYDEQ (186), and images by State: CO (5811); UT (3697); WY (3590); NM (138).
Other examples for emissions (e.g. O&G vs non-O&G source regions), model sensitivity (e.g. MOVES NOx sensitivity), Model-to-obs and model-to-model comparisons were included in the demo.
Quick fixes: Could easily reorganize plot file structure to allow tool to display different selection box hierarchies and/or plot groupings.
Development: The group suggested including O3 spatial plots from Gail's MPE of the 2011a platform, and images generated from external modeling studies slated for inclusion in the IWDW, such as Leonard Herr's ARMS project.
Bugs: none
Emissions Review tool:
Purpose: View charts and graphs of annual emissions totals by State, County, and SCC from WAQS modeling platforms and modeling scenarios. Charts are generated dynamically from the IWDW database. Emissions at the SCC level are displayed in tabular format.
Demo: The 2011a base modeling case was the starting point to show differences in chemical species categories for VOC, NOx, and CO emissions. Looking at Weld CO, Colorado, VOCs are dominated by O&G source categories, however adding NOx and CO to the charts demonstrates how these chemical species introduce non-O&G emissions sources (specifically MOVES onroad mobile). The tool was then switched to the 2008b base case, to illustrate how the tool maintains its previous settings when switched to a different modeling platform; useful for seeing changes in specific emissions across modeling platforms.
Quick fixes: consistent color themes for source categories; include source category metadata; some revisions needed for parameter and source category tables, sortable SCC table.
Development: Allow simultaneous display across multiple modeling platforms/scenarios.
Bugs: Multiple modeling platforms can be selected at once in the scenario pane, causing a error.
Geospatial tools:
Purpose: Provides geospatial display capabilities for emissions datasets and modeling output for WAQS modeling platforms. The tools allow users to overlay relevant geospatial layers with emissions and PGM output. The tools also provide map interfaces that provide a means to browse emissions data by geographic entities.
Demo: Dustin demoed two versions of geospatial tools, one based on ESRI's ArcGIS Online platform that allowed mining of emissions datasets (eg. linking county FIPS codes in "stock" spatial layers to codes in the IWDW emissions database) in the IWDW using a GIS deployment on ESRI servers. This allows for fairly rapid development of geospatial selection tool for mining data and metadata in the IWDW. The second tool displayed geospatial layers created from WAQS PGM output; the demo showing animations of the layer one O3 output for 2008b, overlaid with monitoring sites where the site icons are color coded to match the obs. value. This tool was appealing to the group for it potential value in MPE, however the benefit of continued development would need to be weighed against the potentially large development effort.
We noted to the group that these are prototype tools, and any future development would be discussed in future meetings with the tool development workgroup. Nonetheless, Mike B. suggested adding met fields (e.g. the ability to see precip. in upwind fields) would be a useful addition.
Quick fixes: n/a Development: n/a Bugs: n/a
Source Apportionment tool:
Purpose: View charts of source category-specific contributions to Daily Maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations at monitoring sites in the WAQS 4km Detailed Source Apportionment Domain (DSAD).
Demo: Ralph walked the group through an example using locations in Jefferson County, Colorado, showing the 2nd highest modeled O3 day in 2008. The tool allows users to choose between a "region" view (showing State and BC contributions) and a "source" view (showing contributions from major source categories). There is an option to invert the display by expanding the regions (which shows major source categories in each region) or expand the source categories (which shows the regions in each category) A lower pie chart remains fixed showing the source breakdown by all regions. A second location in Maricopa County, AZ was demonstrated as well.
Quick fixes: none
Development: incorporate 2011 SA results; add metrics such as W126; Ken R. suggested adding the ability to discern lateral from aloft BCs (Ralph responded that this would require an alternative model configuration, and require finding a way to display the results); Mike B. suggested overlaying CIAs with 36km grid proposed for future tool deployment; ability to select SA locations via map interface.
Bugs: none
Query Wizard:
Purpose: Provides a variety of interactive tools and applications to visualize, explore, filter, and download raw and aggregated observational air quality and meteorological data and relevant metadata from the integrated database in customizable formats.
Demo: Shawn gave a demo of the query wizard; the primary interface for obtaining observational data and metadata from the IWDW. The steps required to download data, create charts, and view reports currently built into the tool were demonstrated.
Quick fixes: none
Development: Add WAQS special studies (UGWOS, CDPHE, WYDEQ); consider reports of interest to Cooperators (e.g. 03 design values, etc.)
Bugs: none
Summary:
The group agreed with the idea of creating a smaller workgroup to discuss IWDW visualization tool development and deployment. Rebecca M., Mike B., and Kevin B. agreed to participate in the workgroup.
Action Items
- Rodger will organize a future call with the tool breakout workgroup for mid. Oct.
- IWDW group will set up a tool development wiki on the IWDW website