This process for running AERMOD models through the BeestXpress website has four steps:
1. Create an input file.
2. Upload the file to the BeestXpress website.
3. Wait for the job to complete and download the output file.
4. Import the output files into BEEST.
Before this can be done, you will need to create an account on the website.
Registration
You need to register only once before you can run AERMOD through the BeestXpress website. To register, click the Register link at the top of any page. Enter your information and click Register to create an account.
Create input file
Working within BEEST, enter all the information the model needs to run. Then, instead of clicking the “Run AERMOD” button, go to the Receptor Options screen. You have the option of speeding up AERMOD runtime by dividing the modeling run into several pieces. To use this option, click “Partition Receptors” under “Xpress Partition Receptors Option” and enter the number of partitions you want to split the model into. Then, click the “Connect to BEEST Xpress” button.
A form with several buttons will appear. Click the first button, then select the pollutants and years of meteorological data to model and click the “Include Downwash” or “No Downwash” button, as appropriate. After that, click the “Write Xpress File” to create a single ZIP file that will be uploaded to the website.
Upload input file
Next, click the “Submit Job to BeestXpress” button. You will be taken to the BeestXpress website. Log in with the username and password you provided during registration. You will be taken to the job submission page.
The first step on the job submission page is to upload the input file to the server. Browse to the location of your input file, then click the “Upload” button. When the file is uploaded, click the Next button.
The second step is to select which jobs to run. A job is a combination of pollutants and the years to model. Not all jobs have to be run; some can be run later by selecting a previously uploaded input file. As you select and deselect jobs, the total cost will be updated.
Click the Next button to reach the confirmation page. At this point, your job has been successfully uploaded to BeestXpress.
Track job progress
At this point, you can either close the browser or go to the Job Status page. This page lists the jobs you have run within the last two weeks and their status. If you close the browser, you can return to this page by clicking the “Check Job Status” button within BEEST and logging in again. Click the job name to see detailed information for that job. If AERMOD is running, you will see its progress on this page.
Download output file
When the job has ended, you will receive a message with a link to download the output ZIP file. The message will be sent to the email address provided during registration. Click the link within the message to go to the status page again. Download the output file and save it to a folder on your computer.
Import output into BEEST
Open BEEST again. Click the “Connect to BeestXpress” button again, and click the “Import Output Files” button. Select the output file that you downloaded and click OK. After this, you will be able to view the results of the model run in BEEST.