Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator 

(MOVES) 

User Guide for MOVES2010b 
Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator 


(MOVES) 


User Guide for MOVES2010b
 

Assessment and Standards Division 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

EPA-420-B-12-001b 

June 2012 
 

 

June 2012 MOVES2010b User Guide
	

Table of Contents
 Page 

Preface ______________________________________________________________________ i
 

1.0. Getting Started with MOVES ________________________________________________ 1
 

1.1 About MOVES _____________________________________________________________ 1
 

1.2 MOVES Documentation _____________________________________________________ 2
 

1.2.1 About this Manual__________________________________________________________________ 2
 

1.2.2 Other Documentation and Online Help _________________________________________________ 2
 

1.2.3 What’s next? Working with MOVES ____________________________________________________ 3
 

1.3 Installation _______________________________________________________________ 4
 

1.3.1 System Requirements _______________________________________________________________ 4
 

1.3.2 Starting and Testing Your Installation___________________________________________________ 5
 

1.4 Executing Example Run Specification __________________________________________ 5
 

1.4.1 Step-by-Step Example Run ___________________________________________________________ 6
 

1.4.2 MOVES Execution Database __________________________________________________________ 6
 

1.4.3 MOVES Output Structure ____________________________________________________________ 7
 

2.0 Using MOVES ____________________________________________________________ 10
 

2.1 Overview of MOVES User Interface___________________________________________ 11
 

2.2 Navigation Panel _________________________________________________________ 13
 

2.2.1 Description_______________________________________________________________________ 14
 

2.2.2 Scale ____________________________________________________________________________ 15
 

2.2.2.1 Domain/Scale ___________________________________________________________________ 15
 

2.2.2.2 Calculation Type _________________________________________________________________ 17
 

2.2.3 Time Spans_______________________________________________________________________ 18
 

2.2.3.1 Time Aggregation Level ___________________________________________________________ 19
 

2.2.3.2 Years __________________________________________________________________________ 19
 

2.2.3.3 Months ________________________________________________________________________ 20
 

2.2.3.4 Days___________________________________________________________________________ 20
 

2.2.3.5 Hours__________________________________________________________________________ 20
 

2.2.4 Geographic Bounds ________________________________________________________________ 20
 

2.2.5 Vehicles/Equipment _______________________________________________________________ 27
 

2.2.6 Road Type _______________________________________________________________________ 30
 

2.2.7 Pollutants and Processes____________________________________________________________ 31
 

2.2.7.1 Processes ______________________________________________________________________ 36
 

2.2.7.2 Pollutants ______________________________________________________________________ 36
 

2.2.8 Manage Input Data Sets ____________________________________________________________ 42
 

2.2.9 Creating and Using Internal Control Strategies __________________________________________ 43
 

2.2.9.1 Adding Strategy Files _____________________________________________________________ 44
 

2.2.9.2 Deleting Strategy Files ____________________________________________________________ 44
 

2.2.9.3 Exporting Strategy Files ___________________________________________________________ 45
 

2.2.9.4 Naming Strategy Files_____________________________________________________________ 45
 

2.2.9.5 Saving and Transferring Strategy Files________________________________________________ 45
 

2.2.9.6 AVFT Strategy Conversion _________________________________________________________ 45
 

2.2.9.7 Managing On-Road Vehicle Retrofit Data _____________________________________________ 46
 

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2.2.9.8 Importing Retrofit Data ___________________________________________________________ 47
 

2.2.9.9 Rate of Progress Calculation _______________________________________________________ 48
 

2.2.10 Output _________________________________________________________________________ 49
 

2.2.10.1 Specifying Database, Time Period, and Units in Output _________________________________ 49
 

2.2.10.1.1 Output Database ______________________________________________________________ 49
 

2.2.10.1.2 Units________________________________________________________________________ 50
 

2.2.10.1.3 Activity ______________________________________________________________________ 50
 

2.2.10.2 Specifying Emission Distinctions in Output ___________________________________________ 51
 

2.2.10.2.1 Always ______________________________________________________________________ 52
 

2.2.10.2.2 For All Vehicle/Equipment Categories _____________________________________________ 53
 

2.2.10.2.3 On-Road/Off Road_____________________________________________________________ 53
 

2.2.10.2.4 Estimate Uncertainty __________________________________________________________ 54
 

2.2.11 Advanced Performance Features ____________________________________________________ 54
 

2.3 Main Menu Bar___________________________________________________________ 55
 

2.3.1 File _____________________________________________________________________________ 56
 

2.3.2 Edit _____________________________________________________________________________ 56
 

2.3.3 Pre Processing ____________________________________________________________________ 56
 

2.3.3.1 Database _______________________________________________________________________ 58
 

2.3.3.2 RunSpec Summary _______________________________________________________________ 59
 

2.3.3.3 Tools __________________________________________________________________________ 60
 

2.3.3.4 Data Managers (Importers) ________________________________________________________ 62
 

2.3.3.4.1 Meteorology Data Importer ______________________________________________________ 68
 

2.3.3.4.2 Source Type Population Importer _________________________________________________ 68
 

2.3.3.4.3 Age Distribution Importer________________________________________________________ 69
 

2.3.3.4.4 Vehicle Type VMT and VMT Fractions ______________________________________________ 69
 

2.3.3.4.5 Average Speed Distribution Importer ______________________________________________ 71
 

2.3.3.4.6 Road Type Distribution Importer __________________________________________________ 72
 

2.3.3.4.7 Ramp Fraction Importer _________________________________________________________ 73
 

2.3.3.4.8 Fuel _________________________________________________________________________ 74
 

2.3.3.4.9 Fueltype and Technologies _______________________________________________________ 76
 

2.3.3.4.10 Zone Importer ________________________________________________________________ 77
 

2.3.3.4.10.1 Zone Table _________________________________________________________________ 77
 

2.3.3.4.10.2 ZoneRoadType Table _________________________________________________________ 78
 

2.3.3.4.10.3 SCCRoadTypeDistribution Table ________________________________________________ 78
 

2.3.3.4.11 Links Importer ________________________________________________________________ 78
 

2.3.3.4.12 Link Source Types Importer _____________________________________________________ 79
 

2.3.3.4.13 Operating Mode Distribution Importer ____________________________________________ 80
 

2.3.3.4.14 Link Drive Schedules Importer ___________________________________________________ 80
 

2.3.3.4.15 Off-Network Importer__________________________________________________________ 80
 

2.3.3.4.16 I/M Programs Importer_________________________________________________________ 81
 

2.3.4 Action___________________________________________________________________________ 83
 

2.3.5 Post Processing ___________________________________________________________________ 84
 

2.3.5.1 Run MySQL Script on Output Database_______________________________________________ 84
 

2.3.5.2 Produce Summary Report _________________________________________________________ 86
 

2.3.5.3 Produce State/County Map ________________________________________________________ 90
 

2.3.6 Tools____________________________________________________________________________ 92
 

2.3.6.1 Multiple RunSpec Creator _________________________________________________________ 93
 

2.3.6.2 Process DONE Files_______________________________________________________________ 97
 

2.3.6.3 Database Converter ______________________________________________________________ 97
 

2.3.7 Settings _________________________________________________________________________ 99
 

2.3.7.1 Configure MOVES _______________________________________________________________ 100
 

2.3.8 Help ___________________________________________________________________________ 101
 

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Appendix A - Using MOVES to Generate Lookup Tables______________________________A-1
 

Appendix B – Working with the MySQL Data ______________________________________ B-1
 

Appendix B1 - Linking To MySQL Tables from MS OFFICE 2007 _________________________________ B-1
 

Appendix B2 – Guide To Linking To MySQL from MS Office 2003 ______________________________ B-18
 

Appendix C - Running MOVES from the Command Line ______________________________ C-1
 

Appendix D - Creating an On-Road Retrofit Input File _______________________________D-1
 

Appendix E - Best Practices ____________________________________________________ E-1
 

Appendix F – Stage II Refueling Control Programs __________________________________ F-1
 

Appendix G - MOVES Project Level Example _______________________________________G-1
 

Appendix H - County Data Manager Example _____________________________________H-1
 

Appendix I – MOVES Decoder __________________________________________________ I-1
 

Appendix J – Configuring MOVES _______________________________________________ J-1
 

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Preface 

MOVES2010b, released in June 2012, and MOVES2010a, released in August 2010, are 

minor updates to MOVES2010, EPA’s state-of-the-art tool for estimating emissions from 

highway vehicles. EPA released MOVES2010a to allow MOVES users to easily account for 

emissions under new car and light truck energy and greenhouse gas standards and to benefit from 

several improvements to MOVES general performance. 

MOVES2010a incorporated new car and light truck greenhouse gas emissions standards 

affecting model years 2012-and-later (published May 7, 20101) and updated effects of corporate 

average fuel economy standards affecting model years 2008-2011.2 MOVES2010a included 

reductions in greenhouse gases associated with those standards in future calendar years, and 

small reductions in refueling and sulfur-related emissions associated with the reductions in 

vehicle fuel consumption. 

MOVES2010a also included a number of other improvements. Major changes are listed 

in the table below. The net impact of these changes on criteria pollutant emissions was small. 

Compared to MOVES2010 (released in December 2009), most regional inventory runs should 

see an increase in methane emissions and a small decrease in the associated Volatile Organic 

Compound (VOC) and air toxics emissions. However, comparisons for runs that focus on a 

particular project or sourcetype may vary. 

Instructions for downloading and installing MOVES2010b are available on the MOVES 

web page http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/. Note that users will find that RunSpecs and 

input databases developed with MOVES2010 and/or MOVES2010a may need modification to 

run with MOVES2010b. Regenerate fuelFormulation input strategy files. Output databases will 

need to be recreated with a new name since several new tables have been added. You should 

always specify which version of MOVES was used to create emissions results. 

MOVES2010b is faster and works better on networks. It is about 10% faster for county 

inventory runs. Additional debugging features and improvements in error recovery during 

network faults have been made which make networked operation more efficient. MOVES2010b 

also allows up to 8 worker processes on an individual computer. Actual benchmark tests have 

shown that 2 - 4 workers result in significantly improved run times. 

Improvements to the data managers make MOVES2010b easier to use. Additional error 

checks have been added to the County Data Manager (CDM) and the Project Data Manager 

(PDM) to help prevent run failures due to conflicts between RunSpec parameters and user data. 

Also, the Alternative Vehicle and Fuel Technologies (AVFT) input has been moved from the 

Strategies panel to CDM and PDM. This makes data entry consistent with other user inputs and 

takes advantage of the CDM and PDM error checks. 

1 http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0472-11424 2 http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2006-24309-0007 and 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=NHTSA-2009-0062-0001 

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Custom domain improvements may reduce the number of runs needed and increase 

functionality. The Custom domain option now allows users to define separate zones, with 

separate Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and some other activity inputs for each zone. Users can 

also setup a multi-county custom code domain with individual counties defined as separate 

zones. MOVES2010b output will give emission results separately for each zone. In previous 

versions of MOVES, users could not specify different activities in difference parts of a custom 

domain or get separate results for different parts of a custom domain. In addition, SCC output 

option is now fully functional in custom domain runs. 

MOVES2010b has added functionality to the emission rates option to make it easier to 

use. Refueling emissions have been added to the RatePerDistance and the RatePerVehicle 

tables. In previous versions of MOVES, refueling emissions could only be calculated using 

inventory mode. The calculation of extended idle emissions in SCC output has been improved. 

And, the RunSpec options that are not applicable for emissions rates calculations are now 

grayed-out in the GUI. 

More detailed pollutant output has been added. This will improve the use of MOVES 

results in air quality modeling. Also, Naphthalene now splits into two parts: gaseous and 

particulate fractions to improve output to air quality modeling. 

In MOVES2010b, Air Toxics emissions calculations have been improved. Note that 

minor changes to standard air toxics coefficients may result in small changes to air toxics 

emissions. 

MOVES2010b has been updated to use newer versions of Java (version 1.7.0) and 

MySQL (version 5.5.12). The MOVES2010b Installation Suite installs the correct versions of 

Java and MySQL, the MOVES2010b code and a new default MOVES database. Some changes 

to MOVES and the MOVES default database will make existing RunSpecs and user input to the 

CDM and PDM databases created in previous versions of MOVES incompatible with 

MOVES2010b. Converters have been created to convert those RunSpecs and databases to 

MOVES2010b format. 

In MOVES2010b, new fields, T50 and T90, which provide more detailed measures of 

fuel volatility, have been added to the default fuel formulation tables. These fields allow for 

more detailed modeling of specific fuel effects for users who need this capability. However, 

most users will not need to change field specifications in MOVES, but existing user input 

databases created with previous versions of MOVES will still need to be converted. 

MOVES2010b also includes some other minor model improvements. New counties in 

Alaska and Colorado created after 2000 have been added to the list of available counties. 

However, no default data is available for these counties and they are not included in national 

scale runs. Also, additional warning messages have been added to guide users. The I/M 

importer was removed from preprocessor menu options and is now only accessible from the 

CDM and PDM. Fixes to minor errors in certain national scale runs have also been made. 

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1.0. Getting Started with MOVES 

MOVES is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Motor Vehicle Emission 

Simulator. It helps the user to answer "what if" questions, such as "How would particulate 

matter emissions decrease in my state on a typical weekday if truck travel was reduced during 

rush hour?" or "How does the total hydrocarbon emission rate change if my fleet switches to 

gasoline from diesel fuel?" The purpose of the tool is to provide an accurate estimate of 

emissions from mobile sources under a wide range of user-defined conditions. 

In the modeling process, the user specifies vehicle types, time periods, geographical 

areas, pollutants, vehicle operating characteristics, and road types to be modeled. The model 

then performs a series of calculations, which have been carefully developed to accurately reflect 

vehicle operating processes, such as cold start or extended idle, and provide estimates of bulk 

emissions or emission rates. Specifying the characteristics of the particular scenario to be 

modeled is done by creating a Run Specification, or RunSpec. 

The MOVES model is different from previous EPA mobile source emissions models in 

that it was deliberately designed to work with databases. With this design, new data that may 

become available can be more easily incorporated into the model. In addition, MOVES allows 

and facilitates the import of data specific to a user's unique needs. 

The MOVES model includes a “default” database that summarizes emission relevant 

information for the entire United States. The data for this database comes from many sources 

including EPA research studies, Census Bureau vehicle surveys, Federal Highway 

Administration travel data, and other federal, state, local, industry and academic sources. The 

MOVES team continually works to improve this database, but, for many uses, up-to-date local 

inputs will be more appropriate, especially for analyses supporting State Implementation Plans 

(SIPs) and conformity determinations. 

1.1 About MOVES 

MOVES2010b is the latest version of the MOVES emissions modeling tool. 

MOVES2010b builds on the functionality of previous MOVES versions: MOVES2004, 

MOVESDemo, DraftMOVES2009, MOVES2010 and MOVES2010a. MOVES2010b can be 

used to estimate national, state, and county level inventories of criteria air pollutants, greenhouse 

gas emissions, and some mobile source air toxics from highway vehicles. Additionally, MOVES 

can make projections for energy consumption (total, petroleum-based, and fossil-based). 

MOVES2010b may be used for official use, although users are not required to do so. 

Please see the MOVES2010b policy statement available on the EPA's MOVES web site 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/index.htm for EPA's policy on selecting appropriate 

models for official mobile source emission estimates. 

MOVES is distributed free of charge by EPA pursuant to the GNU General Public 

License (GPL). It is written in JavaTM and uses the MySQL relational database management 

system. Oracle Corporation owns, operates, and supports MySQL, and allows distribution of the 

database system pursuant to the GNU GPL. The principal user inputs and outputs, and the 

internal working storage locations for MOVES are MySQL databases. The MOVES model 

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includes a "default" input database, which uses national data and allocation factors to 

approximate results for the 3,222 counties in the United States, District of Columbia, Puerto 

Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. MOVES is capable of modeling emissions for the calendar 

years 1990 and 1999-2050. 

With MOVES2010b, MOVES has been migrated from the 5.1.32 version of MySQL to 

version 5.5.12 and from the Java Runtime for version 1.6.0_12 to the Java Runtime version 

1.7.0. 

MOVES is set up to run both a “Master” and one or more “Workers”. This allows users 

to operate MOVES on a single computer system or on a network of computers. See Appendix J 

- MOVES Configurations for more information on configuring MOVES for multicomputer 

setups. 

1.2 MOVES Documentation 

The following section highlights the contents of this manual, how best to use the manual, 

and where additional information may be found. 

1.2.1 About this Manual 

The MOVES User Guide focuses on operating MOVES software to create and execute 

Run Specifications (RunSpecs). 

Throughout this document, information may be highlighted to make it easier to find 

solutions to problems or to avoid errors using the following prompts: 

CAUTION! Cautions must be observed to avoid errors in execution or to ensure the 

intended execution will occur. 

NOTE Notes contain important information about the panel being described. 

! TIP Tips contain hints for input or better operation of the run. 

The MOVES2010b User Guide is accessible as a .pdf file under the Help menu in the 

MOVES interface. 

1.2.2 Other Documentation and Online Help 

Additional documentation covering the following topics is available for MOVES2010b. 

Installation: An Installation Suite is available for MOVES2010b. It guides the 

user through the MOVES system requirements and the process for installing the MOVES 

program and associated software. 

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Software Design: An updated MOVES Software Design and Reference Manual 

(SDRM) will be available on the MOVES website in 2012. The SDRM will cover the 

basic concepts and functional design of the software and the underlying MySQL 

database, including technical specifications for all calculations performed in the model. 

It is intended to answer more detailed and substantive questions about the MOVES 

software than those addressed in this guide. 

MOVES Database Documentation: More detailed documentation of the 

MOVES database can be found within the README folder of the database itself. For 

example, C:\MySQL\data\movesdbyyyymmdd\readme 

1.2.3 What’s next? Working with MOVES 

Depending on the status of your installation and how familiar you are with MOVES, you 

have several options for next steps to get up and running with MOVES. 

⇒	 If you have just installed MOVES or are uncertain about your installation, 

follow the instructions in Starting and Testing Your Installation – Section 

1.3.2. 

⇒	 If MOVES is installed and operational on your computer, you should run the 

example to become more familiar with the tool before moving on. See 

Executing Example Run Specification - Section 1.4. 

⇒	 If you have questions about the MOVES Graphical User Interface (GUI) or 

executing a run, see Overview of MOVES User Interface - Section 2.1 of 

this guide. 

⇒	 If you are ready to begin using MOVES, see Using MOVES – Section 2. 

⇒	 If you would like to work through an example, a set of sample scenarios are 

included in the Appendices. 

⇒	 If you would like to get started using MOVES for regular work, advice and 

guidance on using MOVES is available on the MOVES website. 

The rest of this guide provides information on using the MOVES2010b model. 

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1.3 Installation 

Step-by-step instructions on installation are supplied by EPA in the MOVES2010b 

Installation Suite. The MOVES2010b Installation Suite consists of the required installation 

programs (MySQL 5.5.12, Java 1.7.0, MOVES2010b, MySQL Query Browser, and MySQL 

ODBC). 

1.3.1 System Requirements 

MOVES is a 32-bit application and has been developed to work with Microsoft Windows 

XP, VISTA, and Windows 7 environments. 

NOTE Installing MOVES with Microsoft Vista or Windows7 may require changes to the User 

Access Control (UAC) security settings. The computer(s) used to run either of the 

MOVES application programs must have at least 512 MB of RAM, although it is 

recommended that additional memory be available to improve execution times. 

Because execution run time performance is a constraint with MOVES, a high speed 

processor(s) is highly recommended. 

The MOVES program is open source and is written in JAVA and MySQL. 

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The MOVES Default database distributed with MOVES2010b requires approximately 

1.0 GB of disk storage. MOVES Worker and Output databases are often large, so several 

additional gigabytes of disk space should be available on all machines used to run either the 

MOVES Master and/or the MOVES Worker programs. Users who conduct many MOVES runs 

will want to use late-model, high-performance microcomputer systems. 

1.3.2 Starting and Testing Your Installation 

After all the necessary components of the MOVES2010b Installation Suite have been 

executed, test the installation with the following steps. 

1. Double-click the MOVES Master program icon. When starting the MOVES 

Master program, the About MOVES panel will appear. 

2. Click the OK button to continue. 

NOTE This panel identifies the version of MOVES that is in use and includes the version date, 

the EPA copyright, and a link for the GNU General Public License (GPL) website. 

Also included is the Computer ID or name. This panel will appear only at start-up. 

3.		 Execute the Example Run Specification (MOVES2010bExample.mrs) as 

described in the following section. 

1.4 Executing Example Run Specification 

The MOVES2010b Example Run Specification (MOVES2010bExample.mrs) models 

the entire U.S. for one year (1999) at the most aggregate level. It estimates total energy 

consumption and emissions of methane and nitrous oxide for the running, start, and extended idle 

processes for all vehicle (use) types (gasoline, diesel, and CNG transit buses) and roadway types. 

Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is also estimated. 

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1.4.1 Step-by-Step Example Run 

If MySQL and MOVES2010b have been installed, the MySQL server and the MOVES 

Master program have been started, and the MOVES Worker program(s) are operational, the 

example RunSpec can be executed as follows: 

1. Select File, Open on the Main Menu Bar. 

2. Navigate, if necessary, to the top level of the MOVES directory. 

3. Select the MOVES2010bExample.mrs file. 

4. Select Output, then General Output on the Navigation Panel, which is the left-side 

panel. Select or click on Create Database to establish a database into which results 

should be placed. Select or enter a database name. 

NOTE Many MOVES features request that the user create input or output databases. These 

database names must be consistent with MySQL naming conventions. In general, this 

means they may contain letters, numbers, "_"(underscore) and "$". They may not 

contain spaces, special characters, or be "reserved words" (SQL words such as "select", 

"where", "delete", etc.). See Best Practices – Appendix E for additional advice on 

naming MOVES databases. 

5. Select Action, Execute on the Main Menu Bar to start the RunSpec. The GUI will 

ask you if you want to save the RunSpec before executing. You may choose Yes, No or 

Cancel. The RunSpec will execute if either Yes or No are chosen, but selecting Cancel 

will not execute and will allow users to make changes to the RunSpec. The RunSpec 

may take up to 15 minutes to process. 

6. The output will be saved in the MySQL relational database named in Step 4. The 

output can be reviewed using the Post-Processing menu options described in Section 

2.3.5 or by viewing the database directly using MySQL commands, either through the 

command prompt window or through MySQL Query Browser. 

1.4.2 MOVES Execution Database 

After Execute has been selected, MOVES begins to compile and populate all the 

necessary tables in the MOVES Execution database. This database is similar in many respects 

to the default database, but there are several key differences. 

The MOVES Execution database is the location where conflicts are resolved between 

the default database and user input databases. First, information is pulled from the Domain 

Input Database on the Geographic Bounds panel (see Section 2.2.4). MOVES makes note of 

the tables and key fields within the tables that are imported and uses that to limit what is 

imported from database tables that are lower in the hierarchy. Added next to the MOVES 

Execution database are user input databases listed on the Manage Input Data Sets panel (see 

Section 2.2.8), with the last database listed taking priority over those listed above it. Finally, 

MOVES uses the default database to populate the remaining tables not provided by the user. 

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 Also, the MOVES Execution database contains data in tables that are empty in the 

default database and additional tables that are not present in the default database. These tables 

are often not complete. To save memory, much of the additional data is cleared after it is used in 

calculations. Users can save more of this data by checking one or more Save Data boxes on the 

Advanced Performance Features panel (see Section 2.2.11). 

NOTE The Save Data process lengthens run time and the tables it produces are often difficult 

to interpret correctly. 

1.4.3 MOVES Output Structure 

The output database will typically contain eleven tables: 

1. MOVESOutput: This table contains the inventory emission results (emissionQuant) 

of the run disaggregated by parameters such as Year, Month, Day, Source Type, County, 

Fuel, Model-Year, Road-type, SCC, and Emission Process. 

Caution! If the Emission Rates calculation type is selected on the Scale panel, the 

emissionQuant values will represent an intermediate step in the rates 

calculations rather than the real emissions for that time and place. To reduce 

the size of the MOVESOutput table, use the Aggregation and Data 

Handling panel on the Advanced Performance Features screen to select 

Clear MOVESOutput after rate calculations. The user may also clear the 

MOVESActivityOutput by selecting Clear MOVESActivityOutput after 

rate calculations. 

2. movesactivityoutput: This table provides information on the vehicle activity 

generated and used in the run. It is disaggregated by parameters such as Year, Month, 

Day, County, Fuel, Model-Year, Road-type, and SCC. Activity is not distinguished by 

pollutant and process. If a certain activity type (see Activity - Section 2.2.10.1.3) is not 

needed for the emission processes in a run, it is not generated. 

NOTE In the movesactivityoutput table, population always has month, day & hour 

keys of zero (i.e. “doesn’t matter”) because population is assumed constant in 

time across an entire year. This scheme reduces table size, but requires care 

when filtering results and when joining to other tables. Also, if you assign some 

VMT to a road type, but then do not select that road type in the RunSpec, the 

population will be lower than it should be. This is because the assigned VMT is 

not used when calculating population. Users should model all road types 

(where VMT is allocated) to ensure proper calculations. 

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3. movesrun: This table contains information about the date and time of the run, 

information about the run specifications, and the name of the units in which MOVES 

outputs are represented. These include units for energy (i.e., joules), emissions (i.e., 

tons), VMT (i.e., miles), and time units (i.e., months, days, hours, etc.). 

4. moveserror: This table contains any error messages or diagnostic information that 

might be generated if the MOVES run is unsuccessful. 

5. movesworkersused: This table contains information as to which copy of the 

MOVES Worker Program processed portions of the run. It is of interest if the run is 

executed on a multi-computer configuration. 

6. activitytype: This table lists the activity types that can be reported in the 

movesactivityoutput table and provides their activitytypeid. In MOVES2010b, this table 

lists: distance traveled, source hours, extended idle hours, source hours operating, source 

hours parked, population, and starts (See Activity - Section 2.2.10.1.3). 

7. moveseventlog: This table is used by MOVES programmers for storing diagnostic 

results. It contains no information useful to users. 

8. rateperdistance: When Emission Rates is selected on the Scale panel, the 

ratePerDistance table stores emissions as rates per distance (e.g. grams per mile) with the 

units depending on those selected in the run specification. This table includes rates for 

exhaust and evaporative emissions that occur while vehicles are on “real roads”. These 

include running loss evaporative emissions, evaporative permeation, and liquid leaks that 

occur while the vehicle is operating on the road. It also includes refueling emissions for 

the portion that is allocated to road operation (i.e., fuel consumed during running 

operation on the road). It does not include rates for starts, extended idle, diurnal and hot 

soak operation or refueling and permeation emissions associated with a parked vehicle or 

a vehicle start. 

9. rateperprofile: When Emission Rates is selected on the Scale panel, the 

ratePerProfile table stores vapor venting emissions from parked vehicles as rates per 

vehicle (e.g. grams per vehicle). Note that the denominator is the total vehicle 

population—not just the vehicles that are parked. The temperature profile id in this 

table refers to a particular daily pattern of temperatures, important because vapor venting 

depends on temperatures in both the current and previous hours. 

10. ratepervehicle: When Emission Rates is selected on the Scale panel, the 

ratePerProfile table stores emissions from starts and extended idle, and some evaporative 

emissions (permeation and liquid leaks) from parked vehicles as rates per vehicle (e.g. 

grams per vehicle). Note that the denominator for national and county level runs is the 

total vehicle population—not just the vehicles that are parked. However, for project-level 

runs the denominator for start emission rates is the number of starts in the hour, and the 

denominator for extended idle emission rates is the vehicle-hours of extended idle 

activity in the hour. 

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11. movestablesused: This table contains a list of the tables used when executing the 

RunSpec and the source database for each table. The numbering of the 

tableUseSequence is such that lower numbers take priority. Some tables may be listed 

more than once; this occurs when information comes from both the user and default 

databases. 

12. bundletracking: This table contains information about data that is processed by the 

MOVES master and workers. It is mainly used by the MOVES developers for tracking 

MOVES performance. 

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2.0 Using MOVES 

Using MOVES, the user can model various scenarios in order to determine specific 

emissions profiles. To use MOVES, the user prepares a Run Specification (RunSpec) to define 

the place, time, vehicle, road, fuel, emission producing process, and pollutant parameters. The 

RunSpec is an XML file that can be edited and executed manually or with the MOVES 

Graphical User Interface (GUI). This section of the User Guide gives an overview of the screen 

layout and navigation functions of the GUI and provides details on how to create and modify a 

RunSpec. 

Running MOVES from the Command Line - Appendix C provides instructions for 

how MOVES can be executed without running its graphical user interface. This may be useful 

in situations where repeated or unattended runs are needed, or when another computer program 

is used to execute MOVES. This "batch mode” or “command line” interface presumes that a 

MOVES RunSpec file has been prepared. 

Although a full range of default data is available in MOVES, the allocation of the default 

data down to the county level is based on a generalized algorithm and will not be the most recent 

nor best available local data. Therefore, MOVES is designed to allow the user to customize the 

model. The primary reasons a user would customize MOVES are: 

●		 To better represent conditions and vehicle activity in a local area, especially for use in 

conformity demonstrations or for SIP purposes; and, 

●		 To alter inputs for "what-if" analysis, such as the use of different I/M or fuel scenarios. 

Several components of the model are intended to facilitate customization. These include 

the Strategies procedures described below. MOVES also allows users to provide User Input 

Databases and to use various Importers with the County Data Manager, and Project Data 

Manager described later in this document. 

NOTE Many MOVES features request that the user create input or output databases. These 

database names must be consistent with MySQL naming conventions. In general, this 

means they may contain letters, numbers, "_"(underscore) and "$". They may not 

contain spaces, special characters, or be "reserved words" (SQL words such as "select", 

"where", "delete", etc.). See Best Practices – Appendix E for additional advice on 

naming MOVES databases. 

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2.1 Overview of MOVES User Interface 

The MOVES Graphical User Interface (GUI) consists of a Main Menu Bar, a Navigation 

Panel, and a Detail Panel. The Main Menu Bar and Navigation Panel are available on every 

screen as the user prepares for execution of the RunSpec. When the user selects a menu item 

from the Navigation Panel, the Detail Panel displays data elements specific to the parameter(s) 

defined by the menu item, and provides a platform for user input of parameter specifications. 

During execution of a RunSpec, a progress indicator will appear on the screen.
	

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The Main Menu Bar will remain available, allowing the user to pause, resume, or stop 

(cancel) the RunSpec during execution. 

The MOVES model features "mouse hover" user help throughout the model. To use it, 

the user simply places the mouse over a particular MOVES GUI icon or command and keeps it 

still. A small help box will appear with a brief text message; for example, the readiness status of 

a Navigation Panel icon, the keyboard combination required to execute a command from the 

Main Menu Bar, or a brief description of a Detail Panel icon. 

Most panels use buttons and scroll or drop down list boxes, typified by the Select All 

Delete and Add buttons. These buttons will be enabled or disabled based upon selection in the 

associated list box. For example, a Delete button will be disabled until a selection is made in the 

associated list box. 

Note When a selection is identified (e.g., by highlighting one state or county in a 

Geographic Bounds list box), the user must click the Add button to add the selection 

to the RunSpec. The user can consult the associated icon in the Navigation Panel to 

determine if the parameter has been sufficiently defined. If the parameter icon changes 

from exclamation point to check mark, the parameter definition is sufficient to allow 

the RunSpec to be executed. 

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2.2 Navigation Panel 

The Navigation Panel appears on the left side of the MOVES screen and includes 

parameters the user must consider when setting up a RunSpec. 

Selecting an item from the Navigation 

Panel will open a user interface in the Detail Panel 

in the center of the MOVES screen. In some 

cases, the RunSpec parameter listed on the 

Navigation Panel is split into sub-topics; these 

items are shown with an icon ( or ) that 

allows the list of sub-topics to be expanded or 

collapsed. The user must click on the sub-topic 

for the user interface to be opened. 

The Navigation Panel includes icons that 

display the readiness status of the various 

RunSpec parameters. A RunSpec will not be 

executable if an exclamation mark is shown for 

any parameter. 

Icon Meaning 

Needs additional user supplied data. 

Sufficiently filled in to run. 

Default data present, but otherwise sufficiently filled 

in to run. 

/ Parameter expand/collapse. 

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Note Parameters may be visited in any order; however some choices affect the choices 

available in other screens. In particular, changing the Scale parameters can impact 

other parameter choices. You may wish to save your RunSpec before switching Scales 

and to pay attention to the Navigation Panel icons after making any selection to make 

sure it did not affect another parameter. 

!Tip The icons shown on the sample GUI in this document do not necessarily indicate which 

sections/subsections will have default data available. 

!Tip A RunSpec cannot be executed until all necessary data are supplied. 

2.2.1 Description 

Select Description, the first item on the Navigation Panel, to open a scrollable text 

window that allows the user to give the RunSpec a particular textual description. This is useful 

for keeping track of various RunSpecs or providing information for someone else looking at the 

file (such as "This run produces annual total energy consumption for the nation in 1999"). The 

text entered in the Description Panel is for documentation purposes only. Its contents are 

reported for each run in the MOVESRun table. 

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Caution! Do not use double quote, ampersand, or back slash characters (“ , & ,or / ) as part 

of the Description. Up to 5,000 characters of text may be entered to describe the 

RunSpec. 

!Tip The default Description is blank and the MOVES model can be run without a Description. 

However, it is considered a best practice to carefully describe each and every version of a 

RunSpec. This will assist in documenting the purpose of that particular MOVES run. See 

Best Practices – Appendix E for additional information. 

2.2.2 Scale 

Select Scale on the Navigation Panel to choose the level of detail represented by the 

MOVES input database and whether the model will calculate emissions sum or emissions rate 

data. 

2.2.2.1 Domain/Scale 

National Domain/Scale is the default selection in MOVES. If National Domain/Scale 

is selected, data collected on a nation-wide level is apportioned or allocated to states or counties. 

This data will differ from data collected for a specific state or county. For example, consider 

vehicle miles traveled. If using the National Domain/Scale, the primary input is national VMT 

data which is then allocated to a county or state. The allocation does not take into account 

factors that may differ between areas of the country (e.g. age distribution). Consequently, a 

model run for two states or counties that uses the National Domain/Scale may not provide an 

accurate portrayal of specific emission differences between these counties or states that would 

occur due to dissimilar vehicle age distributions or other factors. For these reasons, the National 

Domain/Scale cannot be used by states for preparing SIP or conformity analyses. 

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For a finer level of detail about a particular area, the user can choose the County 

Domain/Scale. With this scale choice, the model will replace national default allocations with 

user-supplied data. Only one year and one county (or custom domain) can be selected in the 

Time Span and Geographic Bounds panels, respectively. By supplying local data through the 

County Data Manager, you can provide more accurate information about a particular state or 

county than would be provided using the National Domain/Scale. The County Domain/Scale 

is intended to be used when doing SIP or regional conformity analyses. 

Project Domain/Scale is the finest level of modeling in MOVES. It allows the user to 

model the emission effects from a group of specific roadway links and/or a single off-network 

location. The definition of a roadway link is a section of any road where a vehicle is moving for 

more than three seconds. An off-network location is an area of activity that is not a roadway, for 

example a parking lot where vehicle starts and extended idling emissions are produced. The use 

of the Project Domain/Scale requires the user to completely define the individual project (i.e., 

specify all individual roadway links and/or the off-network area). All of the project level data is 

entered in the Project Data Manager. If specified correctly, the MOVES Project Domain/Scale 

will utilize MOVES emission rates and other factors to correctly calculate emission inventory 

results for the user’s defined project. 

Note MOVES2010b is not capable of modeling any evaporative emission processes when 

using Project Domain/Scale. EPA plans to add this feature in future versions of 

MOVES. 

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Note that switching scales is a major change to the RunSpec. It affects the operation of 

other Navigation Panel items and may cause previous RunSpec specifications to be changed or 

lost. You may wish to save your RunSpec before switching scales. Also, the choice the user 

makes on the Domain/Scale panel affects the selections that will be presented in the Geographic 

Bounds detail panel. These differences are covered in greater detail in Geographic Bounds -

Section 2.2.4. 

2.2.2.2 Calculation Type 

In this section of the panel, you can choose the type of calculation that will occur in the 

RunSpec. MOVES will calculate the quantity of emissions and/or energy used within a region 

and time span if the user selects the Inventory button. This output is stored in the 

MOVESOutput and the Movesactivityoutput tables. 

The rate at which emissions occur (the mass and/or energy per unit of activity) is 

calculated if the user selects the “Emission Rates” button. This output is stored in the 

RatePerDistance, RatePerProfile and RatePerVehicle Tables. 

If you select Emission Rates, you must assign a MOVESScenarioID which will be used 

in the rates tables. The MOVESScenarioID should be a unique identifier for the scenario for 

which the rates apply. 

See Appendix A - Using MOVES to Generate Lookup Tables for more information on 

defining scenarios. 

Caution! Do not type in a Scenario ID longer than 40 characters. 

Caution! Do not use double quote, ampersand, or back slash characters ( “ , & ,or / ) as part 

of the MOVES Scenario ID. 

Note Calculating Emission Rates requires more run time and more output space than 

inventory calculations, so this choice should be selected with care. See Appendix A ­

Using MOVES to Generate Lookup Tables for advice on using the Emission Rates 

option to develop a “lookup table” of rates. 

Note While activity is “divided out” in the Emission Rates output, the amount of time spent 

driving affects the evaporative emission rates. Therefore, it is important to input 

realistic VMT, Population, Average Speed Distribution and Road Type Distribution 

information. 

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Note If Emission Rates is selected as the Calculation Type, then several other panels 

are affected: 

1) If National Domain/Scale is selected, only Zone & Link can be chosen in the 

Region section of the Geographic Bounds panel, or 1b) if County or Project 

Domain/Scale is selected, only Zone & Link or Custom Domain can be chosen; 

2) The Distance Traveled and Population boxes on the General Output panel 

are automatically checked; and 

3) The Road Type and Emission Process boxes are automatically selected on the 

Output Emission Detail panel. 

2.2.3 Time Spans 

MOVES can be set to model specific time periods by selecting Time Spans on the 

Navigation Panel. Clicking Time Spans will open the panel shown below. 

This panel is divided into five sections with boxes, buttons, or drop-down menus in each, 

allowing the user to select specific aggregation levels, years, months, days, and hours. These 

panel sections are used to define the time period for which emissions will be modeled in the 

RunSpec. 

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2.2.3.1 Time Aggregation Level 

Click in the Time Aggregation Level section to set the level of pre-aggregation that is 

desired. Only one choice can be selected. The default level is Hour and implies no preaggregation of the MOVES data by time. If the user chooses a longer aggregation level time 

period such as Year, Month, or Day, the model will pre-aggregate (i.e., compute a weighted 

average of) all underlying MOVES internal data that are differentiated by hour (e.g., 

temperatures, VMT distributions, etc) prior to execution of the run. For example, if the user 

chooses Month, the model will average the temperatures of all selected days and hours into an 

average Month set (it may be a set because the temperatures will not necessarily be averaged by 

geography unless that has also been pre-aggregated), and perform the simulation with these 

average values. Pre-aggregation sacrifices precision to improve model run time. 

Note Once the user has selected a higher aggregation level than Hour, the model's GUI will 

automatically fill in the required lower GUI inputs. For example, if the user selects the 

Month button in the Time Aggregation Level panel, the model will fill in all of the 

hours and days input. After the initial automatic selection, the user may de-select 

particular hours, days, or months. If such a de-selection is done, the user will end up 

with results that are based on aggregations that do not include de-selected hours, days, 

or months. For example, if the user selects Months in the Time Aggregation Level 

panel and de-selects Weekends, the final emission result will represent a monthly 

aggregation that includes Weekdays only. 

Note The proper levels of time aggregation for SIP and conformity analysis have been 

addressed in guidance documents. 

Caution! Because of non-linearity in the general MOVES algorithm, differences may arise 

between aggregated results and non-aggregated results. For example, the emission 

results from a run where all 24 hours are selected and the Time Aggregation Level 

is set to Hour may not match the results from a run where the Time Aggregation 

Level is set to Day. 

2.2.3.2 Years 

Select a calendar year(s) in the Years section and click on the Add button. Select a year 

by clicking the black triangle to see a drop-down list of calendar years and select an individual 

year. Click on Add to have that year appear in the Year selection pane. This can be repeated to 

select as many years as desired if National Domain/Scale has been chosen. However, if 

County or Project Domain/Scale was chosen on the Scale panel, only 1 year can be selected in 

the Year pane. Use the Remove button to deselect years. 

!Tip At least one calendar year must appear in the Years Selection panel to obtain a 

valid Time Spans input. 

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2.2.3.3 Months 

Click one or more individual months to model to select the appropriate boxes in the 

Months section. At least one Month box must be selected. Click the Select All button to select 

all of the months. Similarly, the Clear All button removes all of the previously chosen months. 

Note If the Project Domain/Scale is selected, the RunSpec may cover only a single month. 

2.2.3.4 Days 

Click one or more kinds of days of the week to model to select the appropriate boxes in 

the Days section. At least one kind of Day box must be selected. Click Select All button to 

select all of the days. Similarly, the Clear All button removes all of the previously chosen day 

types. 

Note If the Project Domain/Scale is selected, the RunSpec may cover only a single type of 

day. 

2.2.3.5 Hours 

The default time resolution for MOVES at both National and County Domain/Scale is 

hourly, with hours expressed in military time ranging from midnight - 12:59 am (expressed as 

00:00 - 00:59) to 11 pm - 11:59 pm (23:00 - 23:59). Use the drop down menu to select the 

appropriate Start and End hours from the list. Click the Select All button to select all of the 

hours of the day. Similarly, the Clear All button removes all of the previously selected hours of 

the day. 

!Tip The times selected are relative to the time zone so that 7:00 to 9:59 AM is 7:00 to 9:59 AM 

in each selected county-state combination. 

!Tip If only one hour of output is desired, select the same entry for start time and end time (i.e., 

0-0:59 and 0-0:59). This will produce one hour of output. 

Note The hours selected are run for all chosen days, so it is not possible, for example, to 

model only from 11:00 PM on Friday to 01:59 AM on Saturday. It is also not possible 

to run the model for a group of months that span a year end. That is, the user cannot 

run the model for just December of 2003 through January 2004. However, the model 

can be run multiple times with different RunSpec time spans to accomplish these tasks, 

or it can be run for multiple days or years and then manually post-processed to 

eliminate the un-needed times. 

2.2.4 Geographic Bounds 

Selecting Geographic Bounds allows the user to define the region to model. The 

options available on this panel depend on the choice of Domain/Scale and Calculation Type 

(see Scale - Section 2.2.2). If the user has chosen Inventory calculations at the National scale, 

the following screen will appear: 

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Three buttons, Nation, State and County are normally available. Choose the one appropriate 

for your desired run. 

Caution! Your choice of "Region" will impact your results. If you choose the Nation or 

State input options, the model will pre-aggregate (i.e., compute a weighted average 

of) all underlying data that is a function of geography (temperatures, road types, 

etc) and execute the "National" or "State" run as if it were a single county run. 

Thus, a run at "Nation" or "State" level will be faster than a "County" level run for 

the same area, but it will be less accurate. 

For example, if you choose State and Michigan, the model will average the temperatures 

of all Michigan counties into a single average set (it will be a set because the temperatures will 

not necessarily be averaged by time) and perform the simulation with these average values. The 

report "MOVES2004 Validation Results" includes a sensitivity analysis of different preaggregation levels. An alternative method of computing a state simulation is to select County 

Region and then selecting all the individual counties in the desired state. If you choose this 

option, no pre-aggregation will be done and the model will execute separate simulations for each 

county in the particular state. This option will likely produce a slightly different emission result 

than if the geographic specific data were first aggregated and then used because of non-linear 

calculations in some algorithms. 

Caution! Be advised that if an entire state or nation is run at the county level, execution times 

may be quite long. For such runs, we generally recommend multiple-computer 

processing. 

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Nation: Choose Nation to run scenarios and compute emission inventory results for all 

counties/parishes in the United States and Territories. The Nation button is generally chosen if 

the user wishes to create a simple national U.S. emission inventory. 

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State: Choose State to run scenarios and compute emission inventories for particular 

States or Territories within the United States. This panel has two parts (States and Selections) 

and buttons for choosing the appropriate selections. 

To choose the desired state(s): 

1.		 Scroll to desired state in States box and click on it to highlight. Click the 

Add button under box. State will appear in the Selections box. 

2.		 Click the Select All button to choose all U.S. states and territories available. 

To remove a previously selected state, highlight it in Selections box and click the Delete 

button. 

Note The Add and Delete buttons are inactive if no states are highlighted. 

County: Choose County to run scenarios and compute emission inventories for specific 

counties within a state. If the County button is selected, a new bounds panel will show in the 

Detail Panel. 

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The process for selecting a specific county is similar to selecting a state, outlined above. 

When using the County Domain/Scale and Inventory calculation type, the Region 

portion of the Geographic Bounds detail panel indicates County by default, and the user must 

specify the state and county in the manner detailed above. 

When using the Project Domain/Scale and Inventory calculation type, the Region 

portion of the Geographic Bounds detail panel indicates County by default, and the user must 

specify the state and county in the manner detailed earlier. 

When a user selects the Emission Rates calculation type on the Scale panel, the 

Geographic Bounds panel allows a choice of Zone & Link at the National scale, and Zone & 

Link or Custom Domain at the County and Project scales. 

When either the County or Project is chosen on the Scale panel, the user can also define 

a "custom county" by selecting the Custom Domain option in the Region portion of the 

Geographic Bounds panel, as shown in the screen shot below. 

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In this case, the user must provide a short county identifier (1-999) that will combine with 

the state ID (99 for generic) to form the standard 5 digit county identifier used throughout 

MOVES. In addition, the user must provide a description and GPA (Geographic Phase-in Area) 

fraction. The Geographic Phase-in Area refers to a group of counties in the western U.S. that 

had special gasoline sulfur requirements under Tier 2 regulations (see 65 Fed. Reg. 6755-6759 

for details on the GPA). The user must also provide the Barometric Pressure (in inches of 

mercury, in Hg) and the Vapor and Spill Adjustment factors, which describe the Stage II 

Refueling program in the area. 

Note Barometric Pressure must be indicated by the user for two reasons: 1) it is a required 

input for some MOVES calculations; and 2) the area is assigned a “Low” or “High” 

altitude depending on the user’s input (areas with pressure less than or equal to 25.8403 

are high altitude; areas with pressure greater than 25.8403 are low altitude). 

!Tip A user might want to use the Custom Domain option to represent an area that 

encompasses a portion of a county, multiple counties, or an area that crosses state 

boundaries (a nonattainment area may have these characteristics). 

When either the County or Project is chosen on the Scale panel, the Geographic 

Bounds panel will contain an area in which to define the Domain Input Database for the 

model, as shown in the following screenshot. 

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For both the County and Custom Domain option, the user must specify the usersupplied database that will contain county-specific data. For Project scale, a database of detailed 

information on the project is required (see Data Managers (Importers) - Section 2.3.3.4). In 

most cases, this database will be located on the server "localhost" (generally the user’s own 

machine). However, the user can specify a different host server in the Server box. After 

specifying a server, identify a database to receive the data that will be imported. If a database 

has already been created, it can be selected by clicking on the drop-down arrow adjacent to the 

Database box and making a selection from the drop-down list. If the database has not been 

created or if database changes must be made, click the Enter/Edit Data button to open the 

County Data Manager. 

!Tip Be sure to fill out all panels and fields to define the RunSpec before using the County 

Data Manager or Project Data Manager. The selections in the RunSpec are used by 

the County Data Manager to define the data needed for the county data to be complete, 

and to filter the data used when creating export or template files. 

Caution! Defaults that are exported from the MOVES database are generally not appropriate 

for SIP or conformity analyses. See MOVES Policy Guidance document for more 

information. 

Note A database created for a specific county by the County Data Manager can’t be used 

as the Custom Domain Input database. 

Note If Custom Domain is selected, the County Data Manager will not export any 

default data; therefore, the required information is necessary to use this option. 

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The user can clear the selected database and update the list of available databases by 

clicking the Refresh button. 

The Geographic Bounds panel includes the text box, Geographic Bounds 

Requirements, which defines what is expected of the user on the panel. 

2.2.5 Vehicles/Equipment 

To select which on-road vehicles are to be modeled, click on Vehicles/Equipment in the 

Navigation Panel. This will open the On Road Vehicle Equipment Detail Panel. Two lists 

(Fuels and Source Use Types) appear to the left of this panel to allow distinct selections for the 

vehicles/equipment. 

1. Click and highlight the Fuels choice or click the Select All button to choose all the 

choices. 

2. Click and highlight the Source Use Types choice or click the Select All button to choose 

all the choices. 

3. Click Add Fuel/Type Combinations button to move the selected choices to the
	

Selections box.
	

To clear highlighted selections from Selections box, click Delete. 

Note No default selection will appear on this panel, and the model cannot be run without a 

selection made. 

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Note The On Road Vehicle Equipment panel contains a small subpanel at the bottom that 

reminds the user that they are required to select a Fuel and Source Use type. This panel 

disappears after a valid Fuel and Source Use Type selection is made. If a selected 

combination is not in the database, the subpanel will notify the user that the 

combination is invalid (e.g. “Diesel fuel/Motorcycle combination is not in the 

database”). These non-existent combinations do not need to be removed from the 

RunSpec, but no results are reported for such vehicles. 

Note Source use type is a combination of body style and how the vehicle is used. For 

example, long haul and short haul trucks will tend to be very similar in size and design, 

but the way they are used defines their source use type. However, the use of the vehicle 

can affect the types of vehicles in the classification. For example, light commercial 

trucks would include panel vans (without windows) that would not normally appear in 

the passenger truck category, even though both vehicles are four tire trucks. 

Since the size and design of some categories are similar, their emission impacts will 

also be similar. This makes it less critical that you be able to discern the differences 

between long and short haul trucks, as long as you have accurate estimates for total 

populations and vehicle activity for that general classification of truck. 

One exception to that thinking is long haul combination trucks. These trucks are 

subject to federal rules about rest periods and MOVES estimates how long these 

vehicles are stopped and idling during rest periods. This extra idling can be a 

significant contribution to vehicle emissions. 

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Below are the Source Use Types and their descriptions:
	

Source Type 

ID 

Source Use Type Description 

11 Motorcycle Vehicles with less than four wheels. 

21 Passenger Car Four wheel, two axle vehicles whose primary function is passenger 

transport. 

31 Passenger Truck Four wheel, two axle trucks whose primary functional design is for 

cargo, but are used primarily for passenger transport. 

32 Light Commercial Truck Four wheel, two axle trucks used primarily for cargo transport. 

41 Intercity Bus Passenger vehicles with a capacity of 15 or more persons primarily 

used for transport between cities. 

42 Transit Bus Passenger vehicles with a capacity of 15 or more persons primarily 

used for transport within cities. 

43 School Bus Passenger vehicles with a capacity of 15 or more persons used 

primarily for transport of students for school. 

51 Refuse Truck Trucks primarily used to haul refuse to a central location. 

52 Single Unit Short-haul Truck Single unit trucks with more than four tires with a range of operation of 

up to 200 miles. 

53 Single Unit Long-haul Truck Single unit trucks with more than four tires with a range of operation of 

over 200 miles. 

54 Motor Home Trucks whose primary functional design is to provide sleeping quarters. 

61 Combination Short-haul Truck Combination tractor/trailer trucks with more than four tires with a 

range of operation of up to 200 miles. 

62 Combination Long-haul Truck Combination tractor/trailer trucks with more than four tires with a 

range of operation of over 200 miles. 

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2.2.6 Road Type 

If any vehicle has been selected (see Vehicles/Equipment - Section 2.2.5), the Road 

Type panel becomes available on the Navigation Panel, allowing the selection of road type. All 

Road Type panel controls are disabled otherwise. 

!Tip You must select at least one road type. 

1. Click and highlight the desired Road Types from the list. 

2. Click the Select All button to select all Road Types in list. 

3. Click the Add button to move choice to the Selected Road Types box. 

Click the Delete button to clear the highlighted selections. 

Note The list of Road Types is the complete list of roadway types present in the underlying 

MOVES database. The default database has Road Types that represent urban and rural 

driving on roads with restricted and unrestricted vehicle access. Restricted access 

roadtypes are usually used to model freeways and interstates; ramps are considered part 

of restricted access roadtypes. The Ramp Fraction tab of the CDM (see Data 

Managers (Importers) - Section 2.3.3.4) will only become available if an unrestricted 

road type (i.e. 2 or 4) is selected. 

Note Off Network is automatically selected when start or extended idle processes are 

selected on the Pollutants and Processes panel. All Road Types are automatically 

selected when any evaporative or refueling processes are selected on the Pollutants 

and Processes panel. 

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!Tip	 All Road Types in an area on which VMT is allocated should be selected to correctly 

calculate population. 

Caution! Selected Road Types may or may not exist in the geographic bounds of the 

RunSpec. For example, a county may have no urban roads. MOVES will display 

results only for road types that exist in the selected geographic area. 

2.2.7 Pollutants and Processes 

To select the pollutants and processes to include in the RunSpec, choose Pollutants and 

Processes on the Navigation Panel. A matrix will appear in the Detail Panel, with Pollutants 

listed as rows and Processes listed as columns. When a pollutant/process combination is 

selected by clicking a check box, it is included in the RunSpec. When the RunSpec is run, the 

model will compute emissions for that pollutant/process combination. 

There is no limit to the number of boxes that may be checked; however, at least one box 

must be checked to produce a valid MOVES RunSpec input. 

Note It may be necessary to scroll the Pollutants and Processes panel to see all of the 

Process columns or Pollutant rows. 

Note Checking the box on the left side of the panel will select all of the processes for that 

pollutant. The box on the left side of the panel will also show a check if any process is 

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June 2012 MOVES2010b User Guide
	

selected. Additionally, unchecking the box on the left side of the panel will deselect all 

processes for that pollutant. 

Note In order to compare results to MOBIL6.2 runs, all processes except extended idle need 

to be selected. 

Caution! Users are cautioned that the number of check boxes selected will affect execution 

time. Large runs calculating many pollutant/process combinations may require 

processing times of several hours, so users are advised to begin with only a few 

pollutant/process combinations. 

A Pollutant/Process Requirements box is included at the bottom of the Detail Panel. 

Text in this box actively responds to pollutant/process combination selections made in the 

matrix. In some cases, a specific pollutant/process calculation depends upon another 

pollutant/process calculation, and the user must select the base pollutant/process combination in 

order to be able to select the dependent combination. An error message will appear in the 

Pollutant/Process Requirements box should the user not select the base combination. Not all 

Processes apply to all Pollutants; therefore the matrix above is sparse. The following table 

displays the complete list allowable Pollutant – Process combinations allowable where ‘X’ 

checkmarks are displayed. 

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Running 

Exhaust Start Exhaust Brakewear Tirewear 

Evap 

Permeation 

Evap 

Fuel 

Vapor 

Venting 

Evap 

Fuel 

Leaks 

Crankcase 

Running 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Start 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

Refueling 

Displacement 

Vapor Loss 

Refueling 

Spillage 

Loss 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

WellToPump 

Total Gaseous 

Hydrocarbons X X X X X X X X X X X 

Non-Methane 

Hydrocarbons X X X X X X X X X X X 

Non-Methane 

Organic Gases X X X X X X X X X X X 

Total Organic 

Gases X X X X X X X X X X X 

Volatile 

Organic 

Compounds X X X X X X X X X X X 

Carbon 

Monoxide (CO) X X X X X X 

Oxides of 

Nitrogen (NOx) X X X X X X 

Ammonia 

(NH3) X X X X X X 

Nitrogen Oxide 

(NO) X X X X X X 

Nitrogen 

Dioxide (NO2) X X X X X X 

Nitrous Acid 

(HONO) X X X X X X 

Sulfur Dioxide 

(SO2) X X X X X X 

Primary 

Exhaust PM10 

- Total X X X X X X 

Primary PM10 -

Organic Carbon X X X X X X 

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Running 

Exhaust Start Exhaust Brakewear Tirewear 

Evap 

Permeation 

Evap 

Fuel 

Vapor 

Venting 

Evap 

Fuel 

Leaks 

Crankcase 

Running 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Start 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

Refueling 

Displacement 

Vapor Loss 

Refueling 

Spillage 

Loss 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

WellToPump 

Primary PM10 -

Elemental 

Carbon X X X X X X 

Primary PM10 -

Sulfate 

Particulate X X X X X X 

Primary PM10 -

Brakewear 

Particulate X 

Primary PM10 -

Tirewear 

Particulate X 

Primary 

Exhaust PM2.5 

- Total X X X X X X 

Primary PM2.5 

- Organic 

Carbon X X X X X X 

Primary PM2.5 

- Elemental 

Carbon X X X X X X 

Primary PM2.5 

- Sulfate 

Particulate X X X X X X 

Primary PM2.5 

- Brakewear 

Particulate X 

Primary PM2.5 

- Tirewear 

Particulate X 

Total Energy 

Consumption X X X 

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Running 

Exhaust Start Exhaust Brakewear Tirewear 

Evap 

Permeation 

Evap 

Fuel 

Vapor 

Venting 

Evap 

Fuel 

Leaks 

Crankcase 

Running 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Start 

Exhaust 

Crankcase 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

Refueling 

Displacement 

Vapor Loss 

Refueling 

Spillage 

Loss 

Extended 

Idle 

Exhaust 

WellToPump 

Petroleum 

Energy 

Consumption X X X 

Fossil Fuel 

Energy 

Consumption X X X 

Brake Specific 

Fuel 

Consumption 

(BSFC) X 

Methane (CH4) X X X X X X X X 

Nitrous Oxide 

(N2O) X X X X 

Atmospheric 

CO2 X X X 

CO2 Equivalent X X X 

Benzene X X X X X X X X X X X 

Ethanol X X X X X X X X X 

MTBE X X X X X X X X X 

Naphthalene 

particle X X X X X X 

1,3-Butadiene X X X X X X 

Formaldehyde X X X X X X 

Acetaldehyde X X X X X X 

Acrolein X X X X X X 

Naphthalene 

gas X X X X X X X X X X X 

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2.2.7.1 Processes 

In MOVES, “Process” refers to the mechanism by which emissions are created. Engine 

operation creates Running Emissions Exhaust, Start Emissions Exhaust (the addition to running 

emissions caused by the engine start), and Extended Idle Emissions Exhaust (i.e., “hotelling” 

emissions from a combination, long-haul truck). MOVES also distinguishes Crankcase Running 

Exhaust, Crankcase Start Exhaust, and Crankcase Extended Idle Exhaust to describe the 

exhaust gases that escape around the piston rings and enter the crankcase during normal operation. 

MOVES models evaporative emissions, situations in which unburned fuel escapes the 

vehicle's fuel system, through the Evap Fuel Vapor Venting, Evap Permeation, and Evap Fuel 

Leaks processes. In addition, vehicle refueling can cause Refueling Spillage Loss and Refueling 

Displacement Vapor Loss. Brakewear and Tirewear describe the non-exhaust particulate 

emissions that result from brake use and tire wear. 

It’s worthwhile to mention there are Process dependencies on other Processes or other 

conditions that apply to all pollutants that share the process association. The first three 

dependencies relate to the Time Spans panel, suggesting that all hours must be selected to run the 

process for any selected pollutant: 

•	 Evap Permeation requires all hours to be selected. 

•	 Evap Fuel Vapor Venting requires all hours to be selected. 

•	 Evap Fuel Leaks requires all hours to be selected. 

The last three dependencies relate to other processes that need to be selected as a pre-requisite to 

running the selected process for the pollutant in question: 

•	 Crankcase Running Exhaust <Pollutant> requires Running Exhaust <Pollutant> 

•	 Crankcase Start Exhaust <Pollutant> requires Start Exhaust <Pollutant> 

•	 Crankcase Extended Idle Exhaust <Pollutant> requires Extended Idle Exhaust 

<Pollutant> 

2.2.7.2 Pollutants 

MOVES calculates emissions of criteria pollutants, greenhouse gases and selected air 

toxics associated with motor vehicle operation. MOVES also calculates energy consumption. For 

many pollutants, the emissions calculation is based on the prior calculation of another pollutant 

emission. As noted earlier, the Pollutant/Process Requirements box will display an error 

message if the user selects a dependent pollutant but not the base pollutant. Pollutants and base 

pollutants are listed in the table below. 

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The available processes and their processID numbers are listed below.
	

processID processName 

1 Running Exhaust 

2 Start Exhaust 

9 Brakewear 

10 Tirewear 

11 Evap Permeation 

12 Evap Fuel Vapor Venting 

13 Evap Fuel Leaks 

15 Crankcase Running Exhaust 

16 Crankcase Start Exhaust 

17 Crankcase Extended Idle Exhaust 

18 Refueling Displacement Vapor Loss 

19 Refueling Spillage Loss 

90 Extended Idle Exhaust 

99 Well-to-Pump 

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Pollutant Name Short Name Parent Child 

1 Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons Total Gas HC 5 

79 

Methane (CH4) 

Non-Methane Hydrocarbons 

2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) CO 

3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) NOx 32 

33 

35 

Nitrogen Oxide (NO) 

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 

Nitrous Acid (HONO) 

5 Methane (CH4) CH4 1 Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons 86 Total Organic Gases 

6 Nitrous Oxide (N2O) N2O 

20 Benzene 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

21 Ethanol 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

22 Methyl-t-butyl Ether (MTBE) MTBE 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

23 Naphthalene Particle Naphthalene P 100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total 

24 1,3-Butadiene 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

25 Formaldehyde CH2O 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

26 Acetaldehyde 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

27 Acrolein C3H4O 87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

30 Ammonia (NH3) NH3 

31 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) SO2 91 Total Energy Consumption 

32 Nitrogen Oxide (NO) NO 3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 

33 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) NO2 3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 

34 Nitrous Acid (HONO) HONO 3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 

40 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane 

41 Ethyl Benzene C8H10 

42 Hexane C6H14 

43 Propionaldehyde 

44 Styrene 

45 Toluene 

46 Xylene 

60 Mercury Elemental Gaseous 

61 Mercury Divalent Gaseous 

62 Mercury Particulate 

63 Arsenic Compounds 

64 Chromium 3+ 

65 Chromium 6+ 

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Pollutant Name Short Name Parent Child 

66 Manganese Compounds 

67 Nickel Compounds 

68 Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene particle 

69 Fluoranthene particle 

70 Acenaphthene particle 

71 Acenaphthylene particle 

72 Anthracene particle 

73 Benz(a)anthracene particle 

74 Benzo(a)pyrene particle 

75 Benzo(b)fluoranthene particle 

76 Benzo(g,h,i)perylene particle 

77 Benzo(k)fluoranthene particle 

78 Chrysene particle 

79 Non-Methane Hydrocarbons Non-Methane 

Hydrocarbons 

1 Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons 80 

87 

Non-Methane Organic Gases 

Volatile-Organic-Compounds 

80 Non-Methane Organic Gases Non-Methane 

Organic Gases 

79 Non-Methane Hydrocarbons 86 Total Organic Gases 

81 Fluorene particle 

82 Indeno(1,2,3,c,d)pyrene particle 

83 Phenanthrene particle 

84 Pyrene particle 

86 Total Organic Gases TOG 5 Methane (CH4) 

80 Non-Methane Organic Gases 

87 Volatile Organic Compounds VOC 79 Non-Methane Hydrocarbons 20 Benzene 

21 Ethanol 

22 MTBE 

24 1,3-Butadiene 

25 Formaldehyde 

26 Acetaldehyde 

27 Acrolein 

185 Naphthalene gas 

90 Atmospheric CO2 Atmos CO2 91 Total Energy Consumption 98 CO2 Equivalent 

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Pollutant Name Short Name Parent Child 

91 Total Energy Consumption Total Energy 31 

90 

92 

93 

105 

115 

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 

Atmospheric CO2 

Petroleum Energy Consumption 

Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption 

Primary PM10 - Sulfate Particulate 

Primary PM2.5 - Sulfate Particulate 

92 Petroleum Energy Consumption Petrol Energy 91 Total Energy Consumption 

93 Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption Fossil Energy 91 Total Energy Consumption 

98 CO2 Equivalent CO2 Equivalent 90 Atmospheric CO2 

99 Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) BSFC 

100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total PM10 - Total Exh 101 Primary PM10 - Organic 

Carbon 

102 Primary PM10 - Elemental 

Carbon 

105 Primary PM10 - Sulfate 

Particulate 

23 Naphthalene particle 

101 Primary PM10 - Organic Carbon PM10 - Organic C 100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total 

102 Primary PM10 - Elemental Carbon PM10 - Elem C 100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total 

105 Primary PM10 - Sulfate Particulate PM10 - Sulfate 91 Total Energy Consumption 100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total 

106 Primary PM10 - Brakewear Particulate PM10 -

Brakewear 

116 Primary PM2.5 - Brakewear 

Particulate 

107 Primary PM10 - Tirewear Particulate PM10 - Tirewear 117 Primary PM2.5 - Tirewear 

Particulate 

110 Primary Exhaust PM2.5 - Total PM2.5 - Total Exh 111 Primary PM2.5 - Organic 

Carbon 

112 Primary PM2.5 - Elemental 

Carbon 

115 Primary PM2.5 - Sulfate 

Particulate 

111 Primary PM2.5 - Organic Carbon PM2.5 - Organic 

C 

110 Primary Exhaust PM2.5 - Total 

112 Primary PM2.5 - Elemental Carbon PM2.5 - Elem C 110 Primary Exhaust PM2.5 - Total 

115 Primary PM2.5 - Sulfate Particulate PM2.5 - Sulfate 91 Total Energy Consumption 110 Primary Exhaust PM2.5 - Total 

116 Primary PM2.5 - Brakewear Particulate PM2.5Brakewear 106 Primary PM10 - Brakewear Particulate 

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Pollutant Name Short Name Parent Child 

117 Primary PM2.5 - Tirewear Particulate PM2.5 - Tirewear 107 Primary PM10 - Tirewear Particulate 

130 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

131 Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin 

132 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

133 Octachlorodibenzofuran 

134 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

135 1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

136 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzofuran 

137 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Heptachlorodibenzofuran 

138 2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran 

139 1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran 

140 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

141 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

142 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

143 2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

144 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodibenzofuran 

145 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

146 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

168 Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene gas 

169 Fluoranthene gas 

170 Acenaphthene gas 

171 Acenaphthylene gas 

172 Anthracene gas 

173 Benz(a)anthracene gas 

174 Benzo(a)pyrene gas 

175 Benzo(b)fluoranthene gas 

176 Benzo(g,h,i)perylene gas 

177 Benzo(k)fluoranthene gas 

178 Chrysene gas 

181 Fluorene gas 

182 Indeno(1,2,3,c,d)pyrene gas 

183 Phenanthrene gas 

184 Pyrene gas 

185 Naphthalene gas 87 Volatile Organic 

Compounds 

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2.2.8 Manage Input Data Sets 

In general, the County Data Manager and the Project Data Manager are used to enter 

data. However, you may select Manage Input Data Sets on the Navigation Panel to specify 

specialized user-supplied data to be read by the model during execution. Databases entered using 

this feature will overlay existing databases tables (or portions of a table, if a table containing only a 

subset of records is provided) in the MOVES default database tables, if they exist. No default 

selections exist for this panel and the model can be run without any selections on this panel. 

Note Each database added through this feature can consist of one or more MOVES input 

database tables. 

Note These databases must adhere to the MOVES schema and use the database management 

system (DBMS) used by MOVES. In practice this means that individual tables in the 

user-supplied database must have identical names as the MOVES default input database 

and the individual fields in the tables must have identical lengths and types as MOVES 

default tables. For details regarding the MOVES database schema see the Software 

Design Reference Manual. 

!Tip The data in user input databases take priority over data from the MOVES default database. 

Note Entries in the Manage Input Data Sets panel are used in the run, but will not change the 

values in the MOVES default database. 

To create a new database with empty tables of the proper schema on an existing local or remote 

server, type the server and a new database name and click the Create Database button. Leaving 

the server box blank creates the new database on the localhost server. 

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You can use database tools outside of MOVES, such as MySQL, to populate new database 

tables with alternate values. Within MOVES, the Data Importer, County Data Manager, and 

Project Data Manager also aid in creating and populating User Input databases (see Data 

Manager (Importers) - Section 2.3.3.4). 

!Tip Databases created with the County Data Manager or Project Data Manager are selected 

in the Domain Input Database pane of the Geographic Bounds panel rather than the 

Manage Input Data Sets panel. 

To choose a database, select it from the dropdown list, and click the Add button to add the new or 

existing database to the input databases, shown in the Selections window. MOVES will first 

validate that the combination of server and database are unique within the selections. The same 

server-database combination cannot be added more than once. Click the Move Up or Move Down 

buttons to modify the order in which a particular database selection is used. To remove a database, 

highlight it and click the Delete button. 

!Tip The order in which these databases are applied to the default data is important. If two or 

more alternate databases are specified in the Selections list, the one that appears last in the 

list will replace any previous ones in cases where the internal tables and records of each 

database overlap. 

2.2.9 Creating and Using Internal Control Strategies 

In MOVES, "Strategies" are sets of parameters that replace 

MOVES defaults, and thus allow modeling of different future scenarios. 

The On-Road Retrofit strategy allows you to enter information about 

diesel trucks and buses that have been retrofitted with emission control 

equipment. The use of control strategies is optional; if you do not select 

any strategy, the RunSpec will use data from the MOVES default 

database. 

The selection of the strategy opens a split panel on the screen. 

The left side of the panel is called the Strategies Management panel 

(see screen shot on left), and contains buttons that enable the user to 

add, import, export, delete, and check data. Detailed information 

specific to the strategy appears to the right, on the Strategies Detail 

panel. 

The buttons on the Strategies Management panel are used to manipulate the strategy data 

sets, or "objects", needed for each RunSpec, as explained below. 

Caution! A RunSpec may have only one On-Road Retrofit strategy. The New button cannot 

be selected without first clicking Delete to remove any existing loaded object. If a 

strategy data set is already loaded and the user imports a new file, the import action will 

overwrite the existing data set. 

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2.2.9.1 Adding Strategy Files 

Users can add new strategy data to a RunSpec by clicking the New button or the Import 

button. 

Clicking the New button creates a new strategy data set, which is added to the RunSpec. 

The new strategy data appears on the list of Loaded Objects as (default). However, in MOVES, 

the Loaded Objects window does not function as intended and should be ignored. 

Clicking the Import button allows you to import an appropriate input file. The On Road 

Retrofit Strategy allows you to import XML, tab-delimited text, and Microsoft Excel files. The 

On-Road Retrofit Strategy allows you to import Microsoft Excel (.xls), tab-delimited text files, or 

comma-delimited text. Typically, the import file is created by exporting a template file, editing it 

in a spreadsheet, saving the edited version as a tab-delimited text file, and importing this text file. 

2.2.9.2 Deleting Strategy Files 

You may delete a strategy data set from the RunSpec by clicking the Delete button. 

MOVES will prompt for confirmation before actually removing the data set. 

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2.2.9.3 Exporting Strategy Files 

The Export button allows you to write strategy parameter sets to file for storage. When 

you click Export, a standard Windows file browser appears from which you can name a file to 

which to write the data as tab-delimited text. 

To create a template file for the On-Road Retrofit strategies, choose New, and then export a 

file containing only headers. The On-Road Retrofit Strategy allows you to export previously 

imported files. 

2.2.9.4 Naming Strategy Files 

By clicking the Description button, the dialog box shown below is displayed: 

Changing the description will change the text shown in the Loaded Objects window. 

However, importing different files will not change the description. 

!Tip The Description text can be misleading since it must be manually updated if new strategy 

files are loaded. You may wish to leave it blank. 

2.2.9.5 Saving and Transferring Strategy Files 

Strategies may exist inside and outside of a RunSpec, that is, the parameters can be saved 

as part of a RunSpec and/or as a separate file that can be re-used from one RunSpec to the next. 

This feature can help create a set of RunSpecs that use a consistent set of strategy settings. The 

Import and Export buttons allow for the transfer of strategy data between RunSpecs. 

Using the File menu to save and open RunSpecs automatically saves and loads the 

Strategies embedded within the RunSpecs. The files containing the strategies do not need to be 

imported separately. However, the version of the file embedded within the RunSpec is set at the 

time of the import; in other words, if any change are made to the strategy file outside of MOVES, 

the file must again be imported for the RunSpec to reflect the changes made. 

2.2.9.6 AVFT Strategy Conversion 

In MOVES2010B, the AVFT Strategy GUI has been removed for all new RunSpecs and 

for all old RunSpecs that have no AVFT Strategy. However, for purposes of backward 

compatibility, an option box is displayed on the AVFT Strategy GUI when an old RunSpec is 

loaded that contains an AVFT Strategy. The resulting panel only permits the AVFT data to be 

exported to a user supplied database, and the AVFT Strategy to be deleted from the RunSpec. 

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Specific instructions on the use of the converter and the resulting database are given on the 

GUI. Old RunSpecs that contain an AVFT strategy cannot be executed by MOVES. Old 

RunSpecs that do not contain an AVFT strategy are unaffected. Since this feature has now been 

deprecated, you must enter all AVFT data (fuel distributions) in the new Fuel Type and 

Technology Importer (see Fueltype and Technologies - Section 2.3.3.4.9). 

2.2.9.7 Managing On-Road Vehicle Retrofit Data 

MOVES has the capability to model on-road vehicle retrofit strategies for all exhaust 

pollutants for diesel trucks and buses. Appendix D – Creating an On-Road Retrofit Input File 

provides detailed instructions for creating an On-Road Retrofit data file. 

To add on-road vehicle retrofit data, the user should click the On-Road Retrofit option 

under Strategies on the Navigation Panel. This will open the On-Road Retrofit panel, which 

displays the Strategies Management Panel on the left side of the panel as described earlier in the 

Strategies section. The Description, New, Export, Delete, and Check buttons work as described 

earlier. 

Note The Retrofit Strategy only works for non-passenger diesel trucks and buses. Importing a 

strategy for motorcycles, cars, passenger trucks or for other fuel types will generate an 

error. 

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2.2.9.8 Importing Retrofit Data 

When you click on On-Road Retrofit, the Detail Panel to the right of the Strategies 

Management Panel instructs you to click the New button first and then click the Import button to 

select a retrofit parameter file. The Import button enables you to import On-Road Retrofit data as 

a tab delimited, comma separated (.csv), or .xls file. When you click on Import, a standard 

Windows file browser window appears from which you can select the file. If an .xls file is 

imported, MOVES will prompt you to specify a worksheet from which the data should be 

imported 

Once data are imported, the display in the Detail Panel will show the name and location of 

the imported file ("Data Source"). A Reload button that will also appear next to the file name can 

be clicked on to capture any changes to the imported data file. 

Importing retrofit data automatically saves the data to the RunSpec, but it does not 

automatically apply the retrofit parameters to the emission results that MOVES produces. To 

apply the retrofit parameters to the emission results, check the Use the On-Road Retrofit Settings 

box that appears at the top of the On-Road Retrofit panel. This allows you to turn retrofit on and 

off without reloading the files. 

CAUTION! If you do not select Use the On-Road Retrofit Settings, the retrofit inputs will not 

be used. 

If there are any data format or consistency issues in a file you’re trying to import (e.g., 

incorrect number of columns or data that are inconsistent with what you selected elsewhere in the 

MOVES GUI), a message(s) will appear in the Messages window at the bottom of the panel. 

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Importing data for retrofits requires that you enter the description of the field (e.g. NOX rather 

than pollutant 3). 

2.2.9.9 Rate of Progress Calculation 

The Rate-of-Progress Calculation strategy supports users modeling vehicle emissions for 

Reasonable Further Progress SIP requirements. 

If you select Compute Rate-of-Progress ‘No Clean Air Act Amendments’ Emissions, 

the MOVES model will assign 1993 model year emission rates to all post-1993 vehicles. 

Under the Clean Air Act, some State Implementation Plans (SIPs) must include a 

demonstration that the state is making “reasonable further progress” in reducing hydrocarbon and 

NOx emissions. To compute the rate of progress to this goal, the Act requires calculating 

emissions with and without the impact of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. To perform the 

highway vehicle portion of these calculations with MOVES, you should use the Rate of Progress 

feature. You should also set inspection maintenance programs and fuel programs to appropriate 

parameters. For more information, see MOVES Technical Guidance. 

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2.2.10 Output 

Selecting Output on the Navigation Panel expands to show General Output and Output 

Emissions Detail. Each of these panels allows you to specify aspects of the output data. 

2.2.10.1 Specifying Database, Time Period, and Units in Output 

Click on the General Output panel to specify the output database, the units, and the 

activity types reported. The panel has three sub-panels: Output Database, Units, and Activity. 

2.2.10.1.1 Output Database 

The first box, Output Database, contains input boxes for the server name and the output 

database name. A blank server box is the default and it indicates that the localhost (the MySQL 

data folder located on your computer) is to be used. Most users should leave this blank. The 

second box contains the name of the MySQL output database where you desire the MOVES output 

to be written. You must select an existing MOVES output database or create a new MOVES 

output database into which the results should be placed. If the output database already exists and 

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contains rows within its output tables, a warning icon is displayed. A new run of the MOVES 

model will add its results to an existing MOVES output database, and automatically give them the 

next available MOVES Run identification number. MOVES output records in an existing output 

database cannot be deleted or replaced from within the MOVES GUI. 

A user choosing to create a new MOVES output database must choose a unique name and 

may click the "Create Database" button. All new output databases begin with a MOVES Run 

identification number of one. 

Caution! Never attempt to create a new output database with the same name as the MOVES 

default database or of any user-supplied MOVES input databases. 

!Tip The output database should follow a naming convention to differentiate it from other 

databases; typically, using “_out” at the end of the database name is recommended. 

2.2.10.1.2 Units 

The Units box contains choices for the mass, energy, and distance units in which the results 

will be reported. The choices for mass are kilograms, grams, pounds, or US tons (short tons). The 

available energy units are Joules, Kilojoules, or Million BTUs (British Thermal Units). The 

available distance units are miles or kilometers. You may choose only one unit for each of the 

three measurement types. The units are reported in the output database in the MySQL output table 

"movesrun." 

!Tip Make sure to choose units of the appropriate magnitude for your RunSpec. For instance, if 

the RunSpec is very narrow spatially, temporally, and in terms of vehicle and road types, 

then choosing Tons as the Mass Units may not give you the desired level of detail. 

2.2.10.1.3 Activity 

The Activity panel allows you to choose which vehicle activity to report in the 

Movesactivityoutput table. 

If Emission Rates is selected on the Scale panel, Distance Traveled and Population will 

be selected automatically since their values are needed for the rates calculations. 

Caution! If the calculation type Emission Rates is selected on the Scale panel, the activity 

values will represent an intermediate step in the rates calculations rather than the 

real activity for that time and place. To reduce file size, use the Aggregation and 

Data Handling panel on the Advanced Performance Features screen to select 

Clear Movesactivityoutput after rate calculations. 

NOTE In the movesactivityoutput table, population always has month, day & hour keys of zero 

(i.e. “doesn’t matter”) because population is assumed constant in time across an entire 

year. This scheme reduces table size, but requires care when filtering results and when 

joining to other tables. Also, if you assign some VMT to a road type, but then do not 

select that road type in the RunSpec, the population will be lower than it should be. This 

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is because the missing VMT is not used when calculating population. You should model 

all road types (where VMT is allocated) to ensure proper calculations. 

NOTE Activity is generated only when at least one process that uses that activity is chosen on 

the Pollutants/Processes panel. If you choose an activity but do not choose the associated 

process, the Movesactivityoutput table will not include the desired results. 

The following table, Activity Types lists and describes the activities MOVES can output, 

their units, and the processes that generate their information. 

ActivityTypeID Description Units ProcessID Notes 

1 Distance traveled Distance units as set 

in a RunSpec 

1 Also needed for proper 

calculation of evaporative 

emissions when doing 

“Rates” calculations 

2 Source Hours (population 

times the number of 

hours) 

Hours, regardless of 

time unit 

aggregation 

11, 12, 13 

3 Source Hours Idling 

(the number of hours that 

combination long haul 

trucks spent in extended 

idle mode) 

Hours, regardless of 

time unit 

aggregation 

90 Off network roads only 

4 Source Hours Operating 

(the number of hours that 

vehicles spent operating) 

Hours, regardless of 

time unit 

aggregation 

1, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 

5 Source Hours Parked (the 

number of hours that 

vehicles were parked) 

Hours, regardless of 

time unit 

aggregation 

11, 12, 13 Off network roads only 

6 Population (the number 

of vehicles—assumed 

constant for each year) 

SourceUseType 

count 

1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 90 

7 Starts (the number of 

engine starts) 

Number of starts 2 Off network roads only 

2.2.10.2 Specifying Emission Distinctions in Output 

Select Output Emissions Detail on the Navigation Panel (after expanding Output) to 

specify distinctions desired in the output data. The Output Emissions Detail Panel consists of 

four sub-panels: Always, for All Vehicle/Equipment Categories, On Road/Off Road, and 

Estimate Uncertainty. 

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Note Selecting detailed output here and using MySQL post-processing to aggregate the output 

to the desired level allows control over the aggregation level without re-running the 

model. This is often the best choice for initial investigation of a question and smaller 

runs. However, if a run includes many times, locations, source types, etc., you may want 

to reduce the number of items selected on this screen to avoid producing unmanageably 

large output files and longer post-processing queries. 

2.2.10.2.1 Always 

The Always box is a reminder that the output data will always contain dimensions for time, 

location, and pollutant. The Always box also contains two buttons that allow the user to specify 

the level of output aggregation by time and location level. 

By default, the Time button will report the same time level as selected in the Time Spans 

panel. The user may change the time level in the Time button to a value that is equal or longer 

than the Time Aggregate Level specified in the Time Spans panel. For example, if the Time 

Aggregate Level is set to Hour in the Time Spans panel, then the Time button can be set to 

Hour, 24-Hour Day, Portion of Week, Month, or Year. 

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The 24-Hour Day selection does not select a particular day of the week but a kind of day of 

the week and the results are for one day of each kind of day requested in the RunSpec (e.g. one 

weekend day and/or one weekday). Similarly, the Hour selection will result in hourly output for 

each kind of day requested in the RunSpec. In the default case where the MOVES input database 

specifies two kinds of days, reporting by Portion of Week reports weekday results as a total of 

five weekdays and weekend results as a total of two weekend days. 

Note The behavior of the aggregation function of the Time selection may cause unexpected 

results. For example, if only two hours of the day are selected in the Time Spans panel, 

but 24-Hour Day is selected in the Output panel, the daily results will only be the sum 

of the two selected hours, not all 24. Similarly, selecting only weekdays in the Time 

Spans panel, but selecting Month in the Output panel will result in a monthly total that 

only includes weekdays. See the MOVES Software Design Reference Manual for more 

information about how MOVES aggregates output. 

By default, the Location button will report the same geographic aggregation level as 

selected in the Geographic Bounds panel. The user may change the aggregation level in the 

Location button to a value that is equal to or larger than the level set in the Geographic Bounds 

panel. For example, if the Geographic Bounds panel is set to County, then the Location button 

can be set to County, State, or Nation. 

Note The choice of State or Nation will aggregate results from the areas chosen in the 

Geographic Bounds panel. For example, if only two counties from a state are specified 

in a RunSpec, the output results for State will be the sum of the emissions from only 

these two counties. 

A Pollutant button is not available because MOVES pollutants are always reported 

separately in the output. Where aggregation of pollutants is available, the aggregate is listed as a 

separate pollutant on the Pollutants and Processes panel. (e.g. Primary Exhaust PM2.5 – 

Total). 

2.2.10.2.2 For All Vehicle/Equipment Categories 

The dimensions that apply to both on road and off road sources are Model Year, Fuel 

Type, and Emission Process. Checking any or all of these items means that the output will be 

distinguished by that factor. For example, if Emission Process is checked, the output will be 

distinguished by the emissions processes selected, such as Running Exhaust, Start Exhaust, etc. 

2.2.10.2.3 On-Road/Off Road 

MOVES does not include the ability to model Off Road emissions, as yet. Thus, within the 

On Road/Off Road only the On Road section is functional. In the On Road box, options are 

available to report by Road Type, Source Use Type, or Source Classification Code (SCC). If 

none of these options are checked, no vehicle or road classification distinctions will be made in the 

output. Instead, the results will be reported as summed across all vehicle and road classes. 

!Tip Source Use Type and SCC are mutually exclusive. Source Use Types are native to 

MOVES, so this is the preferred option. MOVES can report by Source Classification Code 

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(SCC), but this introduces an additional approximation step in the calculations to convert 

output by Source Use Type to SCC. 

Caution! If Custom Domain is chosen on the Geographic Bounds panel and output is 

distinguished by SCC, you will import the SCC mapping through the County Data 

Manager Zone tab, and input it as a user-input database in the Manage Input Data 

Sets panel. The default database contains no default data about custom domains. 

Additionally, while there is default information for individual counties, you may want 

to review the “sccRoadTypeDistribution” table to determine how the MOVES road 

types translate to the SCC roads types for the county of interest. 

Several interdependencies exist among these items. For example, reporting by SCC 

implies that FuelTypes, but not RoadTypes will be distinguished. (The SCC includes an indication 

of both the fuel type and the roadway classification.) 

2.2.10.2.4 Estimate Uncertainty 

The Estimate Uncertainty function is not available. 

2.2.11 Advanced Performance Features 

The Advanced Performance Features panel contains a variety of options that may be of 

use to some users. Some of these features may require specialized knowledge to configure. 

Many of these are features which may be used to diagnose problems with the model 

software, or to improve the run time for long model runs by saving and reusing intermediate 

results. Use of these features requires knowledge of the detailed software components of the 

MOVES program, the inputs they require, and the outputs they produce. 

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This panel allows you to save intermediate results from various portions of the model and 

to turn off portions of the model code. 

This panel also allows you to "turn off" final aggregation of MOVES results. Selecting the 

Do Not Perform Final Aggregation option can reduce execution time for large runs. When this 

option is selected, the MOVES output tables may include rows with duplicate key fields. The 

results from these rows must then be summed to produce useful output. Use this feature with great 

care. 

When the Emission Rates calculation type is selected on the Scale panel, the user may 

choose to Clear MOVESOutput after rate calculations and Clear MOVESActivityOutput 

after rate calculations. These options are recommended because the tables they affect may be 

quite large, and the values the tables hold represent only an intermediate step in the rates 

calculations rather than the real activity for that time and place. 

Finally, this panel includes a sub-panel where the user can specify an input database to be 

used instead of the MOVES default input database. Most users will not need this option. 

2.3 Main Menu Bar 

The Main Menu Bar runs across the top of the screen and contains eight drop down menus: 

File, Edit, Pre Processing, Action, Post Processing, Tools, Settings, and Help. Menus can be 

opened by either clicking on the menu command, or by using a keyboard combination, defined as 

ALT and the underlined letter of the menu command (e.g., ALT + F for the File menu, ALT + R 

for the Pre Processing menu). 

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2.3.1 File 

File provides a drop-down menu typical of those used when manipulating documents. 

Click File to open the drop down menu and then on a menu item to select New, Open, Close, 

Save, Save As, Print, Exit, or to choose to open recently opened files. Use the File commands to 

create, load, and save RunSpec objects. The Example RunSpec may be opened from this menu 

(see Executing Example Run Specifications - Section 1.4). Note that the Print command prints 

the XML version of the RunSpec, not a screen shot. 

2.3.2 Edit 

Edit provides the usual cut/copy/paste commands. These commands are only available in 

text entry sections of MOVES RunSpec. Keyboard combinations are available to execute edit 

commands when the Edit drop-down box is opened, and can be identified using the "mouse hover" 

feature. 

2.3.3 Pre Processing 

The Pre Processing menu contains three active options, Data Importer, County Data 

Manager, and Project Data Manager. Each option enables you to access importers for 

individual tables in order to create user-supplied databases for direct entry of data into MOVES. 

The Project Data Manager, in particular, requires you to provide virtually all of the data required 

to model a specific project. 

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The County Data Manager (CDM) and the Project Data Manager (PDM) are where 

you can define the county-specific or project-specific data required if you select County 

Domain/Scale or Project Domain/Scale when defining the Scale parameter of the RunSpec. 

Neither the County Data Manager nor the Project Data Manager menu options will be enabled 

unless you have made the County Domain/Scale or Project Domain/Scale choice. 

The County Data Manager and Project Data Manager are designed to specify all the 

inputs required for certain kinds of runs 

Caution! All tabs/fields in the County Data Manager and Project Data Manager should be 

completed to ensure the output generated is correct. In some cases, a RunSpec may 

execute even though all the tabs in the County Data Manager or Project Data 

Manager were not completed; however, the results from such RunSpecs may 

populate the incomplete tabs with default data, which may not be appropriate due to 

how MOVES generates, calculates, and allocates various data. 

!Tip You do not have to specify a database containing county or project data that was created with 

the County Data Manager or Project Data Manager in the Manage Input Data Sets 

panel. These databases only have to be selected in the Domain Input Database pane of the 

Geographic Bounds panel. However, databases created with the Data Importer should be 

input using the Manage Input Data Sets panel. 

There are three major differences between working with importers through the Data 

Importer and working with the same importers through the County Data Manager and the 

Project Data Manager. First, as "domain managers" the County Data Manager and Project 

Data Manager indicate whether you have imported all of the data that is needed to establish a new 

domain. The County Data Manager and the Project Data Manager will identify the parameters 

where data is needed by displaying red "x-circles" on the importer tabs (shown below). Green 

checks indicate where data has been properly and completely imported. The Data Importer does 

not display such information. 

Due to the level of detail required and the structure of the underlying data tables, the 

County Data Manager restricts the RunSpec to a single county and single calendar year, and the 

Project Data Manager restricts the RunSpec to a single hour, day type, month and county. The 

Data Importer can be used with any RunSpec. 

The Data Importer is generally used to import data for a RunSpec at the National 

Domain/Scale. Therefore, when importing Population or Vehicle Type VMT at the National 

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Domain/Scale, these inputs should be national values even if only a small number of counties are 

selected. MOVES will use the default allocation factors for the counties selected in the RunSpec 

to apportion data to each county. 

When you select one of the data manager options, the manager window will open. This 

window contains several tabs to aid in defining the data source, destination, and database structure 

for the imported data. Importer tabs provide templates for collecting user-provided data. 

2.3.3.1 Database 

The Database tab is the default initial tab for the Data Importer menu option. It contains: 

a text box where you can select an input database from a drop-down list or name a new database; 

three buttons to aid in the creation and management of the database; and a scrollable log detailing 

the success of the data import and other helpful diagnostics. 

Note Data cannot be imported until an input database is identified. 

By default, the host server for the receiving database is "localhost" (generally the MySQL 

data folder on the user's own machine). You can specify a different host server by entering the 

name of the alternate server in the Server box. The input database can be identified by clicking on 

the drop-down arrow adjacent to the Database box and making a selection from the list. You can 

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also create a new database by typing a database name in the Database box and clicking the Create 

Database button. Clicking the Refresh button will clear the database selection from the Database 

box display, refresh the list of databases in the drop-down list, and clear the Log. The final button 

is the Clear All Imported Data button, which clears all the imported data (but not all the tables in 

the input tables as some are “core” tables that are populated based on the selections in the RunSpec 

at the time the database was created). 

Caution! Never attempt to create a new input database with the same name as the MOVES 

default database or of any user-supplied MOVES output databases. 

!Tip The input database should follow a naming convention to differentiate it from other 

databases; typically, using “_in” at the end of the database name is recommended. 

Caution! When a database is created for a RunSpec at the County or Project Domain/Scale, a 

year table is automatically created with the year selected in the RunSpec. If any files 

are imported with a different year in a field, MOVES will add this year as an 

additional record in the year table. However, even if the incorrect data is cleared 

using the importer, the year table will not be changed, and MOVES will not execute. 

Take care not to import different years into an input database, but if this occurs there 

are currently two solutions: Create and populate a new database with corrected files; 

or Use MySQL or the MySQL Browser to view and delete the row from the table. 

The MySQL queries to do this are: SELECT * FROM [database_in].year; 

DELETE FROM [database_in].year WHERE yearID=[undesired_year]; 

The Database tab also contains a Log panel. This panel is used by the system to display the 

results of the import process. Once you choose either the Tools or an Importer tab to import data 

into the selected database, you can refer to the Log panel in the Database window to view the 

results of the import process. The Log panel also includes the description of the imported file, if 

one was entered. 

2.3.3.2 RunSpec Summary 

The RunSpec Summary provides a summary of RunSpec parameters defined by the user. 

You cannot view the Navigation panels of the GUI without closing the Importer, but doing so 

may impact your ability to effectively employ Generate Importer XML File in the Tools tab. 

Therefore, you should choose this tab to see an overview of the RunSpec. In setting up the 

RunSpec, you define modeling parameters that limit the scope of the modeling process; templates 

and export files created with the Data Importer will be limited by choices the user made in 

defining the RunSpec. 

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The RunSpec Summary panel of the Data Importer displays the geographic, time span, road 

type, vehicle, pollutant and process, and input data set choices made by the user. The panel is 

auto-generated and does not accept user input. 

2.3.3.3 Tools 

The Tools tab is provided to facilitate batch input of imported data into the MOVES 

system, such as a series of data import files representing all the counties in a state. When you click 

the Generate Importer XML File button after completing an import, the system will write an 

importer instruction file in Extensible Markup Language (XML), containing a statement that 

replicates the import done through the GUI. The XML file only includes files that have been 

imported during the active session so the XML must be generated before you close the Data 

Importer. 

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Using an XML or text editing program, you can copy and edit the importer XML file to 

create a series of similar, but not identical import statements; therefore, naming conventions are 

important to use this tool effectively. The resulting XML files can be called from the command 

line, generating a series of user-input databases. For more information on running MOVES from 

the command line (see Running MOVES from the Command Line - Appendix C). 

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2.3.3.4 Data Managers (Importers) 

The remaining tabs in the Data Importer menu option are Data Manager or Importer 

tabs. These tabs contain templates and rules that aid the user in bringing specific types of data into 

the model and ensuring it has the correct format. By choosing a Manager or Importer, you gain 

access to several tools that will help create a successful data import. 

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!Tip Be sure to fill out all fields in defining the RunSpec before using the County Data Manager 

or the Project Data Manager, as a filter is used when exporting default data that depends on 

selections the user makes when defining the RunSpec. Only the county, year, months, 

vehicles, road types, etc. that have been selected are exported. Some data may not be 

exported if the Export Default Data button is used before fully defining the Run Spec. 

!Tip EPA has developed MOBILE6 converters to help users prepare import-ready data files from 

their existing MOBILE6 files. These converters are available on the MOVES website. 

Select a Manager or Importer tab to choose a specific importer to assist with specialized 

data file structure definition and to complete the import process. Importers for the following tables 

are included in MOVES: 

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MOVES Table Data Importer County Data Manager Project Data Manager 

RampFraction X X 

RoadTypeDistribution X X 

SourceTypePopulation X X 

VehicleTypeVMT X X 

Zone X (Custom Domain 

Only) 

X (Custom 

Domain Only) 

AgeDistribution X X X 

AverageSpeedDistribution X X 

Fuel X X X 

Fuel Type and Technologies X X X 

MeteorologyData X X X 

I/M Programs X X X 

OperatingModeDistribution X 

LinkSourceType X 

LinkDriveSchedules X 

Off-Network X 

When you select one of these tabs, a panel opens allowing you to define the import parameters. 

Each Importer tab is organized in the same way, with a place for a description of the data; a place 

where the corresponding MOVES default database table and an input file are identified; buttons to 

browse for data files, create templates, clear, import, and export data; and a space for messages 

indicating the success or potential errors with the import process. 

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Near the top of each importer panel is a text box that allows a description of the data or file 

being imported. Any text entered here will be reported and saved in the Database Log. Just below 

the Description box is the Data Source section of the window. Along the left side of this section is 

text that states: [MOVESTable] Data Source. The [MOVESTable] corresponds to the name of the 

table in the MOVES default database for which the tab will import data. In most cases, the tab 

header and MOVESTable name are similar, but in some cases they are not (e.g. Meteorology 

Data corresponds to the ZoneMonthHour table because temperatures are defined for each zone, 

month, and hour). Refer to the MOVESTable in the MOVES default database to learn more about 

that table, its structure, and the data contained within it. 

Note The default database table may contain more fields than the template or exported default 

files (described below). There are several reasons why these additional fields may exist 

in the default table (e.g., the population and VMT tables each include a growth factor that 

is not used in the County Domain/Scale because only a single year can be modeled). Be 

aware that if the fields do not exist in the template or exported default data file, then these 

fields should not be added or populated. 

Also in the Data Source section of the window are the Browse, Clear Imported Data, and 

Create Template buttons. After clicking the Browse button, you can search through the 

computer’s (or network’s) drives to identify the file containing the data to be imported. Upon 

selecting a file, you may be prompted to select a worksheet: 

The correct worksheet should be highlighted before the OK button becomes active. 

Click the Create Template button to create an import template file and a set of reference 

files. After selecting the Create Template button, define the file, file path and extension (e.g., .xls 

for an Excel file) and click the Save button. The template and reference files will be specific to the 

RunSpec. The template will include required data field names and often will be populated with the 

required key fields, as specified in the Run Spec. The reference files will provide lists and 

descriptions of the relevant MOVES ID fields (i.e., countyID codes, fuelformulationID codes, 

roadtypeID codes, hourDayID codes, and sourcetypeID codes). You can then edit the template 

with a spreadsheet application or other tool before importing the data files into MOVES. 

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Although the meaning of many data element names may seem clear, consult the reference 

tables provided with the template to determine appropriate content for the fields. For example, 

although fuelYearID might seem to refer to the calendar year, it actually refers to "fuelyear" and 

does not have a one-to-one mapping with calendar year (the latest fuelyear in MOVES2010b is 

2012). 

In many cases, you can import duplicate information by using "wildcards" in the input 

files. See Table 2.3.3.4b. For example, using the word “ALL” in a sourceTypeID column of the 

input file will result in records with the same information for each source type selected in the 

runspec. 

Caution! "ALL" produces inputs only for all the sourcetypes in the RunSpec rather than all the 

sourcetypes in the default database. For this reason, you are strongly urged to create 

a comprehensive RunSpec prior to using the importers. 

The hourDayID column supports a special form of the “ALL” wildcard. It allows you to 

populate all 48 hour intervals (24 x 2 day types) or just the hours in a given day type. Remember, 

these are constrained by the RunSpec day and hour selections. 

The affected fields are: 

Column Wildcard 

dayID ALL 

hourID ALL 

hourDayID ALL 

ALL Weekday 

ALL 5 

5* 

*5 

ALL Weekend 

ALL 2 

2* 

*2 

monthID ALL 

yearID ALL Note: Only one year is allowed in the CDM. 

roadTypeID ALL 

sourceTypeID ALL 

1* - Applies to all motorcycles 

2* - Applies to all passenger cars 

3* - Applies to all passenger trucks 

4* - Applies to all buses 

5* - Applies to all single unit trucks 

6* - Applies to all combination trucks 

hpmsVTypeID ALL 

countyID ALL Note: Only one county is allowed in the CDM. 

zoneID ALL 

In the receiving database, wildcard data is fully expanded. Importing a file that uses 

wildcards and then exporting again will produce a file with the full data set. 

Once a correctly formatted source file is created, use the Browse button to find and open 

the source file. The file path and name of the selected import file will appear in the panel. 

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!Tip	 Make sure to save any changes made to a source file before you import it. 

Note Warning messages do not necessarily mean that the imported data is incorrect. For 

example, you may receive a warning if data for a source types, month, etc. are imported, 

but that source type or month is not selected in the RunSpec. On the other hand, error 

messages indicate situations where the source file should be amended to correct the 

problem, the data should be cleared, and the file re-imported. 

Once a file has been selected for import, click the Import button to bring the data into 

MOVES via the file and path defined in the Database window. If the file contains multiple 

worksheets, you are prompted to select the appropriate worksheet as well. Refer to the Messages 

box in the Importer tab or the Log panel in the Database window to determine the status of data 

import. 

!Tip	 See the Messages box for information on import problems and basic information for fixing 

problematic import files. 

Imported data can be cleared from the database by clicking the Clear Imported Data 

button, which is in the Data Source section of the window. When the Clear Imported Data 

button is clicked, the following message box will pop-up: 

Clicking Yes clears the data, while clicking No cancels the action and allows you to export the 

imported data, as described below. 

!Tip	 You should Clear Imported Data before reattempting to import a file that resulted in an 

error message. 

Data files can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet or text file using either the Export 

Default Data or Export Imported Data button; however, not all tabs in the County Data 

Manager have the Export Default Data button. These exceptions are noted in the sections 

below. Also, some tabs in the Project Data Manager include an additional export button, Export 

Most Recent Execution Data. Use of this button requires a previous execution of the MOVES 

model in order to generate the data which is to be exported. 

Clicking on an Export button will cause the Export [Importer] Data window to open. 

Define the file path, file name and file extension in the Export Data window, and click the Save 

button to export the data to the specified location. 

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Occasionally, clicking an Export button may result in the following pop-up window: 

This message simply means that there was no data available to export. 

2.3.3.4.1 Meteorology Data Importer 

The Meteorology Data Importer allows you to import temperature and humidity data for 

months, zones, counties, and hours that are included in the RunSpec. While the MOVES model 

contains 30-year average temperature and humidity data for each county, month, and hour, you 

should enter data specific to the modeled location and time. 

2.3.3.4.2 Source Type Population Importer 

The Source Type Population Importer allows you to input the number of vehicles in the 

geographic area which is to be modeled for each vehicle or "source type" selected in the RunSpec. 

While the MOVES table that this importer populates (SourceTypeYear) includes fields for sales 

growth rate and migration factor, neither of these fields should be imported. They are extraneous 

because the importer sets the selected year as a base year and defines the population. 

Caution! Vehicle Type VMT, Source Type Population, and Age Distribution are the three 

tables that MOVES needs to define a base year. If any one of these tables is 

imported, then all three must be imported, otherwise MOVES may not generate 

output. However, this requirement does not apply to the Project Domain/Scale. 

This tab does not have the Export Default Data button and you are required to 

acquire/generate this data independently if the County Domain/Scale is chosen. Data must be 

supplied for each source type (e.g., passenger car, passenger trucks, light commercial trucks, etc.) 

selected in the RunSpec. 

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2.3.3.4.3 Age Distribution Importer 

The Age Distribution Importer allows you to enter data that provides the distribution of 

vehicle counts by age for each calendar year (yearID) and vehicle type (sourceTypeID). The 

distribution of ageIDs (the variable for age) must sum to one for each vehicle type and year. 

Caution! Vehicle Type VMT, Source Type Population, and Age Distribution are the three 

tables that MOVES needs to define a base year. If any one of these tables is 

imported, then all three must be imported, otherwise MOVES may not generate 

output. However, this requirement does not apply to the Project Domain/Scale. 

This tab does not have the Export Default Data button and you are required to 

acquire/generate this data independently if either the County or Project Domain/Scale are chosen. 

2.3.3.4.4 Vehicle Type VMT and VMT Fractions 

The Vehicle Type VMT importer allows you to enter yearly vehicle miles traveled (VMT) 

and the monthly, type of day, and hourly VMT fractions. These values will represent national 

values for the general Data Importer and county-specific values for the County Data Manager. 

MOVES requires that yearly VMT be imported regardless of the time span selected for the run, 

although the VMT Fraction tables can be modified such that the value does not have to actually 

represent the VMT for the entire year in the area being modeled. Note that the appearance of this 

table differs from other tabs as multiple data sources are listed in the data source section. Expand 

the size of the CDM window or use the scroll bar to view all the data sources and buttons. 

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!Tip The MOVES website has spreadsheet tools to calculate yearly VMT from Average Annual 

Weekday VMT (AADVMT) and to convert MOBILE6 formatted VMT data into MOVES 

format. 

Caution! Vehicle Type VMT, Source Type Population, and Age Distribution are the three 

tables that MOVES needs to define a base year. If any one of these tables is 

imported, then all three must be imported, otherwise MOVES may not generate 

output. However, this requirement does not apply to the Project Domain/Scale. 

The Export Default Data button for this tab exports the default monthVMTFraction, 

dayVMTFraction, and hourVMTFraction tables. An HPMSVTypeYear table with values of zero 

for all HPMS classes is also exported, which can serve as a template that you can edit before 

importing, but you are required to acquire/generate the VMT data independently if the County 

Domain/Scale is chosen. Data must be supplied for each HPMSVType (e.g., passenger cars, 

combination trucks, etc.) implied by the Source Use Types selected in the RunSpec. 

Each of the VMT Fraction tables must sum to 1 across a varying set of fields. The 

monthVMTFraction table must sum to 1 for each sourcetype. The dayVMTFraction table must 

sum to 1 for each source type-month-road type combination. The hourVMTFraction must sum to 

1 for each source type-road type-type of day combination. In the monthVMTFraction table, you 

must also correctly identify whether the year being modeling is (Y) or is not (N) a leap year in the 

‘isLeapYear’ field. 

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Caution! For all the VMTFraction tables (month, day, and hour), a warning message will 

appear if the fractions provided by the user sum to less than 1, and the tab header will 

erroneously turn to a green check. This should be an error message, and the tab 

header should be red. Enter VMTFraction tables that sum to 1 even if not all 12 

months, 2 types of day, or all 24 hours are being modeled. 

Modeling a portion of a year has two options: import a true yearly VMT value (i.e. a 

value defining VMT for all months, days, and hours) and give the desired allocation 

to the time periods being modeled and populate the other months, day, or hours with 

placeholder values such that the each of the VMTFraction tables correctly sums to 1. 

Or, import only the amount of VMT appropriate for the time period being modeled 

and may assign values that correctly allocate this VMT over the modeled time 

periods. You may also enter data only in the HPMSVTypeYear Data Source importer 

and ignore the month, day and hour fraction importers. If this is done, MOVES will 

apply default fractions for month, day and hour. 

The Import button will import the file identified for each data source at once. Therefore, 

you can, but are not required to, select all four files before importing. You can also clear one data 

source file at a time by clicking the Clear Imported Data button associated with each data source. 

!Tip	 The overall Import button on the Vehicle Type VMT importer should not be depressed 

until all of the desired individual imports have been selected using the respective Browse 

buttons. 

2.3.3.4.5 Average Speed Distribution Importer 

The Average Speed Distribution Importer allows you to input average speed data 

specific to vehicle type (sourceTypeID), road type (roadTypeID), and time of day/type of day 

(hourdayID). MOVES defines 16 "speed bins" which describe the average driving speed on a 

roadtype or link. You must enter the fraction of driving time in each speed bin (avgSpeedFraction) 

for each hour/day type, vehicle type, road type, and average speed (avgspeedbinid), where the 

fractions sum to unity for each combination of vehicle type, road type, and hour/day type specified 

in the RunSpec. If desired, use wildcards to apply one set of fractions for all hour/day 

combinations for a specific vehicle type and road type. Note that MOVES uses a time-based 

distribution, whereas MOBILE6.2 used a VMT-based speed distribution. You need to adjust your 

travel model post-processing code in order to generate the new distributions. Default values may 

be exported in the County Data Manager. 

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2.3.3.4.6 Road Type Distribution Importer 

The Road Type Distribution Importer allows you to enter data relating to the vehicle 

miles traveled by road type (roadTypeVMTFraction) for the domain being modeled. This data is 

entered as a distribution across road types (roadTypeID), where only road types selected in the 

RunSpec are included in the distribution. The distribution must sum to 1 for each source type. 

Note When comparing input roadtype distributions to the VMT output in the 

MOVESActivityOutput table, it may not appear that the road type distribution was 

applied properly if you look only at individual hourly or daily VMT results. However, 

you must compare the input road type distribution to the total weekly VMT by weighting 

the VMT results by the number of each type of day (5 weekdays, 2 weekend days). The 

VMT should be compared at a weekly level because of the effect of the dayVMTFraction 

table on the VMT output. For example, in the default DayVMTFraction table, the 

weekend fraction for rural roads is slightly higher than the weekend fraction for urban 

roads. If these default dayVMTFraction values are applied, the VMT in MOVES output 

by daytype will show a slightly higher-than-average fraction of total VMT on urban roads 

on weekdays, and on rural roads on weekends. 

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This tab does not have the Export Default Data button and you are required to 

acquire/generate this data independently if the County Domain/Scale is chosen. 

2.3.3.4.7 Ramp Fraction Importer 

The Ramp Fraction Importer allows you to modify the fraction of ramp driving time on 

selected road types. Only limited access roadtypes (freeways and interstates) may have their ramp 

fractions modified. Thus, this Importer is only active if you select a limited access road type 

when defining the RunSpec. 

The County Data Manager automatically applies default values of 0.08 (8%) for this 

parameter if the you do not provide input, so importing ramp fractions is optional when County 

Domain/Scale is chosen. 

Note The Ramp Fraction tab will only become available if a restricted road type (i.e. 2 or 4) 

is selected in the RunSpec. 

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2.3.3.4.8 Fuel 

The Fuel Formulation and the Fuel Supply importers should be used together to input 

appropriate fuel data. The Fuel Formulation importer allows you to select an existing fuel in the 

MOVES database and change its properties, or create a new fuel formulation with different fuel 

properties. All fuel formulations imported in the Fuel Supply importer must exist in the MOVES 

default FuelFormulation table or be imported. If you define a new fuel, all of the fields except the 

last three (BioDiesel, Cetane and PAHContent) are required. Biodiesel may be modeled by 

entering a biodiesel volume in the Fuel Formulation table and a ‘marketshare’ for the new 

biodiesel fuel in the Fuel Supply table. The inputs for the Cetane and PAHContent variables are 

currently inactive in MOVES. 

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The Fuel Formulation importer allows you to change the following fuel properties: 

Property Description 

FuelFormulationID Fuel formulation identification number. Must be greater than 

100 and less than 25000 

Fuel Sub-Type Fuel Sub-type coding—see Template File 

RVP Reid vapor pressure in psi 

Sulfur Level Fuel sulfur level in ppm Sulfur 

ETOH Volume Ethanol Volume (% vol) 

MTBE Volume MTBE Volume (% vol) 

ETBE Volume ETBE Volume (% vol) 

TAME Volume TAME Volume (% vol) 

Aromatic Content Aromatic content (% wt) 

Olefin Content Olefin content (% wt) 

Benzene Content Benzene content (% wt) 

E200 Lower volatility percentage (%) 

E300 Upper volatility percentage (%) 

VolToWtPercentOxy Constant based on oxygenate type 

BioDieselEsterVolume BioDiesel Ester Volume (%) 

Cetane Index Not Implemented - NULL 

PAHContent Not Implemented - NULL 

T50 Temperature (F) where 50% of the fuel is vapor 

T90 Temperature (F) where 90% of the fuel is vapor 

Table 2.3.3.4.2 Fuel Formulation 

The Fuel Supply importer allows you to assign existing fuels to counties, months, and 

years, and to assign the associated market share for each fuel. The market share for a given fuel 

type (gasoline, diesel, etc.) must sum to 1 for each county, fuelyear (i.e., calendar year), and 

month. In MOVES, you may select fuels from those available in the default database or create 

your own fuel inputs. Any new fuels which are added to the Fuel Supply importer must either be 

added in the Fuel Formulation importer or must already exist in the default MOVES database. 

You must be sure to identify a fuel formulation for all vehicle-fuel type combinations selected in 

the On Road Vehicle Equipment panel. 

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This importer also allows you to supply a data element, "marketShareCV", which is the 

coefficient of variation for the market share. This would be used if uncertainty calculations were 

enabled. For MOVES the value is not required and may be left blank. 

Caution! Although fuelYearID might seem to refer to the calendar year, the year table in the 

MOVES default database maps all years 2012 through 2050 to the "fuelyear" 2012; 

thus for years 2012 through 2050, the fuelyearid 2012 should be used. 

!Tip	 Modeling different fuels in different years (2012-and later) can be done with a separate run 

for each year, assigning different fuels to the 2012 fuelyearid for each run. 

2.3.3.4.9 Fueltype and Technologies 

The Fueltype and Technologies importer is a new feature in MOVES2010B. It replaces 

the previous Strategy called Alternative Vehicle and Fuel Technologies (AVFT). It allows you 

to specify the distribution of fuel types in the model. Specifically, this importer allows you to 

supply the fleet distribution fraction by fuel type, source type, model year, and engine technology. 

A value of ‘1’ designating “conventional internal combustion” for engine technology is generally 

supplied. Data for the fuel types specified in the Runspec should be supplied. The data entry 

fuelEngFraction must sum to unity across all the fuel types for a given source type, model year, 

and engine technology. No single entry may be less than zero or greater than one. For both the 

County Data Manager and the Project Data Manager, you can export a complete set of default 

values. 

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Caution! When entering data in the Fueltype and Technologies Importer, select in the 

Vehicles/Equipment – On Road Vehicles panel, all of the fuel types for each vehicle 

source type they wish to model. For example, if it is desired to model a fleet of 100 

percent diesel transit buses, select gasoline and CNG transit buses in their RunSpec. 

Otherwise, MOVES will compute an incorrect number of buses in the fleet. 

2.3.3.4.10 Zone Importer 

In MOVES2010b, the Zone Road Activity Importer is now the Zone Importer. It is 

used (and will only appear) if the Custom Domain option is chosen in the County Data 

Manager. Currently, MOVES only has the capability to model one offnetwork zone at a time 

within a Custom Domain, though multiple zones containing non-offnetwork road types are 

supported. 

The Zone Importer contains three separate tables that need to be supplied by the user. 

These are the Zone table, the ZoneRoadType table and the SCCRoadTypeDistribution table. None 

of these tables have the Export Default Data button, so first create a file template to populate the 

tables. 

2.3.3.4.10.1 Zone Table 

The Zone table contains the startAllocFactor, the idleAllocFactor and the SHPAllocFactor 

for each zoneID / countyID. All of these factors must sum to unity across all custom zones. 

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2.3.3.4.10.2 ZoneRoadType Table 

The ZoneRoadType table contains the SHOAllocFactor for each zoneID and roadTypeID. 

The data must be entered for each roadTypeID in the RunSpec. Typical input should be four rows 

of data with the SHOAllocFactor set to unity in all cases. 

2.3.3.4.10.3 SCCRoadTypeDistribution Table 

The Source Classification Code SCCRoadTypeDistribution table contains the 

sccRoadTypeFraction. A value must be submitted for each zoneID, roadTypeID and 

sccRoadTypeID. There must be an entry for each road type selected in the RunSpec and a value 

for each of the twelve sccRoadTypeIDs. The sum across the twelve sccRoadTypeIDs for a given 

roadtype must be unity for each custom zone. 

2.3.3.4.11 Links Importer 

The Links Importer is used only in the Project Data Manager. It allows you to define 

individual roadway links. The MOVES links need not correspond to traffic modeling "links", but 

each link should be uniform in its activity as described its MOVES parameters. Each link requires 

a linkID (i.e., a unique integer between 1 and 99999 that is used to reference the link in the 

program). Other required inputs for each link are countyID, zoneID, and roadTypeID (these same 

entries must be specified in the RunSpec or an error will occur), the length of the roadway link in 

units of miles, the traffic volume on the roadway link in units of vehicles per hour, the average 

speed of all of the vehicles on the roadway link in the given hour, and the average road grade % of 

a particular link. The link description field is a text field included for reference and has no impact 

on the calculations. 

In addition to roadway links, a project may include a single “off-network” (parking lot or 

other non-road) link. For an off-network link, enter a value of zero for link length, link volume, 

link average speed and link average grade (percent grade). 

For Project level modeling, you have a choice of ways to describe the speed, acceleration 

and power of the vehicles being modeled. Depending on the information available for each 

roadway link, you may enter an operating mode distribution, a drive schedule or an average speed. 

For a given roadway link, a user-supplied operating mode distribution input will take calculation 

precedence over an imported drive schedule, which will take calculation precedence over an 

average link speed input when more than one is entered for a given link. 

Use of a link average speed input in the Links Importer requires the least amount of road 

link data to be provided by you. All that is required is an average link speed and an average link 

road grade (in units of percent grade). The model will use built-in driving schedules and an 

interpolation algorithm to produce a default operating mode distribution. 

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Table 2.3.3.4.11 shows the allowable ranges for the average speed inputs in Project level 

runs. You may enter any speed in units of miles per hour (mph) within the given range. Average 

link speed inputs outside of the speed range will cause the closest available drive cycle to be 

selected, and issue a warning message to the user. 

These average speed ranges exist in MOVES project level because these ranges represent 

the extent of the available driving cycle data in the MOVES model. The MOVES model does not 

extrapolate beyond its built-in data. Should you desire to model a link with an average speed that 

is less than the minimum or greater than the maximum, you must supply the second by second 

driving schedule or an equivalent operating mode distribution. 

Allowable Average Speed Input Range for Project Level Input 

By Source Type 

sourceTypeID sourceTypeName 

Minimum Speed 

(mph) 

Maximum Speed 

(mph) 

11 Motorcycle 2.5 73.8 

21 Passenger Car 2.5 73.8 

31 Passenger Truck 2.5 73.8 

32 Light Commercial Truck 2.5 73.8 

41 Intercity Bus 4.6 72.8 

42 Transit Bus 15.0 72.8 

43 School Bus 15.0 72.8 

51 Refuse Truck 2.2 71.7 

52 Single Unit Short-haul Truck 4.6 72.8 

53 Single Unit Long-haul Truck 4.6 72.8 

54 Motor Home 4.6 72.8 

61 Combination Short-haul Truck 5.8 71.7 

62 Combination Long-haul Truck 5.8 71.7 

Table 2.3.3.4.11 Allowable Average Speed 

2.3.3.4.12 Link Source Types Importer 

The Link Source Types Importer is used only in the Project Data Manager. It is used 

to enter the fraction of the link traffic volume which is driven by each source type. It is not used to 

enter off-network data, and is not required if the Project contains only an off-network link. For 

each linkID, the sourceTypeHourFraction must sum to one across all source types. If you enter 

data for source types which are not selected in the RunSpec, MOVES will ignore that data. The 

Project level calculator will not re-normalize the fractions to omit the contribution of source types 

which are not selected in the RunSpec. 

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2.3.3.4.13 Operating Mode Distribution Importer 

The Operating Mode Distribution Importer is used only in the Project Data Manager. 

It allows you to import operating mode fraction data for source types, hour / day combinations, 

roadway links and pollutant / process combinations that are included in the RunSpec and Project 

domain. This data is entered as a distribution across operating modes. Operating modes are 

modes of vehicle activity that have a distinct emission rate. For example, running activity has 

modes that are distinguished by their Vehicle Specific Power and instantaneous speed. Start 

activity has modes that are distinguished by the time the vehicle has been parked prior to the start 

("soak time"). See EPA technical reports for additional information on operating modes. For a 

given source type, hour/day combination, roadway link and pollutant / process combination, the 

operating mode distribution must sum to one. 

The Operating Mode Distribution Importer must be entered directly into the Project Data 

Manager when modeling any ‘non-running emission’ process. The start process has eight 

operating modes that require data and tire wear has sixteen operating modes. It is optional for 

modeling ‘running emission’ processes. But if chosen, data for all twenty-three running exhaust 

operating modes must be entered. For the running processes, Operating Mode Importer data 

has precedent over data entered in the Link Drive Schedules Importer and the Links Importer 

average speed input if conflicting data are entered. 

2.3.3.4.14 Link Drive Schedules Importer 

The Link Drive Schedules Importer is used only in the Project Data Manager. It allows 

you to define the precise speed and grade as a function of time (seconds) on a particular roadway 

link. The time domain is entered in units of seconds, the speed variable in miles per hour and the 

grade variable in percent grade (i.e., vertical distance / lateral distance; 100% grade equals a 45 

degree slope). 

This Importer is used for the Project Data Manager only when modeling ‘running 

emission’ processes when the Link Drive Schedules Importer is used. For a given roadway link, 

an operating mode distribution input will take calculation precedence over an imported drive 

schedule. An imported drive schedule will take calculation precedence over an average link speed 

input when more than one is entered for a given link. However, at least one of three (an operating 

mode distribution, a link drive schedule or a link average speed) must be entered for each of the 

defined roadway links. 

2.3.3.4.15 Off-Network Importer 

The Off-Network Importer is used only in the Project Data Manager. It provides 

information about vehicles which are not driving on the project links, but still contribute to the 

project emissions. For each source type in the RunSpec, vehicle population is the average number 

of "off-network” vehicles during the hour being modeled. The start fraction field is a number 

from 0 to 1.0 which specifies the fraction of this population which has a ‘start’ operation in the 

given hour. The extendedIdle fraction field is a number from 0 to 1.0 which specifies the fraction 

of the population which has had an ‘extended idle’ operation in the given hour. 

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When using a Custom Domain, the off-network information is applied to each custom 

zone. It is important to include exactly one off-network link regardless the number of custom 

zones. 

For example, a vehicle population of 10 long-haul combination trucks with a start fraction 

of 0.5 and, an extended idle fraction of 0.25 includes the emissions associated with 5 starts, 150 

minutes of extended idling (10 vehicles * 60 minutes *0.25) and 300 minutes of parking (10 

vehicles * 60 minutes * 0.5) for this sourcetype. 

Note MOVES computes extended idle emissions only for long-haul combination trucks, not 

for other sourcetypes; thus the extendedIdleFraction is ignored for sourceTypeIDs other 

than 62. 

Note MOVES does not compute evaporative emissions at the Project Domain/Scale; thus, the 

parked vehicle fraction is ignored. 

2.3.3.4.16 I/M Programs Importer 

The I/M Programs Importer is used in both the County Data Manager and Project 

Data Manager. It allows you to specify the level of compliance and general effectiveness of your 

I/M program design. 

Note I/M emission effects are not currently available for diesel fuel or continuous I/M 

inspection frequency. 

When defining I/M programs in an area, users should refer to the supporting information 

tables to identify the numeric codes for the pollutant-process, source type, and test standard for the 

program being described. The compliance factor input is a multiplicative factor that encompasses 

I/M program performance metrics such as waiver rates, exemptions, special training programs and 

general effectiveness. It can range from 0 percent (a program that has no effectiveness or merit) to 

100 percent (highest possible success). The compliance factor is entered as a function of pollutantprocess, location, source type, model year range, fuel type and specific I/M test types. The 

variable “useIMyn” is a yes/no status that controls the use of the data. I/M programs can only be 

applied to gasoline vehicles (fueltypeID of 1) and only annual or biennial inspection frequency 

should be used (inspectFreq of 1 and 2, respectively). 

The IMProgramID identifier is an arbitrary number that is serves as a substitute for unique 

combinations of test standard, test frequency, begin model year, and end model year. Therefore, 

the same IMProgramID can be associated with multiple source types and pollutant-processes, but 

not with different test standards, frequencies, or model year ranges. 

Note Only one I/M program description record can apply to each pollutant-process, 

source type, fuel type, model year combination. If the user imports a file that has 

programs that overlap for any of these parameters, an “Error” message will notify 

the user that there are “duplicate active programs”. The user can resolve the 

“Error” message by either modifying the input so that one of the overlapping 

programs is “ignored” using the “useIMyn” field or modifying the programs so that 

they do not overlap. 

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The user must always account for all the existing default I/M programs in some way. This 

can be done by simply exporting and importing back in the default I/M program descriptions. 

However, if the user believes the default information is not correct, then a file with modified data 

should be entered. The preferred method for entering modified data is to enter a value of “N” for 

No in the “UseIMYN” field for all the default I/M programs for which the user will provide new 

data. Then the user should add to the file new entries with “Y”s in the “UseIMYN” field and new 

IMProgramID values; this approach ensures that all the default programs are accounted for and the 

user has full control of the new programs. Another method is to attempt to edit the default 

programs, but then the user runs a higher risk of creating programs with the same IMProgramID, 

but different test standards, frequencies, or model year ranges, and thus a higher likelihood of 

introducing errors. Be sure to use new IMProgramID values for any new I/M program records. 

Note ASM and IM240 programs can only apply to 1981 and later model years; Exhaust 

and Evaporative On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) programs can only apply to 1996 

and later model years. 

The “Export Default Data” button provides I/M coverage data for many programs 

throughout the United States, but users should review the default programs as current local data 

may be more accurate and up-to-date. The MOVES program will successfully run with a no I/M 

program scenario records at all, but the default I/M program description will be used. Areas that 

have no default I/M program do not need to enter I/M program description records. The I/M 

Coverage tab will revert to a green check when the county database has been created. 

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2.3.4 Action 

Action provides a drop-down menu with the choices Execute, Stop, Pause, Resume, and 

MOVES Run Error Log. 

After satisfying the RunSpec input requirements. All check marks in the Navigation Panel 

must be set to green checks or yellow tildes (see Navigation Panel – Section 2.2). Choose 

Execute to begin the MOVES simulation. Choose Stop or Pause in the Action menu to stop or 

pause the execution of the MOVES program. These two items will only be active if the MOVES 

program is running. You may also resume a paused MOVES simulation by clicking the Resume 

item. 

Note A program that has been stopped cannot be resumed. 

Note Depending upon where the MOVES program is in its processing, the Stop Command 

may not end a MOVES run immediately. If necessary, MOVES can be terminated by 

clicking the X in the upper right hand corner of the MOVES GUI or the MOVES 

command line window. 

Click MOVES Run Error Log to display information on the processing outcome of the 

execution in the MOVES Run Error Log window. Alternatively, the log can be displayed by 

selecting the ALT and R keys when the Action menu option is open. 

Note The MOVES Run Error Log option is available only if a MOVES Output database has 

been created. 

Typically, you should select MOVES Run Error Log immediately after the MOVES 

program has completed its execution. The window (shown below) will contain either a message 

stating that the run was successful and that no errors occurred, or it will report a brief error 

message. The example shows a successful run, indicating the run number (Run 5) and the time 

and date of the run. You can also view the Run Error Log for the error status of previous runs by 

clicking the down arrow on the right side of the Select Run button. 

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Note Not all error log messages indicate invalid results. For example, "Warning: RunSpec 

doesn't have all the RoadTypes", indicates a problem with the RunSpec only if you had 

intended to include all roadtypes. 

2.3.5 Post Processing 

MOVES output databases can be viewed and processed directly using MySQL Query 

Browser or other database tools. In addition, MOVES provides a few simple options to postprocess and view the MOVES results. Post Processing contains three menu options, Run 

MySQL Script on Output Database, Produce Summary Report, and Produce State/County 

Map. These features can be used after a successful execution of a MOVES RunSpec to further 

process the MOVES results into more aggregate or easy-to-use formats. 

2.3.5.1 Run MySQL Script on Output Database 

The Run MySQL Script on Output Database menu option enables you to select from a 

set of MySQL scripts to further process the MOVES output databases stored in the MySQL 

database format. After selecting this menu option, click the arrow in the scroll down box to view 

all the available scripts. Several scripts are distributed with MOVES (described in more detail 

below). Select a post-processing script by clicking to highlight it. To execute the script, click the 

OK button. The script will run on the output database that is selected in the General Output panel 

of the RunSpec. 

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The first script, DecodeMOVESOutput.sql, is an example script that decodes the 

SourceUseType and FuelType fields from numerical code classification to the full text description. 

The script produces two new output tables with the expanded text descriptions: 

decodedmovesactivityoutput and decodedmovesoutput. 

Caution! Note that the MOVES Decode script uses the default database supplied with 

MOVES to decode the numeric values in the tables. If the default database has 

been replaced, the Decode script will need to be modified with the new database 

name. 

A second script, TabbedOutput.sql, takes three MOVES MySQL output tables 

(MOVESOutput, MOVESActivityOutput and MOVESRun) and converts them into tab-delimited 

text files that can be read by a spreadsheet program such as Excel or Lotus123. This is useful if 

you do not want to work with the results in the MySQL relational database format. In MOVES, 

this can also be done with the Summary Reporting feature. Both scripts work with Inventory 

output, not Emission Rate output. 

A third script, EmissionRates.sql, divides the emission totals in the MOVESOutput table 

by the distance traveled totals in the MOVESActivityOutput table. The resulting values are in 

units of grams/vehicle-mile. A rate will be produced for each line of output. Depending on what 

was selected in the Output Emission Detail panel of the RunSpec, this could be one aggregate rate, 

or many disaggregate rates (e.g., one rate for each source type, fuel type, and model year). The 

script produces a new table in the output database called emissionrates. 

The remaining scripts were developed to automate the process of calculating emission 

factors for use in air quality modeling. Once MOVES has been run at the project-level, the scripts 

may be used to appropriately sum emissions from each of the relevant processes into one aggregate 

link emission rate. For CO analyses, the following three scripts are available: 

CO_Grams_Per_Hour.sql, CO_Grams_Per_Veh_Mile.sql, and 

CO_CAL3QHC_EmissionFactors.sql. Each script automates the post-processing steps 

described in Section 2.5 of the EPA guidance document, “Using MOVES in Project-Level Carbon 

Monoxide Analyses” (EPA420-B-10-041, December 2010). Depending on the purpose of the CO 

analysis, you can choose to generate link specific emission rates for CO as either grams per hour or 

grams per vehicle-mile. Additionally, a script is available that produces both free flow emission 

rates (grams per vehicle-mile) and idle emission rates (grams per vehicle-hour) which may be used 

in the CAL3QHC dispersion model. Running a script will produce a table in the output database 

that matches the name of the selected script (e.g., CO_grams_per_hour). 

For PM analyses, the following four scripts are available: PM25_Grams_Per_Veh_Mile.sql, 

PM25_Grams_Per_Hour.sql, PM10_Grams_Per_Veh_Mile.sql, and 

PM10_Grams_Per_Hour.sql. Each script automates the post-processing steps described in 

Section 4.6 of the EPA guidance document: "Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative 

Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas” (EPA420-B-10-040, 

December 2010). You can generate link-specific emission rates or PM2.5 and PM10 as either grams 

per vehicle-mile or grams per hour, whichever may be needed for dispersion modeling. Running a 

script will produce a table in the output database that matches the name of the selected script (e.g., 

PM25_grams_per_veh_mile). 

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Each script has limited error checking and you should ensure that you follow all recommendations 

in the relevant EPA guidance document when running MOVES and executing a post-processing 

script. 

!Tip	 The Run MySQL Script on Output Database Post Processing feature of MOVES also 

allows you to run user-created MySQL scripts. Each user-created post-processing script 

must be a text file containing Structured Query Language (SQL) commands, and 

containing a .SQL file extension. Detailed instructions on writing a MySQL script are 

beyond the scope of this document. To access a user-created script from the tool bar, the 

completed script must be saved to the OutputProcessingScripts subfolder of the Database 

subfolder of the MOVES program folder. In other words, the path should be similar to the 

following: C:\...\MOVES\Database\OutputProcessingScripts. 

2.3.5.2 Produce Summary Report 

The Produce Summary Report menu option allows you to summarize and report the 

output of one or more MOVES runs in a variety of ways. Reports can be viewed on the screen, 

printed, or saved in an ASCII text form that is easily imported into other software formats such as 

Microsoft Excel. The Summary Reporter makes it easy to display and print summary reports of 

MOVES Output information and convert them to ASCII text files. For the Summary Reporter to 

operate properly, the RunSpec which produced the output, or one sufficiently similar to it, needs to 

be loaded in MOVES. 

When Produce Summary Report is selected and suitable RunSpec has been loaded, a 

pop-up appears asking you to specify an emission process to be reported. The default option 

(which is the only option if the run did not distinguish results by emission process) is to combine 

the output results for all emission processes included in the RunSpec. But in many cases, you will 

want to select an emission process from the drop down list. 

Clicking OK allows you to specify the content and level of report aggregation. 

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This screen allows you to: 

1. Give the report a title. The default title is "Summary Report", but you may change this in 

the text field. 

2. Specify the base portion of the table names which will be used to store various portions of 

the report. The default file name root is "Summary Report", but you should change this in the 

text field. 

Caution! Files which already have this base file name will be overwritten without warning if 

reports are generated with the same base file name. 

3. Select the Run Number(s), Categories, and Data Items to be reported. The Add or Add All 

buttons may be used to select the Run Number(s), Categories and Data Items. Highlighting 

one entry and pressing the Add button will move the selected item to the Selection box 

below. Pressing the Add All button selects all items and moves them to the Selection box 

below. The order in the Selection boxes for Categories and Data Items may be changed 

using the up and down arrows to the right of the Selection boxes. Similarly, the items in the 

Selection boxes may be removed by using the Remove or the Remove All buttons below 

the Selection boxes. 

4. Choose the categories to be distinguished in the report. At least one category must be 

selected. The category list is based on the run specification. The fewer categories selected, 

the more aggregate the report will be. Dimensions not distinguished when the run was 

made are not included. In this example, one category, MOVESRunID, has been selected. 

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!Tip	 If multiple runs are included in the report, you may wish to select the "MOVESRunID" 

category. Otherwise, the results of the multiple runs will be combined in the report. 

Conversely, if only a single run is included in the report, there is little reason to select the 

MOVESRunID category. 

5. Select the data items to be included in the report. At least one data item besides Distance 

must be selected. 

In the following example, Run 1, Distance, Total Energy Consumption, Total Gaseous 

Hydrocarbons, and Methane have been selected. These items will be reported by yearID and 

sourceTypeID and FuelTypeID. 

Caution! If the output data is disaggregated by day or hour, the output database will contain 

results for only two days in each month - a weekday (dayID 5) and a weekend-day 

(dayID 2). In this case, Summary Reporter should not be used to display results for a 

month or year, since the current code erroneously simply sums these two days 

together. You should distinguish by dayID in the report and then externally weight 

the result according to the type of day to see meaningful result for a month (e.g. 22 

weekdays and 9 weekend-days in a 31-day month) or year (e.g. 261 weekdays and 

104 weekend-days in a 365-day year). 

In the example shown above, all report options have been selected. 

When OK is clicked, the screen report appears: 

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Note that the report consists of three tabs: Header, Body, and Decode. The Body tab is 

the default view; the other tabs are accessed by clicking on them. The body of the report contains 

columns for each of the category and data items selected. Clicking on the Header tab displays the 

report title, date and time the report was made, several items of information about the run 

specification, and the emission process covered by the report. Clicking on the Decode tab displays 

the decoded numeric codes included in the report. 

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When you are done viewing the screen report, click Save to save the report, Print to print 

the report, or Close to close the Summary Reporter without printing. 

Caution! The Summary Reporter does not store reporting options, other than the last report title 

and base file name used. Because information is not remembered between Summary 

Reporter runs, you should not close the report until the user is done viewing it. 

2.3.5.3 Produce State/County Map 

The Produce State/County Map menu option allows you to see the RunSpec output 

depicted in color-coded or gray-scaled maps. The maps can illustrate output at the county level, 

and represent value ranges of a single numerical variable which can be selected from a list by the 

user. It should be noted that this is a very basic mapping tool with very specific input 

requirements. For more sophisticated mapping options, you may want to apply GIS tools or other 

software to the MOVES database output. 

For the Produce State/County Map tool to operate properly, the RunSpec which produced 

the output, or one that points to the same output file, needs to be loaded in MOVES. When you 

choose the Produce State/County Map menu option, the Generate State/County Map window 

opens and displays the name of the source database for the map generation at the top of the 

window. (The source database for the map generation is the database containing the output of the 

RunSpec.) 

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To view RunSpec output on a map, first choose a table contained in the output database 

that has CountyID or StateID as a column and associate each emission quantity with each county 

or state selected only once. In other words, if there are multiple entries for the same pollutant in the 

same county, then the Produce State/County Map tool cannot be used. For example, if all 24 

hours were modeled and the level of output detail was chosen to be Hour, then there are at least 24 

values for each pollutant in each county and the MOVESOutput table cannot be used. It is 

possible for the MOVESOutput table to be used if you have appropriately defined or aggregated 

your RunSpec; however, it is more likely that you will have to use the Summary Reporter to 

generate a table that fits the necessary criteria and save it into the output database indicated by the 

currently loaded RunSpec. 

Once a table with the attributes described above is created, it can be selected in the Table 

drop-down menu. The State or County FIPS Column box will be automatically populated with 

CountyID or StateID, instructing the mapping tool to consider output data at the county or state 

level. Next, specify data to depict by selecting an output parameter in the Data Column 

dropdown menu. By choosing a column from the selected table, you instruct the mapping tool to 

use results from the RunSpec to generate the map output. After making selections in this window, 

click Next. 

A window allowing you to define map attributes opens. You can choose Full Color or 

Grayscale using the Colors drop-down box, and can customize the map using the check boxes and 

defining minimum and maximum data values for the emissions output data. When you click Next, 

the map output is generated. 

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2.3.6 Tools 

Tools provides a drop-down menu with the choice Multiple RunSpec Creator, Process 

Done Files and Database Converter. 

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This menu item contains a list of MOVES tools. Currently, the only tool on the list is the 

Multiple RunSpec Creator, which creates a set of new MOVES RunSpec files using the currently 

loaded RunSpec and a user-supplied control file as a template.

 2.3.6.1 Multiple RunSpec Creator 

The Multiple RunSpec Creator creates a set of new MOVES RunSpec files using the 

currently loaded RunSpec information, and additional information in the form of a user-supplied 

control file. The control file is a list of county, year and database data selections in the form of a 

Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file (.xls). The tool produces a set of MOVES RunSpecs and a batch 

(.BAT file) file that can execute the MOVES RunSpecs from the DOS command line (MOVES 

batch files cannot be executed from inside the MOVES GUI). 

Before using the Multiple RunSpec Creator, load or create a viable (all green check 

marks) Runspec (the tool will accept an incomplete RunSpec, but will subsequently generate a set 

of incomplete RunSpecs which require further manual editing). The Multiple RunSpec Creator 

also requires the selection of at least one county and one year in the RunSpec. 

If the menu item Multiple RunSpec Creator is selected, the Multiple RunSpec Creator 

panel opens. The top of the panel contains some reminders about the purpose of the tool and 

mentions the output .BAT file. Error messages and other feedback are provided in the messages 

area at the bottom of the window. 

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Once the panel is opened, use the Create Template button to get started with a Control 

File that uses all the counties and years in the current RunSpec. The Create Template feature will 

fill the Control Filecf with the information available in the RunSpec. However, you may edit the 

Control Filecf and add additional rows and columns of information. You may add additional 

counties, years and database names. For each row in the Control Filecf MOVES will create a new 

RunSpec. 

The figure below shows a template Control File (an .XLS in this case) that will create 

RunSpecs for a list of counties, each with a different output database: 

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!Tip	 If the National SCALE is selected, a set of RunSpecs will be generated for unique 

combinations of county, year and additional text name. Information from the other 

columns will be inserted into the RunSpecs. If the County or Project SCALE is selected, 

a set of RunSpecs will be generated only for unique combinations of county and year. 

Note, in all three cases, you must separately create the required input databases. 

The Control File fields are: 

Field Notes 

CountyID Mandatory. The FIPS ID of the county or custom domain (generic county) in the format 99999 

County 

Description 

Describes the county. This is not mandatory but is helpful as it gets stored within each RunSpec. It 

will be the label for the generic county if the Custom Domain option is used. 

Year Mandatory. A year contained within the current MOVES default database, typically 1990 and 1999-

2050 inclusive. 

Additional Text 

Name 

Optional, 20 characters max. Additional text to be included in both the file name of a RunSpec file 

and in the RunSpec description (which gets stored to the output database during simulation). Since 

this field is used as part of a file name, it cannot contain operating system special characters such as 

& : / \ * ? 

Primary MOVES 

DB 

Name of the primary MOVES database to be used with the RunSpec. If blank, the created RunSpec 

will use the “Custom Input Database” (as set on the Advanced Performance Features panel) of the 

current RunSpec, and if that is blank the created RunSpec will use the MOVES default database 

configured at the time it is executed. This input will never change the name of the Default Database 

in the MOVES Configuration File as shown in the pull down menu item “Settings – Configure 

MOVES”. 

Output DB Name of the database to store the created RunSpec output. If blank, the created RunSpec will use the 

output database of the currently loaded RunSpec, and if that is blank an error message will be shown 

and processing stopped. 

Domain DB When using County or Project domains, MOVES requires an input database specific to the domain. 

If blank, the model will use the database named in the RunSpec. If neither is available, an error 

message will be shown and processing stopped. 

Advanced 

Features DB 

If the “Copy Saved Generator Data” checkbox is marked on the Advanced Performance Features 

panel, this field specifies the database where the data should be saved. 

User DB The MOVES GUI allows users to supply their own custom data using the Manage Input Data Sets 

panel. On that panel, zero or more user databases are listed. Such databases can be specified in the 

Control File in the User DB column and the columns to the right of it. For example, if two databases 

are desired, fill the User DB column with the first database, and fill the next column with the second. 

MOVES places no limit on the number of such user databases. 

After successfully creating a template file, populating the file and saving it as a Control 

File, return to the Multiple RunSpec Creator panel and browse for and select the Control File. 

The name of the Control File will be echoed in the Multiple RunSpec Creator panel to the left of 

the first Browse button. 

The next step is to enter a file name prefix in the File Name Prefix box. This input is a 

mandatory, 150 character limit field that gives a prefix to the file name of each created RunSpec 

and .BAT file. Good usage of this field, perhaps with a project number or metropolitan area name, 

will help preserve the usefulness of the created RunSpecs. 

After setting a prefix, use the second Browse button for an output directory to hold the 

created RunSpecs and .BAT file. Remember that many files may be created, so it may be best to 

create a new directory to hold the new files. 

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The Create RunSpecs button will check input values (control file name, file prefix, and 

output directory), read the control file, report errors, and if there are no errors, create the BAT and 

RunSpec files. Files are only generated if there are no errors. 

As an example, using the above control file and a prefix of “Test”, the files created are: 

As can be seen, the naming convention is: 

<prefix>_<countyID>_<year>[_<additional text>].mrs 

<prefix>_ExecuteRunSpecs.bat 

Note If RunSpecs are for the same county and year, it is important that the additional text be 

unique, otherwise, not all listed RunSpecs will be created. 

The resulting BAT file from the example file is: 

@echo off

rem Script generated by the MOVES Looping Tool

rem Based on control file: 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\ControlFile.xls

rem ----------------------------------------------------------­

rem Command Line Notes:
 

rem "-e DEBUG" logs all types of messages to MOVESbatch.log

rem ----------------------------------------------------------­

echo Changing to the MOVES folder and compiling code...

C: 

cd "C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource" 

call setenv.bat 

call ant compile

rem ----------------------------------------------------------­

echo Running Test_26161_2009_Washtenaw.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26161_2009_Washtenaw.mrs"

echo Running Test_26163_2009_Wayne.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26163_2009_Wayne.mrs"

echo Running Test_26161_2010_Washtenaw.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26161_2010_Washtenaw.mrs"

echo Running Test_26163_2010_Wayne.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26163_2010_Wayne.mrs"

echo Running Test_26161_2011_Washtenaw.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26161_2011_Washtenaw.mrs"

echo Running Test_26163_2011_Wayne.mrs

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -e DEBUG -r 

"C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\Task910LoopingTool\Test_26163_2011_Wayne.mrs" 

This .BAT file can be run as is (via the command line or by double-clicking), or can be 

edited manually for distribution onto multiple MOVES master machines. 

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2.3.6.2 Process DONE Files 

The tool Process DONE Files is an advanced MOVES2010b tool that is not recommended 

for use by most users. The interested user should completely read Configuring MOVES ­

Appendix J before attempting to use this tool. 

2.3.6.3 Database Converter 

The structure of the county data manager and project data manager input databases are 

slightly different between MOVES2010a and MOVES2010b. To facilitate the migration of user 

work from MOVES2010a to MOVES2010b, a conversion tool has been developed. This new tool 

can be accessed in the MOVES Main Menu under the drop down menu item Tools – Database 

Converter. 

A conversion script was created to convert MOVES2010a county and project domain 

databases to MOVES2010b format. This script is located under the database\ConversionScripts 

directory and is named Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql. This is the default script and the tool 

automatically selects it. 

Caution! The GUI contains a Browse button that enables you to search and select an 

alternate conversion script file. This was done for future capability when more 

than one conversion script may be available. It is strongly recommended that you 

do not Browse and use an alternative conversion script for MOVES2010b. 

The Input Database and the New Database boxes are required entries. The name of the 

MOVES2010a county or project database is entered in the Input Database box. The name of the 

MOVES2010b county or project database is entered in the New Database box. After these inputs 

are made, press Convert Database. This tool will create a new county or project input database, 

copy the contents of the MOVES2010a county or project database to the new county or project 

database, and make all necessary structural and data changes to the new database so that it runs on 

MOVES2010b. 

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If you have many county or project databases to convert, an Ant command line tool is 

available to run any conversion script. It must be presented with a MOVES2010a county or 

project input database, the name of a new database to be created, and the name of the conversion 

script to be run. Including the required use of setenv.bat, an example command line is: 

call setenv.bat 

call ant -Dinput=2010Ainput -Doutput=2010Binput -Dscript=Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql convert 

Where "2010Ainput" is the name of the input database you wish to convert and "2010Binput" is 

the name you want to use for the converted (MOVES2010b) input database. You can’t put the 

converted data back into the same input database name. 

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The conversion script (Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql above) is located in a sub-folder of the 

MOVES directory (MOVES20120410\database\ConversionScripts). This script can be run 

interactively in MySQL as well. 

To see the list of all Ant commands available, open a DOS command window and change the 

directory to the MOVES folder. Enter the command "setenv", then the command "ant". You will 

get a list of all of the Ant commands available within MOVES, including the conversion command 

shown above. 

You can create a DOS batch (BAT or CMD) file with a series of conversion commands for each 

database you wish to convert. The BAT file must start with a call to "setenv" then a series of calls 

to Ant. 

Note The DOS "call" command must be used with Ant within a BAT file since Ant itself 

is a BAT file. It is also good practice to include a CD command to ensure the BAT 

file runs in the correct directory. 

An example complete BAT file for three databases is: 

cd C:\MOVES20120410\ 

call setenv.bat 

call ant -Dinput=2010Ainput1 -Doutput=2010Binput1 -Dscript=Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql convert 

call ant -Dinput=2010Ainput2 -Doutput=2010Binput2 -Dscript=Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql convert 

call ant -Dinput=2010Ainput3 -Doutput=2010Binput3 -Dscript=Convert2010A_CDM_PDM.sql convert 

2.3.7 Settings 

The Settings menu includes one option, Configure MOVES. This menu option allows 

you to set the basic MOVES operating configuration. 

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2.3.7.1 Configure MOVES 

First, specify the default input database by identifying the default server on which the 

MOVES input database is stored and the name of the default database. In most cases, "localhost" 

(the MySQL data folder on your own machine) is the desired server, although you may input an 

alternate. Next, choose from a drop-down list to define the default database to be used as a data 

source for the MOVES RunSpec. In most cases, you will choose the default database distributed 

with MOVES. You can also select a server to house the default output database server under the 

SettingsConfigure menu option; "localhost" is appropriate in most cases. The actual output 

database file is named on the General Output panel to specify output parameters as part of the 

MOVES RunSpec setup process. 

Caution! If the Default Input Database is changed, the program should be stopped and 

restarted. This is because the user interface program will have already connected to 

the previously specified database in order to construct the GUI displays; thus the 

GUI may not match the new input database. 

Using the Settings menu option, you can also identify the Shared Distributed Folder 

Path for the MOVES Worker and MOVES Master program modules. This is the Windows folder 

where all intermediate and internal MOVES work files are stored during processing. This folder is 

installed as part of the MOVES program installation. Browse your system to find where this folder 

was installed and indicate the exact location. It may not be the same path as shown in the example 

above. 

!Tip By changing the Shared Distributed Folder Path, you can take advantage of distributed 

processing by having the master and multiple worker computers on the same network “point” 

to a drive and folder that is accessible to all the computers involved. 

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2.3.8 Help 

Help provides access to .pdf versions of the MOVES User Guide and supplies general 

information about the version of MOVES being used. 

Choose MOVES User Guide to open the document in .pdf format. 

Choose About MOVES in the Help menu to obtain the release date of the model. This 

indicates which version of MOVES is open. In addition to the version, the EPA copyright and 

GNU General Public License (GPL) information is provided. The GNU license grants the user, 

free of charge, complete access to the object and source code of the MOVES program for personal 

use. For specific details regarding the GNU license, consult the website 

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/. 

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Appendix A - Using MOVES to Generate Lookup Tables 

MOVES can calculate emission inventories (in total quantity of emissions for a given 

time) or emission rates (emissions divided by distance or population), depending on the selection 

of Inventory or Emission Rates in the Calculation Type section of the Scale panel. 

When modeling a single time and place, the emission rate calculations in MOVES are 

significantly more time consuming and require more computer memory than inventory 

calculations. However, for large scale projects, you may want to use the emission rate 

calculations to create a lookup table of rates that--though a post-processor--can be applied to 

many times and places, thereby reducing total MOVES run time. Successful application of this 

approach requires a clear understanding of the rates calculations in MOVES and careful 

planning. EPA is developing tools to automate the use of this feature to create inputs for EPA’s 

Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model. This section describes the process 

more generally. 

Defining a Scenario 

A scenario defines the set of conditions to which the emission rates may be applied. A 

scenario typically defines a specific fuel mix and set of Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) programs. 

It also assumes a certain pattern of trip activity (number of trips per vehicle per day and the 

distribution of those trips in time). 

Some characteristics of the scenario depend on your choices. If a given age distribution 

is part of the scenario definition, that is, if the lookup table is to be applied only to areas with one 

particular age distribution, the lookup output can be smaller because you do not need output by 

model year. On the other hand, detailing output by model year allows you to apply the lookup 

table to areas with diverse age distributions. 

A scenario generally does not imply specific temperatures or speed distributions. Instead, 

these characteristics are key fields in the output used to match the emission rate with the 

appropriate vehicle activity. 

The Emission Rate Output Tables 

Selecting Emission Rates on the Scale panel populates three additional output tables: 

RatePerDistance, RatePerVehicle and RatePerProfile. The RatePerDistance table stores 

emission rates for emissions that occur while a vehicle is in regular operation. The 

RatePerVehicle and RatePerProfile tables store emissions that occur while a vehicle is 

stationary, on “off network” roadtypes. The latter two tables differ because the emissions in the 

RatePerVehicle depend on the hour and the temperature while emissions in the RatePerProfile 

table also depend on temperatures in previous hours. 

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The following table explains which tables will get results (emission rates) when particular 

emission processes are selected. 

processID processName Emission Rate Table 

1 Running Exhaust RatePerDistance 

2 Start Exhaust RatePerVehicle 

9 Brakewear RatePerDistance 

10 Tirewear RatePerDistance 

11 Evap Permeation RatePerDistance/RatePerVehicle/ 

RatePerProfile 

12 Evap Fuel Vapor Venting RatePerProfile/RatePerDistance 

13 Evap Fuel Leaks RatePerDistance/RatePerVehicle/ 

RatePerProfile 

15 Crankcase Running Exhaust RatePerDistance 

16 Crankcase Start Exhaust RatePerVehicle 

17 Crankcase Extended Idle Exhaust RatePerVehicle 

18 Refueling Displacement Vapor Loss RatePerDistance/RatePerVehicle 

19 Refueling Spillage Loss RatePerDistance/RatePerVehicle 

90 Extended Idle Exhaust RatePerVehicle 

1) RatePerDistance: Includes emissions for the processes that occur while vehicles are 

operating: running exhaust (includes emissions during normal idle at traffic signals, etc), tire 

wear, brake wear, evaporative permeation, evaporative fuel vapor venting, evaporative fuel 

leaks, crankcase running exhaust, refueling displacement and refueling spillage. The hour, day 

and month will not be relevant for most uses because the emissions are normalized with regard to 

activity. For national and county level runs, roadtype and avgspeedbin will be relevant. For 

project-level runs, linkID will be important. 

Fields: 

MOVESScenarioID
	

MOVESRunID
	

yearID
	

monthID
	

dayID
	

hourID
	

linkID
	

pollutantID
	

processID
	

sourceTypeID
	

SCC
	

fueltype ID
	

model year ID
	

roadtype ID
	

avgSpeedBinID
	

temperature 

relhumidity
	

RatePerDistance 

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2) RatePerVehicle: Includes emissions for most processes that occur while vehicles are 

stationary: start exhaust, start crankcase, permeation, liquid leaks, and extended idle (long haul 

combination trucks only). The month will not be relevant for most uses since, in rate 

calculations, it serves primarily as an identifier for the fuel mix and will be redundant with 

MOVESScenarioID, but daytypeid and hourid are important key fields since start and other 

activity vary per vehicle per hour. 

Fields: 

MOVESScenarioID
	

MOVESRunID
	

yearID
	

monthID
	

dayID
	

hourID
	

zoneID
	

pollutantID
	

processID
	

sourceTypeID
	

SCC
	

fueltype ID
	

model year ID
	

temperature
	

RatePerVehicle 

3) RatePerProfile: Includes emissions from the vapor venting process when vehicles 

are stationary. The daytypeid, hourid and temperatureprofileid are important key fields because 

the vapor venting emissions vary depending on activity and previous temperatures. 

Fields: 

MOVES Scenario ID
	

MOVESRunID
	

TemperatureProfileID
	

yearID
	

dayID
	

hourID
	

pollutantID
	

processID
	

sourceTypeID
	

SCC
	

fueltypeID
	

modelyearID
	

temperature
	

RatePerVehicle 

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Setting Up Runs to Generate a Lookup Table 

Setting up an emission rate lookup table for a single scenario requires a number of steps. 

1) Define the scenario, and determine the counties, months, years and day-types in which 

it applies. Using the County Data Manager, you can set up a run for the desired county, year, 

fuel supply, age distribution and I/M program. 

2) Determine the temperatures and temperature profiles to be covered by the lookup 

table. A “temperature profile” is a set of 24 temperatures over the course of a day. If modeling 

NOx, it may also make sense to include relative humidity as a variable. 

Example Temperature Profiles 

0 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

0 5 10 15 20 

Hour of Day 

Temperature (F)

Profile 1 

Profile 2 

Profile 3 

3) Determine which pollutants and processes are of interest. Note that the modeling of 

hydrocarbons is more complicated than the modeling of other pollutants due to the need to 

include evaporative processes, and thus the need to represent temperature profiles as well as 

hourly temperatures. 

4) Organize inputs to generate the most rates in the shortest total runtime, while 

maintaining a manageable output size. If multiple similar calculations are required, it is 

generally a good idea to combine them in the same run. However, due to the different 

requirements for different emission processes, redundant calculations can often be avoided by 

splitting the task into multiple runs. 

a.		 For running exhaust, crankcase running exhaust, and refueling, hour doesn’t 

matter, so 24 temperatures can be modeled as different hours in a single month. If 

more than 24 distinct temperatures are to be modeled, additional temperatures can 

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be modeled using additional months (as long as the fuel characteristics are set to 

be the same for each month). If this approach is used, the month field in the 

output essentially becomes a label for a group of temperatures, and does not 

represent an actual calendar month. 

b.		 For start, crankcase start exhaust, liquid leaks and evaporative permeation, hour 

and temperature matter. Sets of temperatures can be entered as individual 

“months”. Again, this creates output where “month” represents a group of 

temperatures rather than a calendar month. In the illustration above, the three 

temperature profiles could be modeled in a single run as three nominal months, 

one for each profile. Note, however, that Profile 3 shares an hour/temperature 

point with the each of the other profiles (in hour 8 and hour 15). For a lookup 

table with greater scope, it could be efficient to design the runs to eliminate such 

redundancy. 

c.		 Vapor venting emissions depend on hour, temperature and previous temperatures. 

For these emissions, we must model each profile as a separate month. Thus, 

within a given MOVESScenario, monthid becomes equivalent to 

temperatureprofileid. In some cases, it may be appropriate to “bin” similar 

temperature profiles and to apply the results from one profile to a group of similar 

profiles. 

Temperatures (and humidities) can be entered into the MOVES ZoneMonthHour table, 

using MySQL commands or through the County Data Manager (see Meteorology Data 

Importer - Section 2.3.3.4.1 for more information on entering this data). 

. 

Note While activity is “divided out” in the Emission Rates output, the amount of time spent 

driving affects the evaporative emission rates. Therefore, it is important to input 

realistic VMT, Population, Average Speed Distribution and Road Type Distribution 

information. 

Running MOVES to generate Lookup Tables 

MOVES can generate lookup table output using the menu-driven interface, but for largescale modeling, you will probably want to automate execution of a series of runs. See Running 

MOVES from the Command Line - Appendix C and Multiple Run Spec Creator - Section 

2.3.6.1 for information on a tool for creating a set of similar RunSpecs. 

Applying MOVES Emission Rate Output 

To calculate an emissions inventory from emission rate output, rates in RatePerDistance 

values need to be multiplied by the appropriate Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT), and rates in 

RatePerVehicle and RatePerProfile must be multiplied by appropriate vehicle population values. 

Doing this correctly can require a number of considerations. 

1)		 Rather than simply summing all activity in a speed or temperature bin, it is usually 

appropriate to do an interpolation as the rates are applied. For example, to calculate the 

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total emissions from 100 miles of VMT with an average speed of 17.6 mph, a simplistic 

approach would be to multiply all of the VMT by the emission rate for speed bin 5 (17.5 

mph-22.5 mph), however this approach is overly sensitive to even very small changes in 

speed. To reduce these boundary issues, instead interpolate between speed bins (in this 

example, between the rates for speed bin 4 (12.5-17.5) and speed bin 5) based on the 

average speeds for those speed bins. 

2)		 Depending on how the runs were organized, take care not to double-count emissions with 

duplicate emission rates (e.g. if the three profiles illustrated above were each modeled as 

independent months, there would be duplicate values in the ratepervehicle table for 8am 

at 34F, and for 3pm at 87F). A simple join of the rates and population table using hour 

and temperature would create extra rows that you would need to be careful not to include 

in a sum. 

3)	 Be aware that evaporative emissions are stored in all three tables, and all three need to be 

used to fully account for evaporative emissions that occur during both driving and 

parking. The rates in RatePerDistance need to multiplied by the appropriate VMT, and 

the rates in RatePerVehicle and RatePerProfile need to be multiplied by the appropriate 

population. They can then be summed to calculate the total emissions. 

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Appendix B – Working with the MySQL Data 

Appendix B1 - Linking To MySQL Tables from MS OFFICE 2007 

This appendix describes in detail how the user can transform MOVES MySQL tables into 

Microsoft ACCESS 2007 database tables or Microsoft Excel 2007 spreadsheets. This may be 

useful for those who wish to view or manipulate these tables in an alternate format. This 

appendix also explains how to use the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface protocols 

and tools. 

Adding a MySQL database as an ODBC User Data Source 

1. Install MySQL driver, MyODBC-3.51.06.exe. This is part of the normal MOVES 

installation process and can be done by executing the MOVES2010b Installation Suite 

2. Create an ODBC data source with the same name as the folder which corresponds to the 

MySQL database. 

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a. In the Control Panel, select Administrative Tools: 

b. In the Administrative Tools menu, select Data Sources (ODBC): 

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c. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog choose to Add a User Data 

Source. 

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d. The New Data Source should use the MySQL ODBC Driver that was installed earlier. 

Scroll through the list until the MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver is found, click it, and 

click Finish. 

e.		 Next, the database links need to be defined. The values shown below are for a 

database called "movesdefault". The database name should be the name of the folder 

which contains the desired MySQL database files (i.e., the MySQL database name). 

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f. Once the database name and the data source name list an existing MySQL database 

name, the database connection can be checked by clicking Test. 

g.		 The added data source will show up in the list of data sources in the ODBC Data 

Source Administrator dialog. This will finish the process of creating a new ODBC 

data source associated with a particular MySQL database. 

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Using Microsoft Access with MySQL Tables 

1.		 Run an Access .mdb (either a new one or an existing one). 

2.		 On the top menu bar, look for menu items External Data, More, then ODBC Database, 

then Link Tables ... (see picture below). Click on the item Link Tables... 

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3. On the pop-up window like the one shown below, choose Link to the datasource by 

creating a linked table. 

4. Another pop-up window similar to the one below will appear. Click on the tab Machine 

Data Source, to select a database of interest. 

In this example movestestresults is chosen from the Data Source Name column. Select 

OK to load the data into Access. 

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If the Data Source Name of the file is not listed, you must follow the instructions 

provided in the section, How to create a DSN Connection to a MySQL database, 

presented later in this appendix. 

5. Once the data is loaded into access, the Link Tables window shown below will appear. 

This screen displays all of the database tables that are visible in Access. Select the tables 

to view, and click the OK button. 

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For each table selected, choose the fields that uniquely identify the records in the table. 

In the screenshot shown below, three tables have been shown to work with in MS Access: 

baseyearvmt, county, and state. The user can now work with these tables in MS Access. 

Caution! Edits made to the tables or data in MS Access will not affect the original MySQL 

tables and cannot be used directly in MOVES. 

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You can view data specific to a particular state by clicking on the StateName in the table.
	

How to create a DSN Connection to a MySQL database 

If you do not find the MySQL database referenced in the Data Source Name listing in 

MS Access, a DSN connection must be established. In order to do so, click on the Machine 

Data Source tab from the Select Data Source screen. Click the New button, and click Next. 

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At the Create New Data Source Dialog box, select MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver. Click 

Next . 

Click Finish to establish the connection. 

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The Connector/ODBC screen is used to establish the connection from MS Access to the 

MySQL database. Use this screen to define the Data Source Name. Enter “localhost” for 

Server and “ODBC” as User, but leave the Password field blank. 

Note Consider making the Data Source Name similar to the database name, such as 

DSN_DatabaseName. This will make it easier to find. 

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Once the Data Source Name has been created, click Test. The pop-up box 

Connector/ODBC should open, with the message, "Success; connection was made!" Press OK, 

and the pop-up box will disappear. Click OK to create the DSN connection. 

The Data Source Name will now be listed in the Select Data Source window. 

Using Microsoft Excel with MySQL Tables 

Note MySQL Query Browser can also be used to export MySQL database tables to Excel. 

1.		 Follow the instructions in the Adding a MySQL database as an ODBC User Data 

Source in Appendix B-2 for adding the desired MySQL database as an ODBC data 

source. 

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2. Open an Excel file. Click on Data from the top menu bar, and choose From Other 

Sources, then chose ODBC DSN from the dialog window shown below. 

2. From the Connect to ODBC Data Source window, select the desired DSN from the 

list (e.g., "MOVESDB20110808"). Click Next. 

4. Continue by selecting the specific table to display after checking the Connect to a 

specific table: checkbox. 

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5. Continue by accepting the Connection File Name and optionally entering a Description, 

then clicking the Finish button. 

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6. The data from the selected table will be displayed in Excel.
	

7. To reopen the table next time, there is no need to re-invoke the Data Connection Wizard. 

Instead, simply click on Existing Connections to re-select the table data. 

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Appendix B2 – Guide To Linking To MySQL from MS Office 2003 

This appendix describes in detail how to transform MOVES MySQL tables into Microsoft 

ACCESS database tables or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. This may be useful for those who 

wish to view or manipulate these tables in an alternate format. This appendix also explains how 

to use the Open Database Connectivity interface protocols and tools. 

Adding a MySQL database as an ODBC User Data Source 

1. Install MySQL driver, MyODBC-3.51.06.exe. This is part of the normal MOVES 

installation process and can be done by executing the MOVES2010a Installation Suite 

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2. Create an ODBC data source with the same name as the folder which corresponds to the 

MySQL database. 

a.		 In the Control Panel, select Administrative Tools. 

b. In the Administrative Tools menu, select Data Sources (ODBC). 

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c. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog choose to Add a User Data 

Source. 

d. The "New Data Source" should use the MySQL ODBC Driver that was installed 

earlier. Scroll through the list until the MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver is found, click it, 

and click Finish. 

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e.		 Next, the database links need to be defined. The values shown below are for a 

database called "movesdefault". The database name should be the name of the folder 

which contains the desired MySQL database files (i.e., the MySQL database name). 

f. Once the database name and the data source name list an existing MySQL database 

name, the database connection can be checked by clicking Test. 

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g.		 The added data source will show up in the list of data sources in the ODBC Data 

Source Administrator dialog. This will finish the process of creating a new ODBC 

data source associated with a particular MySQL database. 

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Using Microsoft Access with MySQL Tables 

1. Run an Access .mdb (either a new one or an existing one). 

2. On the top menu bar, look for menu items File, Get External Data, then click Link 

Tables ... (see picture below). Click on the item Link Tables... 

3. On the pop-up window like the one shown below, choose ODBC Databases() from the 

drop-down list which is located next to the label Files of type. 

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4. Another pop-up window similar to the one below will appear. Click on the tab Machine 

Data Source, to select a database of interest. 

In this example NMIM20070812 is chosen from the Data Source Name column. Select 

OK to load the data into Access. 

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If the Data Source Name of the file is not listed, the user must follow the instructions 

provided in the section, How to create a DSN Connection to a MySQL database, 

presented later in this appendix. 

5. Once the data is loaded into access, the Link Tables window shown below will appear. 

This screen displays all of the database tables that are visible in Access. Select tables to 

view, and click the OK button. 

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In the following screen shot, the user has chosen three tables to work with in MS Access: 

baseyearvmt, county, and state. The user can now work with these tables in MS Access. 

Caution! Edits made to the tables or data in MS Access will not affect the original MySQL 

tables and cannot be used directly in MOVES. 

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You can view data specific to a particular state by clicking on the StateName in the table.
	

How to create a DSN Connection to a MySQL database 

If you do not find the MySQL database referenced in the Data Source Name listing in 

MS Access, a DSN connection must be established. In order to do so, click on the Machine 

Data Source tab from the Select Data Source screen. Click New, and click Next. 

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At the Create New Data Source Dialog box, select MySQL ODBC 3.51 Driver. Click 

Next. 

Click Finish to begin to establish the connection. 

The Connector/ODBC screen is used to establish the connection from MS Access to the 

MySQL database. Use this screen to define the Data Source Name. 

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Note Consider making the Data Source Name similar to the database name, such as 

DSN_DatabaseName. This will make it easier to find. 

Once the Data Source Name has been created, select the Test button. The pop-up box 

Connector/ODBC should open, with the message, "Success; connection was made!" Press OK, 

and the pop-up box will disappear. Click OK to create the DSN connection. 

The Data Source Name will now be listed in the Select Data Source window. 

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Using Microsoft Excel with MySQL Tables 

Note MySQL Query Browser can also be used to export MySQL database tables to Excel. 

1. Follow the instructions in the section, Adding a MySQL Database as an ODBC User 

Data Source, for adding the desired MySQL database as an ODBC data source. 

2. Open an Excel file. Click on Data from the top menu bar, and choose Import External 

Data. Select New Database Query from the sub-menu window. This will open the 

Choose Data Source window. 

3. From the Choose Data Source window, select the desired DSN from the list (e.g., 

"MOVESDB"), then click OK. 

4. Click the OK button in the mysql Driver connect window. 

5. Follow the instructions posted by the Wizard until finished. 

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Appendix C - Running MOVES from the Command Line 

The MOVES command line allows MOVES2010b to be executed without running its 

graphical user interface. It is useful in situations where repeated or unattended runs are needed, 

or when another computer program executes MOVES. This interface presumes that a MOVES 

run specification file has been prepared and that you are running from the DOS prompt. 

These instructions presume some familiarity with DOS commands. The DOS commands 

to execute the MOVES Command Line Interface are: 

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -r runspecfile 

[OR] 

java -XmxNNNm gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -r runspecfile 

[OR] 

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -rl runspeclistfile 

[OR] 

java XmxNNNm gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -rl runspeclistfile 

where 

-XmxNNNm is an optional parameter and NNN is a three digit integer number. For 

example, –Xmx200m specifies you are asking Java to allocate 200 megabytes of heap memory 

for your runs. This optional parameter is required only if your MOVES runs need more heap 

memory than the default determined automatically by Java and your machine. The actual 

maximum amount of heap memory that you can ask for depends on your machine. You can 

increase or decrease the amount of heap memory as your machine allows. For example, 

java -Xmx512m gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -rl runspeclistfile 

[OR] 

java –Xmx512m gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine -r runspecfile 

"runspecfile" is the name of a file containing a saved MOVES run specification (e.g. 

“C:\YourPATHto\YourRunSpecName.mrs”) and "runspeclistfile" is the name of a text file 

containing a list of run specification file names, with one per line. The rest of the syntax is 

literal. The spelling of "MOVESCommandLine" is case sensitive because it is a Java class 

name. When doing a batch run, you can identify the RunSpec list text file in the command line 

using quotes because it is located in a folder with spaces (e.g. “C:\My Documents"). However, 

the command line doesn't work if you put quotes in the RunSpec list file itself. The command 

line will think the file doesn't exist. 

By executing one of these commands, you run the Java interpreter (java.exe). 

MOVESCommandLine is a DOS parameter telling java.exe which Java class file to begin 

executing, and the last two tokens are parameters passed to MOVESCommandLine. Either 

version of this command can be executed from a DOS batch file, and batch files can contain 

multiple commands. Prior to executing the command, the active directory should be set to the 

location where MOVES is installed, typically C:\Program Files\MOVES, and the SETENV.BAT 

file should be executed. 

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It can be difficult for DOS to find everything. For the command to work, three elements 

must be found: 

• The Java interpreter. 

• The MOVESCommandLine Java class. 

• Any runspeclistfile and all runspecfiles. 

Running SETENV.BAT insures that the Java interpreter is found. Running 

SETENV.BAT also insures that the procedure described in the next paragraph results in the 

MOVESCommandLine Java class being found. Java experts can also use the CLASSPATH 

environment variable more directly to locate Java class files. 

If MOVES has been installed in the default location, C:\Program 

Files\MOVESyyyymmdd, then MOVESCommandLine.class is located at C:\Program 

Files\MOVESyyyymmdd\gov\epa\otaq\moves\master\commandline. This can be made the 

active directory, or the command can specify whatever part of the path is needed. For example, 

if the active directory is C:\Program Files\MOVESyyyymmdd, the command line interface class 

would be specified as "gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine". 

One way to insure that the runspecfile or the runspeclistfile is found is to specify the full 

path. If a simple file name is used the file should be located in the active DOS directory. 

If the GUI is used to create an importer XML file (see Tools - Section 2.3.3.3), the XML 

file can be edited and executed via the command line. Remember that when using the command 

line, text output is not sent to the screen but instead stored in MOVESBatch.log. An example 

command line is: 

java gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine 

-i importAllFromTemplates.xml 

Be sure to place all of this on one line. The “-i” option directs MOVES to the XML file 

that describes the import actions to occur. Note that this XML file contains a summary of the 

RunSpec within it, thus allowing wildcards even when importing via the command line. For 

MOVES installations on Windows 2000 platforms, there may be a problem with the DOS 

command string length not allowing more than 126 characters. To resolve this, move MOVES to 

the root of C: drive (C:\MOVES\), so that the length of the command line string will be shorter. 

Note that Windows2000 is not a recommended or supported environment in which to run 

MOVES. 

If the GUI is used to create an importer XML file (see Tools - Section 2.3.3.3), the XML 

file can be edited and executed via the command line. Remember that when using the command 

line, text output is not sent to the screen but instead stored in MOVESBatch.log. 

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Appendix D - Creating an On-Road Retrofit Input File 

The On-Road Retrofit strategy allows you to enter information about diesel trucks and 

buses that have been retrofitted with emission control equipment. An On-Road Retrofit 

Parameters File must be input to the MOVES model to model on-road vehicle retrofit effects. 

This file can be in tab-delimited text, comma-delimited (*.csv), or Microsoft Excel (*.XLS) 

format. Create the Retrofit Parameters File by using either a text editor such as Wordpad or 

Notepad, or a spreadsheet such as Excel. 

Header and Comment Rows 

The first row of the Retrofit Parameter File must be a header row that contains the retrofit 

input parameter names separated by tabs. The remaining rows of the file contain the retrofit 

parameters. Comment rows are allowed if the first character in the row or the first cell in the 

tabbed file or *.XLS file is the '#' character. 

Retrofit Parameter File Format 

The Retrofit Parameter File must contain the following ten parameters in the order listed. 

Each parameter's possible values are provided. 

1. Retrofit Pollutant 

This column must contain the full MOVES pollutant name or the pollutant abbreviation 

for which you wish to model retrofit data. (In MOVES the user may not use the MOVES 

PollutantID number.) The data must appear exactly as shown in Table D-1 below, except that the 

pollutant abbreviation and/or full name input are not case sensitive. 

Table D-1 

Retrofit Parameter File Pollutants
 

PollutantID Full MOVES Pollutant Name Pollutant Abbreviation 

1 Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons HC 

2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) CO 

3 Oxides of Nitrogen NOX 

5 Methane (CH4) CH4 

6 Nitrous Oxide (N2O) N2O 

90 Atmospheric CO2 AT CO2 

91 Total Energy Consumption TotEnergy 

92 Petroleum Energy Consumption PetEnergy 

93 Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption FossilEnergy 

(cont.) 

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Table D-1 

Retrofit Parameter File Pollutants (cont.)
 

PollutantID Full MOVES Pollutant Name Pollutant Abbreviation 

98 CO2 Equivalent CO2EQ 

101 Primary PM10 - Organic Carbon PM10OC 

102 Primary PM10 - Elemental Carbon PM10EC 

105 Primary PM10 - Sulfate Particulate PM10Sulfate 

106 Primary PM10 - Brakewear Particulate PM10Brake 

107 Primary PM10 - Tirewear Particulate PM10Tire 

111 Primary PM2.5 - Organic Carbon PM25OC 

112 Primary PM2.5 - Elemental Carbon PM25EC 

115 Primary PM2.5 - Sulfate Particulate PM25Sulfate 

116 Primary PM2.5 - Brakewear Particulate PM25Brake 

117 Primary PM2.5 - Tirewear Particulate PM25Tire 

2. Retrofit Emission Process Input 

This column must contain the full MOVES process name or the ProcessID abbreviation 

for which you wish to model retrofit data. In MOVES, do not use MOVES ProcessID. The data 

must appear exactly as shown in Table D-2 below, except that the ProcessID abbreviation and 

full name are not case sensitive. 

Table D-2 

Retrofit Parameter File Processes
 

ProcessID Full MOVES Process Name Process Abbreviation 

1 Running Exhaust Running 

2 Start Exhaust Start 

90 Extended Idle Exhaust Extended Idle 

9 Brakewear Brake 

10 Tirewear Tire 

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3. Retrofit Fuel Type Input 

This column must contain the full MOVES fuel name or the fuel abbreviation for which 

you wish to model retrofit data. In MOVES, do not use FuelTypeID. The data must appear 

exactly as shown in Table D-3 below, except that the fuel abbreviation and full name are not case 

sensitive. 

Table D-3 

Retrofit Parameter File Fuel Types
 

FuelTypeID 

Full MOVES Fuel Type 

Name Fuel Type Abbreviation 

1 Gasoline Gas 

2 Diesel Fuel Diesel 

5 Ethanol (E85) Ethanol 

4. Retrofit Vehicle Source Type Input 

This column must contain the Sourcetype abbreviation or the full MOVES Sourcetype 

name for which you wish to model retrofit data. In MOVES, do not use SourceTypeID number. 

The data must appear exactly as shown in Table D-4 below, except that the sourcetype 

abbreviation and full name input are not case sensitive. 

In MOVES2010b, diesel (FuelTypeID = 2) vehicles with the following SourceTypeIDs 

are covered by the Retrofit Calculations: 32, 41, 42, 43, 51, 52, 53, 61, and 62. 

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Table D-4 

Retrofit Parameter File Source Types
 

SourceTypeID 

Full MOVES Vehicle 

SourceType Name SourceType Abbreviation 

11 Motorcycle* MC 

21 Passenger Car* Car 

31 Passenger Truck* PTruck 

32 Light Commercial Truck ComTruck 

51 Refuse Truck RefuseTruck 

52 Single Unit Short-Haul Truck SUShortTruck 

53 Single Unit Long-Haul Truck SULongTruck 

54 Motor Home MH 

43 School Bus SBus 

42 Transit Bus TBus 

41 Intercity Bus IBus 

61 Combination Short-haul Truck CShortTruck 

62 Combination Long-haul Truck CLongTruck 

* These sourcetypes should not be used in retrofit input files. 

MOVES compares inputs for pollutant, process, fuel type, and source type with the stored 

retrofit possibilities and prompts you if an incorrect name, abbreviation or number for pollutant, 

process, fuel type, or source type is entered. 

5. Initial Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation 

The Initial Calendar Year of the Retrofit Implementation is the first calendar year that a 

retrofit program is administered. Initial Calendar Year input must be equal to or less than the 

Final Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation. All months within a calendar year are affected 

equally by the retrofit. 

6. Final Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation 

The Final Calendar Year of the Retrofit Implementation is the last calendar year that a 

retrofit program is administered. Final Calendar Year input must be equal to or greater than the 

Initial Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation. 

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7. Initial Model Year that will be Retrofitted 

The Initial Model Year that will be Retrofit is the first model year of coverage for a 

particular vehicle class/pollutant combination. Valid entries for initial model year must meet the 

following mathematical requirement: 

Initial Model Year ≥ Initial Calendar Year - 30 

The Initial Model Year cannot be greater than the Final Model Year that will be Retrofit. 

8. Final Model Year that will be Retrofitted 

The Final Model Year that will be retrofitted is the last model year of coverage for a 

particular vehicle class/pollutant combination. No retrofit will be performed on Final Model 

Year input which is larger than the Evaluation Calendar Year. Also, the Final Model Year input 

cannot be less than the Initial Model Year that will be retrofitted. 

9. Percentage of the Fleet Retrofit per Year 

The Percentage of the Fleet Retrofit per Year represents the percentage of VMT of a 

particular fleet of a particular vehicle class, retrofit calendar year group, model year group, and 

pollutant combination that is to be rebuilt in a given calendar year. For a successful retrofit 

simulation, a value greater than zero and less than or equal to 100.0% must be entered. MOVES 

checks to ensure that the product of the number of calendar years of retrofit coverage (Final 

Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation - Initial Calendar Year of Retrofit Implementation) 

and the Percentage of the Fleet Retrofit per Year does not exceed 100%. For example, a retrofit 

simulation will be flagged as invalid, and an error message will appear, if the simulation has a 

retrofit program start in calendar year 2005, a program end in calendar year 2008, and a yearly 

Fleet Retrofit Percentage of 50% (3 * 50% > 100%). 

10. Percentage Effectiveness of the Retrofit 

The Percentage Effectiveness of the Retrofit is the percent emission reduction achieved by a 

retrofit. It is computed from a non-retrofit emission baseline. You must enter a retrofit 

effectiveness value for a particular vehicle class, retrofit calendar year group, model year group, 

and pollutant combination. All values up to 100% are valid. A negative value is permitted 

because it implies an emission increase as a result of retrofit, which can occur. A value greater 

than 100% is not permitted because it implies negative emissions will be generated. See also 

EPA’s guidance on quantifying benefits from retrofits at 

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/stateresources/transconf/policy.htm. 

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Appendix E - Best Practices 

There are several best practices that can assist in managing various aspects of the 

MOVES process. In particular, we have found it helpful to be careful and consistent in naming, 

managing & documenting RunSpecs and files. 

NOTE MOVES database names must be consistent with MySQL naming conventions. 

In general, this means they may contain letters, numbers, "_"(underscore) and "$" 

characters. They may not contain spaces, special characters, or be "reserved 

words" (SQL words such as "select", "where", "delete", etc.). 

Table E-1 

MOVES Best Practices
 

Suggestion Rationale Example 

Name all your MOVES Prevents overwriting Washtenaw2008_MO (for 

output databases with a code input files; makes it MOVES Output) or 

indicating that the database easier to identify output Washtenaw2008_out 

includes MOVES output. files. 

When testing MOVES, 

name output with "Temp" or 

other indicator. 

Mysql/data folder can get 

cluttered. This allows 

you to clean up more 

easily. 

Washtenaw2008_temp_MO 

Name all your MOVES Helps you organize your Washtenaw2008_IN 

input databases and strategy inputs and prevents you 

files with a code indicating from inadvertently 

that the database contains damaging important input 

MOVES alternate input data. information. 

Name all your MOVES 

RunSpec files with a code 

indicating that the file 

contains a MOVES 

RunSpec. 

Helps you organize your 

input information and can 

be used to locate files 

using a search. 

Washtenaw2008.mrs (for 

MOVES Run Specification) or 

Washtenaw2008_mrs.txt 

Name all the files you use Helps you organize your Washtenaw2008_in, 

for a specific run using the information. Washtenaw2008.mrs, 

same name, but with 

extensions to identify the 

parts (see file naming 

suggestions above). 

Washtenaw2008_mo 

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Suggestion Rationale Example 

Keep all of your RunSpecs 

in the same directory as the 

import files associated with 

that RunSpec. This folder 

should be outside the folders 

installed by MOVES so that 

it will not be overwritten 

when installing a new 

version of MOVES. 

MOVES will first look in 

the location of the 

RunSpec when browsing 

for import files, so 

keeping them all in one 

place keeps you from 

searching for the files that 

will be imported. 

My Documents\MOVES\ 

[CountyYear] 

Decide on the Scale and 

Calculation Type you wish 

to use before making 

selections on any other 

panels. 

Changing the Scale or 

Calculation Type option 

after making choices in 

other panels may require 

you to re-enter data for 

those panels. 

Using the description panel 

is helpful when trying to 

discriminate between several 

runs. Think about filling out 

some sort of repeatable 

formula such as date, 

relevant important 

parameters, who is doing the 

run, etc. 

Note that MOVES preserves 

these descriptions in the 

movesrun output table for 

future reference. 

Documentation of the 

RunSpec is very 

important, especially if 

many scenarios are being 

processed. 

2010_01_01; John Doe; 

Washtenaw County; 2010; July 

Every run used for any 

official purpose should be 

archived completely. All 

batch files, RunSpecs, 

MOVES code and 

configuration files, 

supplemental code copied 

into MOVES by batch files, 

default database, user input 

databases, etc. should be 

saved. File location can be 

added as the “Description” 

when the file is imported. 

Months or years later, the 

run can be reproduced by 

anyone opening the 

archive. 

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Suggestion Rationale Example 

If they are not too large, 

output related runs should be 

saved to the same MySQL 

database. 

Combined with useful 

RunSpec descriptions, 

you can keep all the data, 

and its description in a 

single place. Looking at 

the Moves Run table in 

that database can be very 

informative. 

Always “GROUP BY” 

MOVESRunID, PollutantID, 

and DayID when summing 

output results. 

If a table includes output 

from multiple runs, it is 

very easy to mistakenly 

sum them together, 

thereby drastically 

increasing emissions. 

Emissions from different 

pollutants should never 

be summed. The types of 

day must be correctly 

weighted before they can 

be summed. 

SELECT MOVESRunID, DayID, 

PollutantID, sum(emissionquant) 

FROM MOVESOutput 

GROUP BY MOVESRunID, 

DayID, PollutantID; 

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Appendix F – Stage II Refueling Control Programs 

Stage II refueling emission control programs are intended to reduce HC and associated 

air toxics emissions by reducing the amount of gasoline vapor that escapes to the atmosphere 

during refueling. The Refueling Displacement Vapor Losses and the Refueling Spillage Losses 

processes are affected by Stage II. Stage II controls reduce the amount of fuel spilled due to 

"spitback". No other emission processes should be affected by Stage II control programs. The 

amount of reduction depends on whether the vehicle has an onboard recovery system and the 

level of uncontrolled emissions. The uncontrolled emissions are calculated from inputs such as 

fuel RVP, vehicle fuel economy, and temperature parameters. Stage II programs are run by 

state, local or tribal governments and the effects of these programs will vary depending on the 

number of locations and the sales volume of stations equipped with Stage II recovery systems 

and their average state of repair. 

The MOVES database contains information about all of the existing Stage II programs by 

county based on the parameters used for the 2005 National Emission Inventory (NEI). For the 

initial release of MOVES, the effects of Stage II programs can only be altered by manually 

editing the tables used by MOVES to obtain the Stage II control information. Future versions of 

MOVES are expected to include graphical user interface (GUI) tools to assist in altering Stage II 

program effects for individual counties. Until these tools are available, this appendix is intended 

to assist in making changes to the default parameters related to the effect of Stage II programs on 

refueling emissions. 

Stage II refueling emission control programs can only affect refueling losses that occur 

during refueling. Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) systems on modern vehicles are 

designed to minimize the refueling losses without Stage II controls. These reductions are already 

accounted for by MOVES, so that the additional control of Stage II will only affect the 

remaining refueling losses from these ORVR vehicles. 

Only the most recent 31 model years of vehicles in the evaluation calendar year are 

simulated when MOVES is run. When the fleet is entirely composed of vehicles subject to 

ORVR rules, the only value of Stage II controls will be to control refueling vapors from vehicles 

with damaged ORVR systems. Until that time, having a Stage II control program always adds to 

the control of refueling losses, since there are always some vehicles without ORVR controls that 

will benefit from a Stage II program. The remaining Stage II benefits depend on the program 

design, including the scope (which stations have the program) and effectiveness (how much of 

the equipment is operational). MOVES does not account for any effects on the emissions from 

refueling station gasoline storage tanks when Stage II is used in combination with vehicles 

equipped with ORVR systems. 

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County Year Table 

The MOVES database contains a table named CountyYear which contains information 

about each county for every calendar year. This table contains two fields that determine the 

Stage II program effects: 

o refuelingVaporProgramAdjustment 

o refuelingSpillProgramAdjustment 

The refuelingVaporProgramAdjustment field is a number between zero and one (1.0) 

which indicates the fraction that is the reduction in full uncontrolled refueling displacement 

vapor losses that result from the Stage II recovery program that county in that calendar year. The 

refuelingSpillProgramAdjustment field is a number between zero and one (1.0) which indicates 

the fraction that is the reduction in full uncontrolled refueling fuel spillage losses that result from 

the Stage II recovery program that county in that calendar year. A value of zero would indicate 

that the program had no effect and a value of one would indicate that all uncontrolled vehicle 

refueling emissions had been eliminated. 

Updating Refueling Adjustments Using MySQL Query Browser 

The simplest way to change an existing Stage II program effect is to use the MySQL 

Query Browser application to open the appropriate table and manually change the existing 

values, but NEVER change values in a default MOVES database provided by EPA. MOVES is 

designed to easily provide replacement values for default values using MySQL tables via the 

Manage Input Data Sets panel on the MOVES graphical user interface (GUI). Using the 

Manage Input Data Sets panel, type the name you wish to use for the database which will hold 

your Stage II estimates into the Database drop-down box. Now click the Create Database 

button and you will create a database to hold your information. The name will have to meet the 

criteria for database names (no spaces, no special characters) and we suggest it include text to 

help you identify its contents and purpose (for example, StageII_Input). 

Once you have an input database, you can open the MySQL Query Browser to work with 

the tables. If the Query Browser is already open, you may need to right-click in the Schemata 

panel and refresh the list of database. Once you find your database, double-click on the name 

and that will show you all of the tables it contains. The database will contain empty versions of 

every table used by MOVES. The table that contains the Stage II program adjustments is called 

CountyYear and contains only four fields: 

o countyID 

o yearID 

o refuelingVaporProgramAdjustment 

o refuelingSpillProgramAdjustment 

Double click on the CountyYear table and the SQL Query Area panel should show an 

SQL command: 

SELECT * FROM MOVESDB20100118.countyyear c; 

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You can execute that command by pressing the green "lightning bolt" button or by pressing the 

Ctrl-Return keys. This will execute the SQL command and display the contents of the table. 

There are thousands of lines for every county and year in the nation. You can edit the SQL 

command to select only your location. For Washtenaw County, Michigan, for the 2010 calendar 

year, the appropriate SQL command would be:

 SELECT * FROM MOVESDB20100826.countyyear c where countyID=26161 and 

yearend=2010; 

All SQL commands must end in a semi-colon. 

If you create an alternate database, as suggested in the Appendix, the CountyYear table 

in that database will be empty. You can enter values into each field using the Edit button at the 

bottom of the panel. Once you click on the Edit button, you can double click on each empty cell 

and enter a value. Be sure to execute the Apply Changes button to save any alterations. 

Now return to the Manage Input Data Sets panel and select your database from the dropdown menu. You can add additional description text and then click the add button. When you 

include this database in your run specification, MOVES will use your values in preference to any 

default values in the MOVES database. 

The other empty tables may be deleted from your database. Leaving them will not harm 

your RunSpec (since the tables are empty), but they can be confusing. To delete empty tables, 

go to the Query Browser, double click on the database to show the tables and right click on the 

table you wish to delete. Choose drop table from the menu and the table will be removed from 

that database. Multiple tables can be selected by using the CTRL or Shift buttons. 

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Appendix G - MOVES Project Level Example 

Definition of the MOVES Project 

In this example RunSpec, MOVES was used to generate emission inventory estimates for 

a hypothetical scenario where heavy-duty vehicle traffic is entering and departing a parking lot 

using a single roadway. Since this example is only for illustration of the MOVES software 

features, it was kept simple intentionally. It does not represent any specific real-world project. 

The Project constraints are: 

1. There are only two links (inbound and outbound from a parking lot). 

2. The two links and the off-network link are independent of each other. 

3. A single off-network link contains all of the parking, extended idle and vehicle 

start operations. 

4. Only heavy-duty vehicles operate on the roadway and are present in the offnetwork area. 

5. The project example only models nitrogen oxide (NOx). 

6. One hour of operation was selected. If the user desired to model additional hours, 

then additional MOVES Projects need to be created. 

Parking Lot Roadway Link 

Figure G1 Basic Schematic of the Project 

Figure G1 shows a basic schematic of the Project to be modeled. It consists of a parking 

lot and a two-way road link leading in and out of the parking lot. The specific modeling 

parameters are shown and discussed in Tables G1, G2 and G3 below. 

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Table G1 

Summary of On-road Project Level Parameters 

Location County Washtenaw County, Michigan 

Calendar Year 2009 

Month January 

Time 11:00 PM to 11:59:59 PM (hour 24) 

Weekday/Weekend Weekday 

Temperature 28.5 F 

Humidity 69.5 % 

Road type of links (link1 and link 2) Rural Unrestricted Access – can represent 

any non freeway rural road 

Roadway Link Length (both links) 0.997 miles 

Link Traffic Volume – In (link 1) 100 vehicles per hour 

Link Traffic Volume – Out (link 2) 10 vehicles per hour 

Link Average Speed – In (link 1) 28.5 miles per hour 

Link Average Speed – Out (link 2) 28.5 miles per hour 

Average Road Grad – In (link1) 0.857 percent 

Average Road Grad – Out (link2) -0.857 percent 

Number of Vehicle in Parking Lot (link 3) 200 vehicle on average 

Only one county may be chosen for a given project level run. In this example, 

Washtenaw County, Michigan was chosen. Any of the 3,222 counties or a custom domain 

(defined by the user) may be chosen. Also, only one calendar year, one month and one hour may 

be chosen for a given project level run. If you desire to model more than one such entity (i.e., all 

24 hours), then you must perform additional and separate project level runs. It is suggested for 

such runs that you employ MOVES batch mode features. A project level run may include either 

weekday activity, weekend activity or both. In this example, only weekday was run. A 

temperature of 28.5F and relative humidity of 69.5 % were also specified. These are the default 

MOVES values for this county, month and hour. However, any appropriate value may be 

entered for these parameters. 

More than one pollutant/process combination may be modeled in a given project level 

run if the required inputs are entered. In MOVES, some pollutants are ‘chained’ to other 

pollutants. This means that they require the prerequisite calculation of another pollutant(s). If 

the pollutant to be modeled in the Project level is a ‘chained’ pollutant, then a complete set of 

Project level inputs must be entered for all of the required prerequisite pollutants. For example, 

if you wish to model total PM2.5 emissions, inputs must be entered for elemental carbon, organic 

carbon, sulfate and total energy pollutants. 

Currently, MOVES Project level cannot model evaporative emission processes. 

However, this capability will be added to future model upgrades. 

For each roadway link, you must specify a MOVES road type which best represents it. In 

this example, the rural unrestricted access road type was chosen to represent both links. Any of 

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the four roadtypes may be chosen to represent each Project link. You must also specify a link 

length in miles for each roadway link you wish to model. In this case, because the example is 

modeling the same roadway in and out of the parking lot, both links are 0.997 miles in length. 

The traffic volume must also be specified for each link. This is the total average traffic 

flow from all vehicle types on the link during the hour period. In this simple example, all of the 

vehicles are heavy-duty trucks, but in general, any or all of the MOVES vehicle source types 

may be included at the same time in a project level run. 

The average speed on each link must also be specified. In this example, where drive 

schedule inputs are used to represent activity of all of the roadway links, the average speed 

inputs in the Links spreadsheet/input GUI tab are used only for internal calculations in the 

project level model to determine the source hours operating (i.e., how long does it take to 

traverse the link). However, they should match the overall average speed(s) of the individual 

drive cycles as submitted in the LinkDriveSchedule tab. In this case, both the inbound and 

outbound links had the same average speed of 28.5 mph. It is your responsibility to ensure they 

match – no automatic checks are done. 

The average road grade (in percent grade units) may also be specified for each link. This 

input represents the overall average grade of the entire link not one specific section of it. It is 

used only if a drive schedule input is not provided (i.e., it will NOT be used in this example). 

However, in this example, the values of 0.857 and -0.857 percent were entered as placeholders 

(the actual average of each second of the drive schedule inbound and outbound). 

In this example, MOVES will use second-by-second driving schedules to model vehicle 

operation. If drive schedules are not provided, MOVES uses the average speed and average 

grade inputs plus default MOVES driving cycles to model the driving behavior. When drive 

schedules are entered, different emission results may be produced even if the average speed or 

average grade of the driving schedules match the average speed/grade input entered in the Links 

spreadsheet tab. 

Figure G2 shows the two driving schedules of this example project in graphical form. 

Link 1 - inbound shown in blue, has vehicles entering the parking lot at 30 mph and eventually 

coming to a stop. Link 2 - outbound shown in dotted pink has driving starting at zero mph and 

accelerating to a 30 mph cruise. These are simple idealized cycles that are for illustration only. 

Note that the two cycles overlap each other at 30 mph on the figure, and are consequently hard to 

read. The driving schedule data and the chart are contained in the input workbook 

Project_Example1_input.xls in the worksheets DriveScheduleSecondLink and Link Drive 

Schedule Chart. 

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Figure G2
	

Speed / Time Trace for Example Links 

Speed (mph)

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 

Time (seconds) 

Link 1
 

Link 2
 

The distribution of the traffic by MOVES source type is an additional input. It is entered 

as the SourceTypeHourFraction in the LinkSourceType worksheet, and the LinkSourceType 

input tab. In this example, because only heavy-duty long-haul trucks are to be modeled, all of 

the values for SourceTypeHourFraction are set to unity. 

For this example, the off-network parameters are shown in Table G2. These four 

parameters include a vehicle population of 200 vehicles in the parking lot on average during the 

hour period. This input is an average value over the one hour time period, because some 

vehicles may have been in the lot at all times while others entered or exiting during the hour 

period. In this example, the start fraction is set to three percent (0.03). This is the fraction of the 

average vehicle population which were started during the hour. If all of the vehicles in the lot on 

average are started, then this value is unity (1.0). It may also be greater than unity if large 

numbers vehicles are repeatedly started during the period. 

The extended idle and parked vehicle fraction parameters were set to 0.90 and 0.09 

respectively, for this example. The 90 percent input for extended idle reflects the fact that 90 

percent of the total vehicle – hours (only one hour by definition) in the parking lot were spent in 

extended idle mode (vehicles are parked in a lot with their engines idling at higher than curb idle 

speeds). The 9 percent input for parking reflects the fact that 9 percent of the total vehicle – 

hours in the parking lot were spent in park mode (vehicle is parked and the engine is off). The 

sum of extended idling and parking cannot be greater than unity. Currently, the parked vehicle 

input is not active in any of the calculations, but a valid entry must be provided anyway. 

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Table G2 

Summary of Off-Network Project Level Parameters 

Average Vehicle Population 200 vehicles in the parking lot on average 

Start Fraction 0.03 

Extended Idle Fraction 0.90 

Parked Vehicle Fraction 0.09 

The operating mode distribution for the parking lot link must be entered. This is a 

distribution by AVERAGE vehicle ‘soak’ time (i.e., the time since a vehicle was last started). 

For example, Table G3 below shows that 5 percent of the vehicles in the parking lot have not 

been started for more than 720 minutes or 12 hours. Extended Idle operating model fraction is 

always set to unity (1.00) when it is present because it is the only operating mode of its type. 

This input should not be confused with the off network parameter called Extended Idle Fraction 

with a value of 0.90 that is shown in Table G2. 

Table G3 

Operating Mode Distribution Parameters for Start and 

Extended Idle Processes 

OpmodeID 

Code 

Operating Mode Description Operating Mode Fraction 

101 Soak Time < 6 minutes 0.00 

102 6 minutes <= Soak Time < 30 minutes 0.05 

103 30 minutes <= Soak Time < 60 minutes 0.30 

104 60 minutes <= Soak Time < 90 minutes 0.10 

105 90 minutes <= Soak Time < 120 minutes 0.50 

106 120 minutes <= Soak Time < 360 minutes 0.00 

107 360 minutes <= Soak Time < 720 minutes 0.00 

108 720 minutes <= Soak Time 0.05 

200 Extended Idle Operating Mode 1.00 

Table G4 shows the source type age distribution for the vehicles in the project. In this 

example, there is only one source type (heavy-duty long haul trucks) present. Thus, only one age 

distribution is required. Additional age distributions would be required if additional source types 

were present. The age distribution runs from age zero (brand new) to 30 years. All ages greater 

than 30 years are included in the age 30 group. However, in this example, the fraction of 

vehicles from 20 to 30 years old is zero. The distribution must sum to unity within a source 

type. Note that the project level model does not allow separate age distributions for different 

fuel types if the same source type is selected. For example, the same age distribution would be 

used for both gasoline and diesel long haul trucks if both were present in the project. 

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Table G4 

Source Type Age Distribution 

Source Type ageID ageFraction 

62 0 0.2 

62 1 0.15 

62 2 0.1 

62 3 0.1 

62 4 0.1 

62 5 0.07 

62 6 0.05 

62 7 0.05 

62 8 0.05 

62 9 0.02 

62 10 0.02 

62 11 0.01 

62 12 0.01 

62 13 0.01 

62 14 0.01 

62 15 0.01 

62 16 0.01 

62 17 0.01 

62 18 0.01 

62 19 0.01 

62 20 0 

62 21 0 

62 22 0 

62 23 0 

62 24 0 

62 25 0 

62 26 0 

62 27 0 

62 28 0 

62 29 0 

62 30 0 

Example Data Creation and Input 

A MOVES RunSpec (Project_Example1.mrs) was created to model this example 

MOVES Project level analysis. For this example, you should load the RunSpec – Project_ 

Example1.mrs. 

Note that a Project level run MUST contain only ONE: 

 County 

 Year 

 Month 

 Hour 

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The example RunSpec was further simplified to include only one sourcetype, two 

roadtypes, one weekday/weekend combination and three pollutant/process combinations. The 

RunSpec is provided as an example and you should use it to become more familiar with this 

example. 

The Project level importer is accessed by either selecting Project Data Manager from 

the Preprocessing menu item at the top of the GUI, or pressing the Enter/Edit Data button on 

the Geographic Bounds panel. After one of these selections is made, the Project level importer 

screen will open. 

Caution! In general, you should complete ALL of the RunSpec entries (i.e., Scale, Time, 

Geographic Bounds, etc) BEFORE accessing the Project Data Manager. 

The first input step is to create the Project Level database where the imported data is 

stored. This is a MySQL database and it is named Project_Example1_input in this example. 

Load the data into the Project Level database (i.e. Project_Example1_input) for each 

input tab by browsing for the individual file (use the Browse button), and once found, pressing 

the Import button to import the data into MOVES. A message diagnostic of “Import Complete” 

will be issued, and the GUI tab should turn from red to green if the data import was successful. 

This process is repeated for each of the tabs until no more red tabs are present. Various 

diagnostic messages are provided if the import was not successful. The data should be 

“Browsed” and “Imported” from the Excel workbook Project_Example1_input.xls. 

The inputs are in the spreadsheets: 

o DriveScheduleSecondLink 

o OffNetworkLink 

o ZoneMonthHour 

o I/M 

o LinkSourceTypeHour 

o SourcetypeAgeDistribution 

o Fuel 

o Link 

o OpModeDistribution 

After the data loading process is complete, press Done to save the data in the database; 

this will exit the Project Level data manager. As a final step, you may be required to go to the 

Geographic Panel tab and choose the new Project Level database (Project_Example1_input) 

from a list of databases. If the new database is not visible, click Refresh. 

The Excel input file Project_Example1.xls and the MOVES project level input database 

Project_Example1_input are provided in the MOVES package to assist you. If you “Browse” 

and “Import” data from the spreadsheet, Project_Example1.xls, your final database should be the 

same as Project_Example1_input. 

In this example, all of the inputs for the Project Level were read from a single Excel 

workbook. This was done to make the process easier for the first time user, and to facilitate with 

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simple “Browse” and “Import” data entry. However, if you’re starting from scratch with a 

project, it is recommended you use the Create Template button or the Export Default button 

for each of the Project Level input tabs. This will create a set of Excel workbook templates or 

default data spreadsheets (with a set of individual worksheets - one for each input tab). Populate 

or modify these templates or data tables with the actual data. The spreadsheets within each 

template provide necessary descriptions of the data fields and moves codes (i.e., countyID codes, 

fuelformulationID codes, roadtypeID codes, hourDayID codes and sourcetypeID codes). The 

MOVES project level importer will show a list of all of the individual Excel worksheets from an 

Excel workbook. Pick the ‘active’ worksheet (usually the leftmost worksheet in the workbook or 

the first spreadsheet entry in the MOVES importer) as an input. 

After using the Project level importer, notice that the DriveScheduleSecondLink and the 

opmodeDistribution table need not exist together for all of the roadtype links. In this example, 

the DriveScheduleSecondLink table contains an average speed-time ‘trace’ for both roadway 

links. It is used by MOVES to internally create an opmodeDistribution for each roadway link. 

A separate opmodeDistribution for the road links is not required to be supplied, but could have 

been supplied in-lieu of the DriveScheduleSecondLink data input. The opmodeDistribution is 

always required for the start operation parameters (table 3 contains the inputs). It contains the 

opmodeDistribution for the NOx emission starts. These values are used to differentiate start 

soak times. 

Alternatively, either a DriveScheduleSecondLink or the OpModeDistribution table must 

be provided. You may simply specify an average speed for each link in the Links table. If this 

option is utilized, MOVES selects two default driving schedules and uses the average speed 

input to interpolate between the two cycles to create a new default cycle for that average speed. 

MOVES Results for the Example 

The results for this simple MOVES Project Level simulation are reported in the MySQL 

database ProjectLevel_Output. They are summarized in Table G5 by issuing the following 

MySQL command in the MySQL Query browser: 

SELECT MOVESRunID, pollutantID, processID, 

linkIDMOVESRunIDpollutantIDprocessIDlinkIDlinkID, sum(emissionquant) 

as e FROM project_example1_output.movesoutput m

group by movesrunid, pollutantid, processid, linkid; 

Table G5 

MOVES Project Level Example Simulation Results 

LinkID Link Description NOx emissions (grams) 

1 Inbound Road 1266.54 

2 Outbound Road 57.73 

3 Parking Lot (extended idle) 48841.61 

3 Parking Lot (start) 18.92 

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The emissions are reported as an ‘inventory’ for the project and are broken down by 

linkID (roadway and off-network – you must specify that the results to be reported by roadway 

and process in the Runspec). In this example, the results are reported in units of grams of NOx 

emissions. The time domain for the Project Level is always one hour. Remember that these 

results are average results over the one hour time domain and the geographic link domain. One 

reason project level reports ‘average’ results is because the model’s calculation methodology 

assumes (for simplicity) independence of the individual links in the project, and does not 

dynamically calculate traffic flows between links or residence times in off network (you must do 

this step before the data is entered into the MOVES project level simulator). 

The large difference in NOx emission inventories between two physically similar links 

(link 1 and link 2) is because of the large difference in traffic volumes. The traffic volume for 

link 1 is an order of magnitude greater than the traffic volume for link 2. The relatively small 

amount of NOx emissions from the start process is the result of a very low start fraction input 

(i.e. 3 percent). The relatively large amount of emissions from the extended idle process reflects 

a fairly high fraction of extended idle operation (i.e. 90 percent). In comparison, the running 

operation of the inbound road contains half as many vehicles (100 vehicles versus 200 in 

extended idle), and the running operation on average lasts only about 2 minutes per vehicle 

versus the entire hour for 90 percent of the vehicles. 

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MOVES Project Example #2 

This example (the inputs are in Excel Spreadsheet ProjectExample2_input.xls) has 

virtually all of the same inputs as Project Example #1 discussed in Sections 1 through 4. As a 

result none of the data and explanations will be repeated. The only difference between the two 

examples is the ACTIVE use of the Average Speed input in this example instead of the 

DriveSchedule inputs. The purpose of this brief example is to show that different results for 

roadway links are obtained from the two different methods of modeling vehicle operation. 

In this example, the average speed input of 28.5 mph is imported and used for Link 1 and 

28.5 mph is used for Link 2. Likewise, the average grade inputs for Link1 and Link2 are 0.857 

percent and -0.857 percent, respectively. These inputs are in the Links tab. The average 

speed/average grade inputs become ACTIVE in MOVES when the specific drive schedule inputs 

shown in Figure 1 are NOT imported/used by the Driveschedule Importer GUI. If the drive 

schedule data (or operating mode distribution data for roadway links) are imported, they 

automatically over-ride the average speed inputs in the Links tab. 

Instead of user supplied drive schedules being used to represent vehicle operation, builtin default drive schedules that bracket the average speed inputs (in this case 28.5 mph) are used 

when average speed inputs are entered. Likewise, the average grade values of 0.857 or -0.857 

percent are assumed for the entire length of the links rather than the varying road grades used in 

Example 1. The results shown in Tables G5 and G5 for links 1 and 2 definitely show that the 

two input types (specific drive schedule and average speed/grade) are not necessarily equivalent. 

Table G6 

MOVES Project Level Example Simulation Results 

LinkID Link Description NOx emissions (grams) 

1 Inbound Road 1696.47 

2 Outbound Road 117.47 

3 Parking Lot (extended idle) 48841.61 

3 Parking Lot (start) 18.92 

MOVES Project Example #3 

This example briefly presents and discusses several real world ramp cycles developed 

under contract for EPA. These are provided because the Project Level does not contain default 

data for modeling freeway ramps. Entering an average speed/grade in the Project Level Links 

importer will not model a freeway ramp. The only way you can model a freeway ramp using the 

Project Level is to enter a ramp drive schedule in the DriveSchedule importer or a roadtype 

operating mode distribution using the OpmodeDistribution input tab. 

The attached Excel spreadsheet, Ramp_Driving_Cycles.xls, contains several real world 

drive schedules for various ramp configurations. They are based on a 2004 Sacramento, 

California driving study. These schedules do not model any actual real world project, but serve 

as realistic examples of ramp operation. They also function as a starting point to develop actual 

cycles that precisely fit the needs of a specific project. They can be used in MOVES Project (or 

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modified for use) by defining a new ramp LinkID (i.e. Ramp1, Ramp2, etc) and populating the 

DriveSchedule importer with a speed-grade/time trace based on ramp driving operation. 

The Summary table in the Ramp_Driving_Cycles.xls spreadsheet lists the ramp 

configuration type, the grade change toggle and the ramp metering designation. The table 

includes only “on-ramps”. No data is available for “off-ramps”. Ramps may be configured in 

several ways with different operating behavior occurring on each. The most prominent types are 

the “Diamond” configuration or the “Loop” or “Cloverloop” configuration. The “Diamond” 

configuration typically has higher speed and acceleration operation than the “Loop” 

configuration. A ramp may also be “metered” by a traffic light at the end of the ramp that 

controls access to the freeway. The final ramp configuration is the “Transition” ramp. It occurs 

when one freeway transitions to another freeway. The individual cycles are also denoted by the 

general grade change of the ramp. Three possibilities are provided for the “Diamond” and 

“Loop” configurations. 

Open the Project Manager (under the Pre-Processing Menu) in the Link Drive 

Schedules, click Create Template. This will create a spreadsheet you can fill in using sample 

data from Ramp_Driving_Cycle spreadsheet. For instance, choose the OR_D-L tab and copy the 

Time and Speed column data into the Second ID and Speed columns of the template. Then use 

Link Id = 1 and Grade = 0. Save the template and use the Import button to bring into the 

RunSpec. 

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Appendix H - County Data Manager Example 

Explanation of Scenario 3 

The County Data Manager is expected to be used extensively, particularly by 

nonattainment or maintenance areas when conducting SIP or conformity analyses. This tool 

provides the ability to import and edit local data, rather than using MOVES defaults. This 

appendix also goes through the MOVESOutput table in the MySQL Query Browser to provide 

some basic queries used for your own analyses. 

In this scenario, the County Data Manager is used to construct a RunSpec using areaspecific data. The area being modeled will be a custom domain. While there are some 

differences between using the custom domain option and selecting an individual county, the 

basic operation of the County Data Manager is the same. Where differences exist, this scenario 

describes how a custom domain and a single county are treated differently. 

Constructing the RunSpec 

The custom domain in this scenario is named “Example City” and is an ozone 

nonattainment area, so the selections and use of the County Data Manager reflect that 

assumption. On the Pollutants and Processes panel, all processes for Volatile Organic Carbons 

(VOCs) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) are selected because these pollutants are associated with 

the formation of ground-level ozone. If VOCs are selected, several other pollutants and 

processes must be selected as well because they are needed when calculating VOC emissions. 

Therefore, this run contains a fair number of pollutant-processes and will take a fair amount of 

time to run (about 16 minutes on a computer with a dual-core processor), but the variety of the 

output will be useful later when analyzing the output in the MySQL Query Browser. If you 

simply want practice with the process of using the County Data Manager and importing files, it 

is recommended that you select only NOX processes on the Pollutants and Processes panel as 

evaporative emissions of hydrocarbons take the most time in MOVES. 

The RunSpec should be filled out in its entirety before the County Data Manager is used. 

In this example, selections are limited to reduce the run-time of the RunSpec, but some variation 

is included to emphasize how output can be post-processed in MySQL. 

Open the file examplecity_2013_july.mrs (located in the 

c:\Program Files\MOVES20120118\USER_Guide_Example_Files\City Example folder 

) to view the RunSpec and to create an output database using the General output panel (e.g. 

examplecity_2013_july_out). Then select the RunSpec Geographic Bounds panel and select 

Region Custom Domains. Notice that it requires you to provide additional information about the 

area. You can change any of these fields (except County ID, set to 1, because the input files 

have countyID=99001), but should be aware that doing so will result in different emission 

results. Next, click the Enter/Edit Data button to open the County Data Manager window. 

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Using the County Data Manager 

With the County Data Manager open, name and create a user-input database (e.g. 

examplecity_2013_july_in). 

Caution! If any changes are made to the RunSpec after the database has been created, the 

database may no longer be correct for the revised RunSpec. This is because some 

core tables are populated based on the selections in the RunSpec at the time of the 

creation of the database and these core tables can only be changed directly in 

MySQL (i.e., there are no tabs to edit these core tables). Take care in changing 

the RunSpec while using an existing database and always double-check the tab 

headers to ensure all the necessary data has been provided after making a change 

to the RunSpec. 

Next, notice that the Generic, Ramp Fraction, and I/M Programs tabs all start with 

green checks for different reasons. For Ramp Fraction, the default fraction of 8% of VHT is 

applied if no data is imported on this tab, but you can import new values if desired. The Zone tab 

initially shows a green check, but data MUST be imported for MOVES to calculate results 

properly; both the Zone table and ZoneRoadType table must be imported to get results. Note that 

the third panel within the Zone tab called sccRoadTypeDistribution is only used when obtaining 

output by SCC, and should be skipped in this example. Finally, the I/M Programs tab starts with 

a green check because there are no default programs in the custom domain that have to be 

accounted for. Of these 4 tabs, data will be imported for Zone and I/M Programs. 

For all other tabs, files containing the area-specific data must be imported. The importing 

process is the same for all the tabs, so it is explained generally in the next paragraph. The Excel 

files containing the example area-specific data are included as part of the MOVES installation 

pack and have the following naming convention: 

o examplecity_2013_july_[TABNAME].xls 

You can open the files before importing them to view how the data is formatted and can 

refer to the supporting worksheets for clarification on the numerical codes or abbreviations. 

Notice that for some files, wildcards are used to greatly reduce the number of rows that have to 

be entered (e.g. Average Speed Distribution - 64 with wildcards vs. 11,520 without). 

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To import the files, click the Browse button. Then, find where the file is saved, and select 

the appropriate file for the tab (i.e. if working in the Age Distribution tab, select the file 

“examplecity_2013_july_agedistribution.xls”). After the file has been selected, a small pop-up 

window appears: 

Select the correct worksheet (in this example, it will generally be the first worksheet 

listed and will usually have a name similar to the tab name) and click OK. For the Vehicle Type 

VMT tab, there are four worksheets within the file “examplecity_2013_july_vehicletypevmt.xls” 

that should be imported: HPMSVTypeYear, monthVMTFraction, dayVMTFraction, and 

hourVMTFraction. The names of the worksheets correspond to the names of the database tables 

for which data is being provided. 

Next, click the Import button. The Messages box should say which table was imported 

and Import Complete. If there were problems with the import, error messages here would 

describe the problem. In case of error, revise the input file, save the changes, and then click the 

Clear Imported Data button before reattempting the import. 

The above pop-up dialog box is an example where one worksheet is selected from one 

Excel file, which is typical. However, importing data from the Vehicle Type VMT tab requires 

that the vehicletypevmt.xls file be selected 4 times (once each for year, month day and hour data) 

and all 4 types of data are imported separately. 

Once all the files are imported, the database tables are populated. Click Done in the 

County Data Manager to return to the Geographic Bounds panel. Make sure the user-input 

database is selected in the Domain Input Database section of the Geographic Bounds panel. 

The RunSpec and county-input database are completed, so the RunSpec can be executed by 

selecting Execute from the Action drop-down menu. 

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Analyzing the Results in the MySQL Query Browser
 

First, a brief summary of the major pieces of the MySQL Query Browser:
	

The top left box is the Query Area, bottom left is the Data Area, and top right is the List of 

Databases/Tables. The tables within a database can be revealed by clicking the black triangle 

just to the left of the database name. There are queries below that have the following syntax: 

SELECT * FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`[table]`; 

These queries can be auto-generated by dragging the table name from the right-hand List of 

Tables and dropping it in the Query Area or Data Area. If the table name is dropped in the 

Query Area, the text for the query is generated, but the query itself is not executed; so you must 

either click the Execute button (lightning bolt) or press CTRL + Enter. However, if the table 

name is dropped in the Data Area, the query will be generated in the Query Area and autoexecuted with results immediately appearing in the Data Area. 

Now that some of the basics have been covered, the results from the example can be 

analyzed. Listed below are MySQL Queries and some discussion of the results they generate. 

You can copy and paste the queries into the Query Area of MySQL as long as the output 

database name is “examplecity_2013_july_out”; if you provided a different output database 

name, that name should be used wherever “examplecity_2013_july_out” appears. 

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1) SELECT * FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`moveserror`; 

Look at the MOVESError log to make sure the run executed normally. There should be 

no results from this query. 

2) SELECT * FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesrun`; 

The MOVESRun table gives some basic information about the RunSpec, the description, 

the date and length of time, etc. If there are multiple runs in the database, there will be multiple 

MOVESRunID entries here. 

3) SELECT * FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesactivityoutput`; 

The MOVESActivityOutput table contains all the activity results from the RunSpec and 

should have 1446 rows (there is a bar below the data area that tells you how many rows a query 

returns). In the RunSpec, the distance traveled and population options were selected. Both of 

these values were inputs, so ensure the input values were carried through to the output correctly. 

Population is easier, so look at that first. 

4) SELECT sourcetypeID, SUM(activity) AS population

FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesactivityoutput`

WHERE activityTypeID=6

GROUP BY sourceTypeID

ORDER BY sourceTypeID; 

Notice the query became more complicated. The first line is the SELECT statement, 

which states the fields from the table that will be displayed. Since population is not time 

dependent and you’re only looking at one county, the only important field is the sourcetypeID 

itself; however, a sum of the activity is required because output was differentiated by fuel type. 

The SUM(activity) is renamed in the resulting table “AS population”. The second line is the 

FROM statement, which identifies the database and table that should be used. The third line is 

the WHERE clause, which specifies that only activityTypeID=6 should be used when querying 

the table (since you’re just looking at population). The fourth line is the GROUP BY clause, 

which is used when a sum is calculated. Since the clause states, “GROUP BY sourceTypeID”, 

all data of different source types are kept separated, but any data within the same source type is 

summed (so the different populations for each fuel type will be added together). The final row is 

the ORDER BY clause, which states the order in which the resulting information will appear. 

The resulting table from this query should have just 3 rows and the populations should be 

(after rounding) 500,000; 300,000; and 50,000 for source types 21, 31 and 32, respectively. 

These values match the populations that were imported. 

5) SELECT dayIDdayIDdayID, sourceTypeID, SUM(activity)*dayID*31/7 AS 

PortionofMonthVMT 

FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesactivityoutput`

WHERE sourceTypeID=21 AND activitytypeid=1

GROUP BY dayID

ORDER BY dayID; 

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This statement is the first step to calculate the VMT for passenger cars 

(sourceTypeID=21), but doing so is not a straight-forward process and that can be seen in the 

SUM statement above. Notice that the GROUP BY clause only has dayID, because the WHERE 

clause identifies that only 1 sourceTypeID will be queried. Grouping by sourceTypeID is not 

necessary, but would not affect the query if it were included. The temporal output for the 

RunSpec is hour, so that means the VMT output was originally for one hour of one of the types 

of days; therefore, the VMT should be summed within the dayID to get the total for that type of 

day. Then, this query adds two additional steps: 1) by multiplying by the dayID, the product is 

the VMT on that type of day in a week; and 2) by multiplying by 31/7 (the number of days in 

July divided by the number of days in the days in a week), which is the number of weeks in July. 

This second product gives the VMT on that type of day in the entire month. 

The resulting table should have just 2 rows as can be seen in the table below. An 

additional column has been added using an Excel spreadsheet to sum the VMT from the two 

types of days: 

dayID sourceTypeID PortionofMonthVMT MonthVMT 

2 21 1.21E+08 

5 21 3.44E+08 4.65E+08 

The monthVMTFraction table assigned a value of 1 to July, so the VMT that was input 

was essentially a monthly VMT for July and we can see that the MonthVMT is equal to the value 

that was input for HPMSVTypeID of 20 (examplecity_2013_july_vehicletypevmt.xls, worksheet 

“HPMSVTypeYear”). There are ways to calculate the MonthVMT entirely within MySQL, but 

that involves either creating tables or using subqueries, which is beyond the scope of this 

example. Therefore, once you get to this point, use of an external spreadsheet tool is 

recommended, unless you’re familiar with more complex MySQL queries. 

More detail is acquired using the query above as a template (e.g. adding “roadtypeID” to 

the SELECT, GROUP BY, and ORDER BY clauses to see the VMT on each road type to make 

sure the road type distribution was applied correctly; calculating VMT for HPMSVTypeID=30). 

You are encouraged to experiment with the query above to improve your MySQL skills and 

better understand how to compare inputs with outputs to ensure the results are logical. 

6) SELECT * FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesoutput`; 

This table should contain 23432 rows and gives all the emissions output with a significant 

amount of detail since output is differentiated by fuel type, emission process, road type, and 

source type. Therefore, using MySQL to condense the results holds great potential for 

simplifying the post-processing. 

7) SELECT monthid, pollutantID, SUM(emissionquant) AS grams

FROM `examplecity_2013_july_out`.`movesoutput`

WHERE dayID=5 AND pollutantID IN (3,87)

GROUP BY dayID, pollutantIDdayIDpollutantIDpollutantID

ORDER BY pollutantID; 

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This query will greatly simplify the original output table from 23,000 rows to 2, but a 

major reason for this is that not all the data is being reported: 

monthid pollutantID grams 

7 3 2.11E+07 

7 87 1.21E+07 

Some assumptions were made to reduce the reported output that may be similar to those 

you make in your analyses, such as only a single weekday is being looked at and the only 

pollutants of interest are NOX (3) and VOCs (87). Notice that in the WHERE clause, a new 

command was used, “pollutantID in (3, 87)”. The IN command is a more concise way of saying 

“pollutantID=3 AND pollutantID=87” and can be used with any field that has multiple entries. 

Once again, you are encouraged to vary this query to see the results for different 

conditions (e.g. choose other pollutants; see emission results from each source type or on the 

different road types; etc.). 

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Appendix I – MOVES Decoder 

Many of the tables used by MOVES contain data that is identified using categorical 

values. These categorical values are described in various tables in the default MOVES database 

which contain text corresponding to the categorical values. This appendix lists some of the most 

useful descriptions of the categorical values used in MOVES tables. 

Road Type 

roadTypeID roadDesc 

1 Off-Network 

2 Rural Restricted Access 

3 Rural Unrestricted Access 

4 Urban Restricted Access 

5 Urban Unrestricted Access 

Fuel Type 

fuelTypeID fuelTypeDesc 

1 Gasoline 

2 Diesel Fuel 

3 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) 

4 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) 

5 Ethanol 

9 Electricity 

Pollutant 

ID Pollutant Name 

Pollutant 

ID Pollutant Name 

1 Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons 90 Atmospheric CO2 

2 Carbon Monoxide (CO) 91 Total Energy Consumption 

3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) 92 Petroleum Energy Consumption 

5 Methane (CH4) 93 Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption 

6 Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 98 CO2 Equivalent 

20 Benzene 99 Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) 

21 Ethanol 100 Primary Exhaust PM10 - Total 

22 MTBE 101 Primary PM10 - Organic Carbon 

23 Naphthalene particle 102 Primary PM10 - Elemental Carbon 

24 1,3-Butadiene 105 Primary PM10 - Sulfate Particulate 

25 Formaldehyde 106 Primary PM10 - Brakewear Particulate 

26 Acetaldehyde 107 Primary PM10 - Tirewear Particulate 

27 Acrolein 110 Primary Exhaust PM2.5 - Total 

30 Ammonia (NH3) 111 Primary PM2.5 - Organic Carbon 

31 Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 112 Primary PM2.5 - Elemental Carbon 

32 Nitrogen Oxide (NO) 115 Primary PM2.5 - Sulfate Particulate 

33 Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 116 Primary PM2.5 - Brakewear Particulate 

34 Nitrous Acid (HONO) 117 Primary PM2.5 - Tirewear 

Particulate 

40 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane 130 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

41 Ethyl Benzene 131 Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin 

42 Hexane 132 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

43 Propionaldehyde 133 Octachlorodibenzofuran 

44 Styrene 134 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

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45 Toluene 135 1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

Pollutant 

ID Pollutant Name 

Pollutant 

ID Pollutant Name 

46 Xylene 136 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzofuran 

60 Mercury Elemental Gaseous 137 1,2,3,4,7,8,9-Heptachlorodibenzofuran 

61 Mercury Divalent Gaseous 138 2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran 

62 Mercury Particulate 139 1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran 

63 Arsenic Compounds 140 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

64 Chromium 3+ 141 1,2,3,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

65 Chromium 6+ 142 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin 

66 Manganese Compounds 143 2,3,4,6,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

67 Nickel Compounds 144 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-Heptachlorodibenzofuran 

68 Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene particle 145 1,2,3,4,7,8-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

69 Fluoranthene particle 146 1,2,3,7,8,9-Hexachlorodibenzofuran 

70 Acenaphthene particle 168 Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene gas 

71 Acenaphthylene particle 169 Fluoranthene gas 

72 Anthracene particle 170 Acenaphthene gas 

73 Benz(a)anthracene particle 171 Acenaphthylene gas 

74 Benzo(a)pyrene particle 172 Anthracene gas 

75 Benzo(b)fluoranthene particle 173 Benz(a)anthracene gas 

76 Benzo(g,h,i)perylene particle 174 Benzo(a)pyrene gas 

77 Benzo(k)fluoranthene particle 175 Benzo(b)fluoranthene gas 

78 Chrysene particle 176 Benzo(g,h,i)perylene gas 

79 Non-Methane Hydrocarbons 177 Benzo(k)fluoranthene gas 

80 Non-Methane Organic Gases 178 Chrysene gas 

81 Fluorene particle 181 Fluorene gas 

82 Indeno(1,2,3,c,d)pyrene particle 182 Indeno(1,2,3,c,d)pyrene gas 

83 Phenanthrene particle 183 Phenanthrene gas 

84 Pyrene particle 184 Pyrene gas 

86 Total Organic Gases 185 Naphthalene gas 

87 Volatile Organic Compounds 

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Appendix J – Configuring MOVES 

This appendix discusses some technical details associated with MOVES configuration, 

DOS Command Line instructions and ANT options. 

MOVES may be configured beyond the default configuration built by the MOVES2010b 

Installation Suite (shown in Figure J.1). Note that this appendix is meant for advanced users 

who are thoroughly familiar with MOVES and who desire ways to obtain maximum 

performance from MOVES. 

All MOVES application components may be installed on a single computer system as 

shown in Figure J.1. 

Figure J.1 MOVES Default configuration 

MOVES may also be configured so that several computers work together to execute 

model simulation runs. This can significantly improve execution time performance of large 

simulations. Improvements diminish, however, as more worker computers are added. The 

number of worker computers needed to approach the minimal execution time for a model run 

depends on the specific nature of the run. 

For several computers to work together on a MOVES run, all that is necessary is for the 

computers to have access to the SharedWork directory. For one computer, this file directory can 

be on its local hard drive; other computers must access the SharedWork directory via a computer 

network. The platform requirements of each MOVES component must still be satisfied by the 

computer(s) on which it is installed. A variety of network configurations are possible. The 

principal consideration is that each Master/GUI Program must have the MOVESDefault database 

on its computer and that each Worker Program must be able to create a MOVESWorker database 

on its computer. 

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Two text files, MOVESConfiguration.txt, and WorkerConfiguration.txt (versions of 

which are built by the MOVES installation program), are used by the MOVES Master/GUI 

program and the MOVES Worker program to locate their databases and the SharedWork 

directory. Figure J.2 shows a typical Multiple Computer configuration. 

Figure J-2. Moves multi-computer configuration
	

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New Advanced Grid Operations 

The following new features were developed and added to MOVES to enhance LINUX 

cluster and GRID (PC-based) usage: 

•	 All of the MOVES components, Master, Worker, and MySQL can run on separate 

computing nodes;
	

•	 MOVES can now work with a non-local MySQL server. This is useful for a centralized 

default database, but not recommended for multiple worker and master execution 

databases due to contention on the server’s hard drive I/O bus; 

•	 MOVES can start and/or stop a local MySQL server without needing MySQL to be preinstalled as a daemon/service and without requiring administrator privileges; 

•	 MOVES can start a master that will only produce TODO files then exit (optionally 

combined with the start/stop of a local MySQL); 

•	 MOVES can start N workers simultaneously on a single node and optionally have those 

workers quit when they run out of TODO files (optionally combined with the start/stop of 

a local MySQL); 

•	 MOVES masters can process DONE files for other masters (optionally combined with 

the start/stop of a local MySQL), storing them to an output database (either local or 

centralized); and, 

•	 MOVES now has simplified environment variables. Only Java and ANT must in the path 

and the ANT script sets the class path. This ensures that MOVES runs only need relative 

paths, hoping to make shell scripting MOVES easier. This also allows a work flow of 

TODO creation, TODO processing into DONE files, and DONE file storage, making 

batched/queued processing much easier to accomplish. 

These features are implemented within the ANT script that MOVES uses (build.xml), 

making all features portable between Windows and Linux. 

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Configuring MOVES for Use with Multiple Workers 

The following sections describe typical configurations and additional functionality that 

assist with using MOVES in the command line, batched, shared environment of a typical Linuxbased or GRID cluster. These sections describe command line options for which there are often 

no GUI counterparts. A command line refresher may be found in Appendix C - Running 

MOVES from the Command Line. The setup of a local copy of MySQL, one that does not 

require a preinstalled service/daemon on each computing node, is also described. 

Quick Setup of 2 Workers 

To quickly start 2 concurrent workers on either Linux or Windows using the default 

MOVES configuration, follow these steps. Subsequent sections will outline other possible 

configurations. 

1) Edit the "manyworkers.txt" file to use the same shared directory as is set in the 

"MOVESConfiguration.txt" file. 

2) Start a command line and CD to the directory containing your MOVES installation, such 

as C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\ 

3) At the command line, type: setenv.bat 

4) At the command line, type: ant -Dnoshutdown=1 2workers 

Two worker windows will start and stay running. Do not close the command line 

window. 

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Choosing a Configuration 

Configuration 1: “Silo” with Local MySQL 

A Silo configuration places both a master and one or more workers on a single computer. 

Variations include the number of concurrent workers and serial or concurrent execution of the 

master and worker(s). The default configuration of MOVES is a silo with local MySQL with 

one worker running concurrently with the master. 

To implement Configuration 1 on a single computer node: 

1)		 Ensure Java is available. 

2)		 Edit maketodo.txt which was installed along with the MOVES source code. Ensure 

the defaultDatabaseName value is the name of the database you will be using. Ensure 

sharedDistributedFolderPath value is the correct location of the directory your master 

and workers will use. 

3)		 Edit manyworkers.txt which was installed along with the MOVES source code 

ensuring the sharedDistributedFolderPath value is the correct location of the directory 

your master and workers will use. 

4)		 Install MySQL onto the computing node you will be using or create a version that can 

be used without installation. A “no-installation” version is provided with the 

Windows version of MOVES (under the "mysql" folder within the MOVES base 

installation directory). But, installing on Linux will require compiling a version of 

MySQL that has default directories that are actually available on your computing 

node. Such compilation is beyond the scope of this document. 

5)		 Within your MOVES code folder, create a PDSpec XML file named "pickupall.xml" 

suitable for use in your environment and name a specific database to hold the results. 

Set the <directory> entry to the name of your shared work folder. Such a file is: 

<pdspec>

<pdentry>

<masterid>*</masterid>

<directory>c:\moves\sharedwork</directory>

<output servername="" databasename="movesresults" />

</pdentry>

</pdspec>
 

To use Configuration 1: 

1) Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the location of your Java 

installation, such as: 

2) C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.7.0. 

3)		 Set the ANT_HOME environment variable to the location of your MOVES ant 

folder, such as: 

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4)		 C:\MOVES\ant. 

5)		 Set the PATH environment variable to include JAVA_HOME\bin and 

ANT_HOME\bin. 

6)		 Execute any of the MOVES ant commands such as “ant –r RUNSPEC” 

Configuration 2: Silo with Local MySQL, Serial Master and Two Workers 

The Silo with Local MySQL, Serial Master and Two Workers configuration places a 

single master, a MySQL instance, and two workers on a single computer. The workers execute 

after the master, allowing TODO and DONE files to be preserved as well as the output database. 

When the workers complete and DONE files picked up, no further calculations are needed on the 

RunSpec. An external scripting tool must be used to execute a series of RunSpecs. A single 

instance of MySQL is used, running on the same computer node that runs the master and 

workers. This limits network access and ensures the MySQL security system denies access from 

other network nodes - a benefit when securing a large cluster of machines. 

To implement Configuration 2 on a single computer node: 

1)		 Ensure Java is available. 

2)		 Edit maketodo.txt which was installed along with the MOVES source code. Ensure 

the defaultDatabaseName value is the name of the database you will be using. Ensure 

sharedDistributedFolderPath value is the correct location of the directory your master 

and workers will use. 

3)		 Edit manyworkers.txt which was installed along with the MOVES source code 

ensuring the sharedDistributedFolderPath value is the correct location of the directory 

your master and workers will use. 

4)		 Install MySQL onto the computing node you will use or create a version that can be 

used without installation. A “no-installation” version is provided with the Windows 

version of MOVES (under the "mysql" folder within the MOVES base installation 

directory). But, installing on Linux will require compiling a version of MySQL that 

has default directories that are actually available on your computing node. Such 

compilation is beyond the scope of this document. 

5)		 Within your MOVES code folder, create a PDSpec XML file named "pickupall.xml" 

suitable for use in your environment and name a specific database to hold the results. 

Set the <directory> entry to the name of your shared work folder. Such a file is: 

<pdspec>

<pdentry>

<masterid>*</masterid>

<directory>c:\moves\sharedwork</directory>

<output servername="" databasename="movesresults" />

</pdentry>

</pdspec>
 

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To use Configuration 2: 

1) Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the location of your Java installation, 

such as: 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.7.0. 

2) Set the ANT_HOME environment variable to the location of your MOVES ant 

folder, such as: 

C:\MOVES\ant. 

3) Set the PATH environment variable to include JAVA_HOME\bin and 

ANT_HOME\bin. 

4) Execute the "ant maketodo" command, passing your RunSpec name using the "-

Drunspec=" parameter, such as: 

ant -Drunspec=c:\myrunspecs\runspec1.mrs maketodo 

5) If desired, save all *TODO files from your shared work folder. 

6) Execute the "ant 2workers" command. This will start 2 concurrent workers which 

will terminate after completing all TODO files. 

7) If desired, save all *DONE files from your shared work folder. 

8) Execute the "ant pickup" command, passing your pickupall.xml filename using the 

"-Dpdspec=" parameter, such as: 

ant -Dpdspec=pickupall.xml pickup 

9) Copy your output database files to long term storage. The database is the one named 

in the pickupall.xml file, not the one used by the RunSpec. 

Configuration 3: Worker Pool with Local MySQL 

This configuration places multiple workers and an instance of MySQL on each 

computing node. An instance of MySQL is used running on the same computer node that runs 

the workers. This limits network access and ensures the MySQL security system denies access 

from other network nodes - a benefit when securing a large cluster of machines. 

To implement Configuration 3: 

1)		 Ensure Java is available. 

2)		 Edit manyworkers.txt which was installed along with the MOVES source code. 

Ensure the sharedDistributedFolderPath value is the correct location of the directory 

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your masters and workers will use. This will be a network accessible directory since 

external masters will deposit TODO files and retrieve DONE files from this location. 

3)		 Install MySQL onto each computing node you will be using or create a version that 

can be used without installation. Such a no-installation version is provided with the 

Windows version of MOVES (under the "mysql" folder within the MOVES base 

installation directory), but under Linux will require compiling a version of MySQL 

that has default directories that are actually available on your nodes. Such 

compilation is beyond the scope of this document. 

To use Configuration 3: 

1) Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the location of your Java installation, 

such as: 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.7.0. 

2) Set the ANT_HOME environment variable to the location of your MOVES' ant 

folder, such as: 

C:\MOVES\ant. 

3)		 Set the PATH environment variable to include JAVA_HOME\bin and 

ANT_HOME\bin. 

4)		 Execute the "ant 2workers" command with the "-Dnoshutdown=1" parameter. This 

will start 2 concurrent workers which will never terminate. Example: 

ant -Dnoshutdown=1 2workers 

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New Ant Tasks and MOVES Command Line Options 

MOVES2010b’s use of Ant has been expanded to include features normally 

accomplished with shell scripts, thereby bringing these features to all platforms. In addition, 

production-related Ant tasks now set their class paths internally using relative directories. Such 

tasks, such as "2workers", only require the calling shell script to set a path to Java and Ant. 

Ant Task Description 

Startmysql Utility to start a local MySQL instance if another instance is 

not already running. 

Stopmysql Utility to stop any MySQL server using the standard localhost 

port 3306. This will stop MySQL started with the 

"startmysql" task or any preexisting MySQL service/daemon. 

1worker Use a local copy of MySQL and a single local worker using 

the manyworkers.txt configuration file and -autoshutdown 

worker command line option. 

The Ant flag "-Dnoshutdown=1" can also be given. See the 

full description in the multiple workers section below. 

2workers Use a local copy of MySQL and two or more local workers 

3workers using the manyworkers.txt configuration file and -

4workers autoshutdown worker command line option. 

5workers Example command line: ant 2workers 

6workers The Ant flag "-Dnoshutdown=1" can also be given to cause 

7workers the spawned workers to never shutdown even if no work is 

8workers available, by omitting the "-autoshutdown" flag when 

spawning worker instances. Example command line: 

ant -Dnoshutdown=1 2workers 

Table J-3 New ANT Tasks
	

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maketodo Start a local copy of MySQL and one master that is set to only 

generate TODO files without getting DONE files or deleting 

TODO, DONE, or InProgress files upon exiting. Before 

using, edit the maketodo.txt file to use your system's 

sharedDistributedFolderPath. Use "-Drunspec=" to specify 

the runspec. Example command line: 

ant -Drunspec=MyCounty2030.mrs maketodo 

pickup Start a local copy of MySQL and one master that will retrieve 

and process DONE files. Before using, edit the maketodo.txt 

file to use your system's sharedDistributedFolderPath. Use "-

Dpdspec=" to name the required PDSpec XML file. Example 

command line: 

ant -Dpdspec=c:\myinfo\filestoget.xml pickup 

master1worker Start a local copy of MySQL with one master that is set to 

create one worker and wait for its DONE files. Before using, 

edit maketodo.txt and manyworkers.txt. Like maketodo, use 

"-Drunspec=" to specify the runspec. Example command 

line: 

ant -Drunspec=MyCounty2030.mrs master1worker 

Table J-3New ANT Tasks (continued) 

Note that several Ant tasks make use of a local MySQL instance. These tasks detect the 

presence of a running MySQL instance and will start, use, then stop a local MySQL instance, if 

one was not already running. 

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Master Command Line Options 

The MOVES master supports the following command line options to its Java class 

(gov.epa.otaq.moves.master.commandline.MOVESCommandLine): 

Option Description 

-i IMPORTXMLFILE Perform all data import operations as specified in the import XML 

file. This allows automation of the operations normally performed 

via the GUI using the County Data Manager or Project Data 

Manager. An example import XML file can be obtained through 

these GUI panels. 

Caution! Versions up to and including MOVES2010b require 

access to a graphical user interface, such as Windows or an X 

Windows server, to use this feature even though no graphical 

elements are displayed during the process. 

-maketodo 

Or 

-onlytodo 

Causes the command line master to only produce TODO files, 

ignoring DONE files and to not delete its TODO, InProgress, or 

DONE files upon exit. This is an essential feature for cluster 

computing where a master may not be allowed to run while 

workers process its TODO files. This mode also prevents a local 

worker from being started. 

-noworker Causes the command line master to not start a local worker. This 

behavior is automatic with the "-maketodo"/"-onlytodo" option. 

-

workerconfig=FILENAME 

Specify an alternate configuration file to be used if a local worker 

is started. The new set of ANT tasks use the manyworkers.txt 

configuration file extensively. The default file used is 

WorkerConfiguration.txt. 

-p PDSPECXMLFILE Collect all DONE files specified in the PDSpec XML file. The 

master GUI has a tool to generate these XML files. 

-r RUNSPEC Run a single RunSpec file name (with optional path). 

-rl RUNSPECLISTFILE Specify a text file containing a list of RunSpec file names (with 

optional paths) to be run, one runspec per line. This is equivalent 

to using the "-r" option on each RunSpec named in the text file. 

Table J-4 Master Command Line Options
	

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Setting the Master Configuration File 

The master loads its configuration file before its command line processing takes place. 

As such, there is no command line option for the master to alter its use of a configuration file. 

Instead, the master uses a Java Property named "MOVES_CONFIGURATION_FILE_NAME" 

to specify an alternate configuration file that should be read. When this property is set and set to 

non-empty, its value is used as the name and optional path to the master's configuration file. 

Worker Command Line Options 

The MOVES worker supports the following command line options to its Java class 

(gov.epa.otaq.moves.worker.WorkerCommandLine): 

Option Description 

-autoshutdown Close the worker instance after no TODO or InProgress files were 

found in the worker's shared work folder for 2 minutes. Workers will 

continue to exist, idling, if there are InProgress files in the shared work 

folder, in case the workers performing the work in those files fail. This 

option is useful on a shared computer where workers cannot be left 

running indefinitely, as is their default without this command line 

option. 

-longshutdown Similar to -autoshutdown but uses a 2 hour timeout instead of a 2 

minute timeout. 

-config=FILENAME Specify an alternate configuration file to be used. The new set of ANT 

tasks use the manyworkers.txt configuration file extensively. 

Table J-5 Worker Command Line Options
	

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Configuration Files 

MOVES uses several configuration files, all of which have case-sensitive names. 

File Purpose 

MOVESConfiguration.txt Default master configuration file. Rarely used with cluster 

computing. Used with the master GUI ("ant -rungui"). 

defaultServerName = localhost 

defaultDatabaseName = movesdb20100913 

defaultUserName = 

defaultPassword = 

nrdefaultServerName = 

nrdefaultDatabaseName = 

nrdefaultUserName = 

nrdefaultPassword = 

executionServerName = localhost 

executionDatabaseName = MOVESExecution 

executionUserName = 

executionPassword = 

outputServerName = localhost 

outputDatabaseName = MOVESOutput 

outputUserName = 

outputPassword = 

sharedDistributedFolderPath = 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork 

computerIDPath = 

masterFolderPath = C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource 

saveTODOPath = 

WorkerConfiguration.txt Default worker configuration file. Rarely used with cluster 

computing. Used with the traditional worker GUI ("ant -

runworker").

 sharedDistributedFolderPath = 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork 

workFolderPath = 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\WorkerFolder 

workerDatabaseName = MOVESWorker 

computerIDPath = 

Table J-6 MOVES Configuration Files
	

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maketodo.txt Master configuration file specified by Ant tasks for cluster computing.
	

Modify this file to specify your system's shared folder for TODO and DONE
	

files. Do not modify data server or database names in this file. 

defaultServerName = localhost
	

defaultDatabaseName = movesdb20100712
	

defaultUserName = 

defaultPassword = 

nrdefaultServerName = localhost
	

nrdefaultDatabaseName = 

nrdefaultUserName = 

nrdefaultPassword =
	

executionServerName = localhost
	

executionDatabaseName = *
	

executionUserName = 

executionPassword = 

outputServerName = localhost
	

outputDatabaseName = MOVESOutput
	

outputUserName = 

outputPassword =
	

sharedDistributedFolderPath = 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork
	

computerIDPath = 

masterFolderPath = .
	

saveTODOPath =
	

manyworkers.txt Worker configuration file specified by Ant tasks for cluster computing. 

Modify this file to specify your system's shared folder for TODO and DONE
	

files. Do not modify data server or database names in this file. 

sharedDistributedFolderPath = 

C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork
	

workFolderPath = manyworkers/workerfolder
	

workerDatabaseName = *
	

computerIDPath = 

workerServerName = localhost
	

workerUserName = 

workerPassword = 

concurrentStatements = 1
	

Table J-6 MOVES Configuration Files (continued)
	

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Accessing Remote MySQL Servers 

It may be desirable to centralize some of the databases used by MOVES, such as the 

default database and county - or project-specific input databases. Storing these databases on a 

single MySQL instance can make management easier, especially if the data is changed 

frequently, as often occurs during initial stages of data testing. 

RunSpec files can contain the server name of input databases, county domain databases, 

project domain databases, and even output databases. These all have "servername" XML 

attributes that when left blank indicate use of "localhost". No user name or password is required 

or given when MOVES connects to these databases. 

The default database used by the MOVES master can be set in MOVESConfiguration.txt 

and maketodo.txt. Both support providing not only the server name, but also a user name and 

password, if required. The relevant configuration entries are: 

defaultServerName 

defaultDatabaseName 

defaultUserName 

defaultPassword
	

The database used by the master to store execution data can be stored on a remote 

MySQL server and is set within MOVESConfiguration.txt and maketodo.txt. The relevant 

configuration entries are: 

executionServerName 

executionDatabaseName 

executionUserName 

executionPassword
	

The executionDatabaseName entry also supports use of a single asterisk ("*") to indicate 

use of an automatically assigned database name. If two or more masters wish to use the same 

MySQL instance (whether remote or local), each must have a different execution database name. 

This can be accomplished by manually configuring each to have a specific name or by setting 

each with "executionDatabaseName = *" in their configuration files. 

The database used by each worker to store temporary calculations can be stored on a 

remote MySQL server and is set within WorkerConfiguration.txt and manyworkers.txt. The 

relevant configuration entries are: 

workerServerName 

workerDatabaseName 

workerUserName 

workerPassword
	

The workerDatabaseName entry supports use of a single asterisk ("*") to indicate use of 

an automatically assigned database name. If two or more workers wish to use the same MySQL 

instance (whether remote or local), each must have a different worker database name. This can 

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be accomplished by manually configuring each to have a specific name or by setting each with 

"workerDatabaseName = *" in their configuration files. 

Local MySQL 

Ant can start a local instance of MySQL, one that has not been preinstalled and that runs 

entirely within the MOVES installation folder. When Ant uses such a local instance, it follows 

these steps: 

1)		 Checks for an existing MySQL instance by checking the standard MySQL server 

TCP/IP port 3306. 

2)		 If a local MySQL exists, then Ant performs the desired operation that uses MySQL, 

such as running a master or worker. 

3)		 Otherwise, Ant starts the MySQL server process, performs the desired operation that 

uses MySQL, then shutdowns the MySQL server process. 

It is important to note that with the above steps, Ant tasks that use a local MySQL 

instance will not shutdown a MySQL service/daemon that was already running. However, the 

Ant task "stopmysql" will stop an existing service/daemon, since the task has no information 

available about how MySQL was started. 

When Ant launches a MySQL server process, the process is bound to the 

localhost/127.0.0.1 network only, making it inaccessible from other nodes. In addition, all 

security restrictions are removed for connections, meaning no MySQL users IDs or passwords 

need to be configured. 

Before you can use the local MySQL features, MySQL files that are appropriate for your 

system must be provided, be it Windows or Linux, 32-bit or 64-bit. To begin this process, locate 

the "mysql" directory under the installation folder of MOVES. It contains a file called "my.ini". 

This is the local MySQL's configuration and you may update the contents to optimize the 

memory usage for your system. Do not, however, modify any directory paths in this file, 

especially the "basedir" and "datadir" entries. It is also advisable to edit manyworkers.txt and 

maketodo.txt to your system's shared work folder. 

Creating TODO Files 

The MOVES master has a mode that only generates TODO files without picking up, or 

processing DONE files. If using the direct command line, use the "-r" or "-rl" command line 

options along with the "-maketodo" option. If using Ant, use the "maketodo" task, such as: 

ant -Drunspec=c:\myrunspecs\runspec1.mrs maketodo. 

Before using the Ant "maketodo" task, configure your local MySQL and edit 

maketodo.txt to use your system's shared work folder. Do not alter server or database names in 

maketodo.txt. 

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Running More than 2 Workers on One Node 

Multiple MOVES workers can be run on a single node. Each worker requires a unique 

database name and the easiest method of doing this is by setting the workerDatabaseName entry 

to "*" in WorkerConfiguration.txt and manyworkers.txt. There are technically other methods of 

accomplishing this with earlier versions of MOVES but they are substantially more error prone 

and will not be covered here. 

The Ant "1worker", "2workers", and other tasks use the manyworkers.txt configuration 

file, passing it to the workers using the -config=FILE command line parameter along with the -

autoshutdown flag. Workers launched with these tasks will terminate gracefully after 2 minutes 

without TODO or InProgress files. 

Before using the Ant tasks, configure your local MySQL and edit manyworkers.txt to use 

your system's shared work folder. Do not alter server or database names in manyworkers.txt. 

Processing DONE Files - Command Line DONE Files 

A MOVES master can pick-up DONE files created for other masters. When doing so, it 

creates records in its own output database (as opposed to the output database designated in the 

original runspec). The master "-p" command line option is used to automate the retrieval of 

these files. If using Ant, use the "pickup" task such as: 

ant -Dpdspec=c:\myinfo\filestoget.xml pickup 

When using these options, you must provide a "PDSpec" XML file ("Pickup Done 

Specification"). An example file follows: 

<pdspec> 

<pdentry> 

<masterid>5880486781340065678</masterid> 

<directory>C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork</directory> 

<output servername="" databasename="PDTest" /> 

</pdentry> 

<pdentry> 

<masterid>3686433322585912670</masterid> 

<directory>C:\EPA\MOVES\MOVESGHGSource\SharedWork</directory> 

<output servername="" databasename="PDTest" /> 

</pdentry> 

</pdspec> 

The above file shows two sets of DONE files that will be retrieved, both from the same 

folder and both destined for the same output database. Each will get a separate MOVESRun 

entry in the database. 

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Processing DONE Files - GUI DONE Files 

MOVES has a GUI for creating these PDSpec XML files and for processing DONE files. 

The GUI is activated from the "Tools" menu: 

And it is shown partially filled here:
	

To use the GUI, click Browse DONE Files and select a DONE file. 

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You will be presented with details extracted from the bundle:
	

If the DONE file is desired, click OK. This will populate the "Master ID" and "Folder" 

fields in the PDSpec GUI. Next, specify the output database just as is done with the primary 

MOVES GUI then click the Use button. 

Click the Save button to generate a PDSpec XML file from your selections. 

Click the Load button to populate the selections list with the contents of an existing 

PDSpec XML file. 

Click the Done button to close the GUI without processing the DONE files, but with the 

option to save your selections into an XML file for later use. 

Click the Initiate Processing button to pick up the DONE files immediately. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency Page J-19