MOVES2014 User Interface Manual 
EPA-420-B-14-057 

July 2014

Assessment and Standards Division 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

MOVES2014 User Interface Manual
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Introduction 

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 MOVES is to provide an accurate 

estimate of emissions from highway vehicles and off road mobile equipment under a wide 

range of user-defined conditions.

In the modeling process, the user specifies equipment or 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 uses data in 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-todate local inputs will be more appropriate, especially for analyses supporting State 

Implementation Plans (SIPs) and conformity determinations.

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). 

Running MOVES from the command line 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, 
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• 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. MOVES also 

allows users to provide User Input Databases and to use various Importers with the County 

Data Manager, and Project Data Manager.

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.). We recommend that you give 

input databases names ending with “_in” , and output databases names ending with “_out”.

Documentation 

There is a variety of MOVES documentation available to assist users. The MOVES2014 

User Guide walks users through various MOVES sample tasks and provides an overview of 

menu items and options. The MOVES2014 Module Reference provides step-by-step 

module algorithms and module and database cross references. MOVES2014 Software 

Design and Reference Manual assists users with configuring and installing MOVES as well 

as discussing how MOVES works behind the GUI. This MOVES2014 User Interface 

Manual provides insight and best practices for various components of MOVES. The MOVES 

website also has links to training materials and guidance documents.

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. 

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

(cancel) the RunSpec during execution. 

The MOVES model features user help throughout the model. To use, 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.
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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.

Password Prompt

MOVES2014 requires a password. The default user name is “moves” and the default 

password is “moves” (lowercase, no quotes). These may be changed by the user.

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 subtopic 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.

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.
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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. 

Note: 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 

Runspec.

Scale 

Select Scale on the Navigation Panel to choose the type of mobile sources to be modeled, 

the level of detail represented by the MOVES input database, and whether the model will 

calculate emissions sum or emissions rate data. 

Model

MOVES may be run either for Onroad highway vehicles such as motorcycles, cars, trucks 

and buses, or for Nonroad equipment such as tractors, recreational boats, and lawnmowers. 

The user’s choice here effects many other options. If Nonroad is selected, the model will 

produce the same emissions estimates as NONROAD2008, assuming no inputs are changed 

by the user. 

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.

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 
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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: National scale is the only option when modeling Nonroad. 

Note: MOVES is not capable of modeling any evaporative emission processes when using Project 

Domain/Scale. 

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. 

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. Inventory calculations are the only 

option for Nonroad runs.

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

if you select the Emission Rates button. This output is stored in the RatePerDistance, 

RatePerProfile, RatePerVehicle, RatePerHour, and RatePerStart 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. 

Note: Do not type in a Scenario ID longer than 40 characters. 

Note: 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. 
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Note: Using Emission Rates to calculate emission inventories requires multiplying the rates by the 

correct activity and summing inventories from multiple tables. This topic is introduced in the MOVES 

user guide. 

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. 

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, Hotelling Hours, Population and Starts 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.

Time Spans

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

Panel. 

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. 

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. Hour is the only option for Nonroad runs.

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 
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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.

Note: 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.
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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.

Tip! Nonroad output is very large. To produce manageable files, we recommend modeling 

only one year at time. 

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.

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. 

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. For Nonroad, all hours are automatically selected.

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 
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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.

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. If the 

user has chosen Inventory calculations at the National scale, three buttons, Nation, State 

and County are normally available. Choose the one appropriate for your desired run. 

Note: 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 pre-aggregation 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.

Note: 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

For both the County and Custom Domain option, the user must specify the user-supplied 

database that will contain county-specific data. For Project scale, a database of detailed 

information on the project is required. 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.

Note: Defaults that are exported from the MOVES database are generally not appropriate for SIP or 

conformity analyses. See MOVES Technical Guidance document for more information.
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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.

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. 

Vehicles/Equipment

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

Navigation Panel. Depending on whether you have chosen to model onroad or nonroad in 

the Scale panel, you will see the On Road Vehicle Equipment Detail Panel or the Nonroad

Vehicle Equipment Detail Panel. The description below is for Onroad, but the Nonroad panel 

operates similarly.

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

selections for the vehicles/equipment. (For Nonroad, the lists are Fuels and Sectors.)

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

made.

Note: The detail 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 (or Sector) 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: For most runs, it is important to include vehicles of all fuel types that are present in your domain. 

The default database includes vehicles that run on both CNG and Ethanol (E-85), as well as gasoline and 

diesel. If fuels are omitted here, the emissions of vehicles designed to run on those fuels will not be 

included in your output. Including fuels in the RunSpec that do not exist in your domain is not a 

problem—they are listed on the panel information panel here but ignored in the run. 

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 
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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.

Note: Because there are so many nonroad equipement types, MOVES does not allow modelers to select 

them individually. Instead, on the Nonroad Vehicle Equipment Panel you may select a category 

(“Sector”) such as agriculture or construction to model emissions from all the equipment in that 

category.

Road Type 

If any vehicle has been selected, the Road Type panel becomes available on the Navigation 

Panel, allowing the selection of road type. All Road Type panel controls are disabled 

otherwise. 

For highway vehicles, you may choose up to five different roadtypes. Off-Network refers to 

emissions such as starts and extended idle and some evaporative emissions that are not 

part of normal VMT. If you would like your output to include all emissions, all five roadtypes 

should be selected.

If you select a Restricted Access roadtype, the option “Provide separate ramp output”, 

becomes available. If this is chosen, output will be produced for seven road types: 

Road type 1 – Off-network

Road type 3- Rural Unrestricted

Road type 5 – Urban Unrestricted

Road type 6 – Rural Restricted without Ramps

Road type 7 – Urban Restricted without Ramps

Road type 8 – Rural Restricted only Ramps

Road type 9 – Urban Restricted only Ramps

This selection is completely optional, and will not affect the emissions calculations and the 

total emissions inventory.

For Nonroad, these highway vehicle roadtypes are not available. Instead the “Nonroad” 

roadtype is selected automatically.

Tip! You must select at least one road type. 
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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.

Note: 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. 

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 selected. Additionally, 

unchecking the box on the left side of the panel will deselect all processes for that pollutant.

Note: Users are cautioned that the number of check boxes selected will affect execution time for 

highway vehicle runs. 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. In MOVES2014, a Select Prerequisites button is available to automatically 

select all prerequisite pollutant processes. 

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). For nonroad equipment, start and 

running emissions are both included in “Running Exhaust.” MOVES also distinguishes 

Crankcase Running Exhaust, Crankcase Start Exhaust, and Crankcase Extended Idle 
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Exhaust to describe the exhaust gases that escape around the piston rings and enter the 

crankcase during normal operation. 

Evaporative emissions, occur when unburned fuel escapes the vehicle's fuel system. For 

highway vehicles, MOVES models these emissions through the Evap Fuel Vapor Venting, 

Evap Permeation, and Evap Fuel Leaks processes. Nonroad equipment has a different set of 

evaporative 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. 

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 prerequisite 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>

In MOVES2014, a button is available to automatically select all prerequisite processes.

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. The Pollutant/Process Requirements box will display an error message if 

you select a dependent pollutant but not the base pollutant. In MOVES2014, a button is 

available to automatically select all prerequisite pollutants. A shorter list of pollutants is 

available for nonraod equipment.

Manage Input Data Sets

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

data rather than the Manage Input Data Sets panel. 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.
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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.

Note: 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.

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.

Note: 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.

Note: 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.
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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.

The Rate of Progress calculation is not relevant for Nonroad.

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.

Specifying Database, Time Period, and Units in Output

The first box on the General Output panel, 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 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. 

Note: 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.
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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.

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.

The Activity panel does not appear for Nonroad runs.

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 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.
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The following table lists and describes the activities MOVES can output and their units. 

ID Description Units Notes

1 Distance Traveled Distance units as set 

in the RunSpec

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

3 Source Hours Idling

(the number of hours 

that combination long 

haul trucks spent in 

extended idle mode)

Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only

4 Source Hours Operating 

(the number of hours 

that vehicles spent 

operating)

Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

5 Source Hours Parked 

(the number of hours 

that vehicles were 

parked)

Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only

6 Population (the number 

of vehicles—assumed 

constant for each year)

SourceUseType count

7 Starts (the number of 

engine starts)

Number of starts Off network roads 

only

8 Hotelling Hours (the 

number of hours long 

haul combination trucks 

are hotelling)

Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only

9 avghp Average Horse Power NonRoad model 

only

10 retrofrac Fraction retrofitted NonRoad model 

only

11 retrocnt Number of Units 

Retrofitted

NonRoad model 

only

12 loadfactor Load Factor NonRoad model 

only

13 Hotelling Diesel Aux Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only

14 Hotelling Battery or AC Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only

15 Hotelling All Engines Off Hours, regardless of 

time unit aggregation

Off network roads 

only
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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. 

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. 

Note: MOVES2014 cannot aggregate Nonroad output across categories. Thus, for Nonroad runs, it is 

important to select all the available level of detail. To avoid unmanageable output, limit the scope of 

the run to fewer equipment types or years. 

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. 

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. 

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. 
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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.

Note: For Nonroad, select County or Nation, depending on the Geographic Bounds of your RunSpec. 

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.

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. For Nonroad, all three categories should always be selected.

On-Road/Off Road MOVES2014 allows the user to model OnRoad or NonRoad activity. Within the On 

Road/Off Road box, options are available to report by Road Type, Source Use Type, 

Source Classification Code (SCC), and Regulatory Class. 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. The Off Road 

box allows selection of output by Sector, Engine Tech, and HP class. These selections will 

only be available when NonRoad is selected in the Scale panel of the RunSpec. 

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).

For Nonroad, always select SCC, Sector, Engine Tech. and HP Class. 

Estimate Uncertainty

The Estimate Uncertainty function is not available.
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Advanced Performance Features

The Advanced Performance Features panel contains a variety of options that may be of 

use to some users to diagnose problems with the model software, or to improve the run 

time for long model runs. Some of these features require specialized knowledge to 

configure.

This panel allows you to save intermediate results from various portions of the model and to 

turn off portions of the model code. 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. 

This panel also allows you to turn off final aggregation of MOVES results for highway 

vehicles. 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. 

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). 

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 RunSpecss. The Example RunSpec may be opened 

from this menu. Note that the Print command prints the XML version of the RunSpec, not a 

screen shot.
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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.

Pre Processing 

The Pre Processing menu contains three active options, Data Importer, County Data 

Manager, and Project Data Manager to use with onroad runs. 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. The importers do not 

work with Nonroad RunSpecs.

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.

Note: 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. 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, 
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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 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 userprovided data. 

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 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 dropdown 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).

Note: 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.
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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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 
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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. 

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 

RunSpec. 
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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:

MOVES Table Data 

Importer

County Data 

Manager

Project Data 

Manager

RampFraction X X

RoadTypeDistribution X X

SourceTypePopulation X X

VehicleTypeVMT X X 

Zone, Zoneroad, Zonescc X (Custom 

Domain 

Only)

X (Custom

Domain Only)

X (Custom

Domain Only)

AgeDistribution X X X

AverageSpeedDistribution X X

Fuel Supply, fuel Formulation, Fuel 

Usage, AVFT

X X X

MeteorologyData X X X

I/M Programs X X X

Hotellinghours X X X

Starts 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. 

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. 

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.
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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 RunSpec. 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. 

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.

In many cases, you can import duplicate information by using wildcards in the input files.

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. 

Note: “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.
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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.

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 are 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 reimported.

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. 
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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 a message box will pop-up. Clicking Yes clears the data, while clicking No

cancels the action and allows you to export the imported data.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Note: 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. 
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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. Data 

must be supplied for each source type (e.g., passenger car, passenger trucks, light 

commercial trucks, etc.) selected in the RunSpec. 

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.

Note: 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.

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.

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 

MOVES2010 format. These values can then be edited for compatibility with the five 

MOVES2014 HPMSVtypes. 

Note: 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. 

Note: EPA has combined HPMS class 20 and 30 into a new 25 class. The Federal Highway Administration 

changed their definitions of 20 and 30 classes from “passenger cars” and “other 2-axle 4-tire trucks” to 

“short wheelbase” and “long wheel base.” There is mapping of wheel base length to EPA’s regulatory 

classes, so, EPA has combined 20 and 30 classes into the new 25 class to represent light-duty vehicles 
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under 10,000 lbs. Users should not import an HPMSVTypeyear table with the old 20 and 30 classes into 

MOVES2014.

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., light

duty vehicles, combination trucks, etc.) implied by the Source Use Types selected in the 

RunSpec.

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.
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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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

 
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The County Data Manager automatically applies default values of 0.08 (8%) for this 

parameter if 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.

Fuel

The Fuel Formulation, Fuel Supply, Fuel Usage, AVFT importers should be used 

together to input appropriate fuel data. The Fuel Wizard may be used to adjust fuels that 

have already been incorporated into an input database.

Fuel Formulation

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.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
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Fuel Supply

The Fuel Supply importer allows you to assign existing fuels to fuel regions, 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.

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 MOVES2014 the value is not required and may be left blank.

Fuel Usage

The Fuel Usage importer allows you to specify the fraction of E-85 capable vehicles using 

E-85 vs. conventional gasoline. Rows are also required for diesel, CNG, and gasoline with 

fractions of 1.0. There are default values available which will be used automatically if no 

information is provided.

Alternative Vehicle and Fuel Technologies (AVFT)

The AVFT importer allows you to specify the mix 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 Domain Manager and the 

Project Domain Manager, you can export a complete set of default values. 

Fuels Wizard

The Fuels Wizard is a tool for modifying interrelated properties in a user fuel formulation 

table when analysis of a change in fuel is desired. For instance, changing a given fuel’s RVP 

will affect other properties of that fuel due to changes in refinery processes needed to 

produce that new fuel. In this case, the Fuel Wizard will appropriately modify related fuel 

formulation properties, based on refinery modeling, to reflect the change made to RVP 

level. 

After opening the wizard, the user can select the desired fuel formulation from the 

fuelformulation table of the importer database, and then use a drop-down field to select the 

property that the user wants to change. The fuel wizard will then automatically adjust 

related fuel properties in a manner consistent with refinery modeling results. The wizard will 

display the properties of the old and new fuel and the user may choose to accept or reject 

the change. It is recommended that fuel property changes be made in ascending order of 

priority, as the wizard is only capable of changing one property at a time. 
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Hotelling Data Importer

The Hotelling importer is used to import information on combination truck hotelling 

activity. In MOVES2014, hotelling can be divided into three operating modes: Extended Idle, 

Diesel Auxiliary power (APU), and APU-Off. Extended Idle is defined as long-duration idling 

with more load than standard idle and a different idle speed. It is used to account for 

emissions during hotelling operation when a truck’s engine is used to support loads such as 

heaters, air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc. Diesel Auxiliary power refers to use of 

auxiliary power units that allow for heating/cooling/power for the cab without running the 

truck’s engine. APU-Off refers to hotelling when the truck’s engine is off and an APU is not 

being used. This could include hotelling resulting from truck-stop electrification.

All hotelling processes only apply to long-haul combination trucks (sourcetype = 62). 

Hotelling Activity Distribution

In most cases, users should rely on the national default hotelling operating mode fractions. 

In this case, no action is necessary for the hotelling tab. However, if users have detailed 

local hotelling data, it can be used to define the fraction of hotelling hours that are in each 

of the hotelling modes by model year. 

Hotelling Hours

The hotelling tab includes an optional input for Hotelling Hours. This input can be used if 

users have detailed local information on total extended idle hours by hour of day, day type, 

month, and vehicle model year.

Starts Data Importer

The starts tab is used to import local information on vehicle start activity. This input is 

optional. If no starts information is provided, MOVES will calculate start activity based on 

user-supplied vehicle populations (sourcetypeyear input) and default assumptions of vehicle 

activity.

The starts tab contains multiple importers. Depending on the information available, one or 

more of these importers can be used to supply local start information. These importers 

include: Startsperday, startsperhourfraction, startssourcetypefraction, startsmonthadjust, 

starts, and startsopmodedistribution. The importers are used to create the starts table in 

MOVES. This is a very detailed table containing start information by source type, hour, day, 

and month. Typically, local data will not be available to populate the entire starts table. In a 

case where a user supplied only one table, MOVES will use that information to create the 

starts table, and will rely on default information for the inputs not provided. For instance, if 
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total starts per day are provided through the startsperday table, those values will be used, 

and will be distributed to source types and hours based on MOVES default allocations. 

Startsperday

The Startsperday table can be used when vehicle start information is available for total 

starts for weekend and/or weekdays. Total starts should be provided for a typical weekday 

and weekend day (dayID 5 and 2 respectively.) This input can be used independently, or in 

combination with other start input tables. 

Startsperhourfraction

The Startsperhourfraction table can be used when local start information is available by 

hour of day. Fractions can be provided to correctly allocate starts to the appropriate hour. 

Fractions should be provided for both weekday and weekdays. The fractions should sum to 

one for each day type. This input can be used independently, or in combination with other 

start input options. 

Startssourcetypefraction

The Startssourcetypefraction table can be used when local start information is available by 

source type. Fractions can be entered in the table to allocate total starts to each of the 13 

MOVES source types. Fractions should sum to one. This input can be used independently, or 

in combination with other start input options. 

Startsmonthadjust

The Startsmonthadjust table can be used to vary the vehicle starts between different 

months. An adjustment factor of 1.0 for each month will model a situation where annual 

starts are evenly divided between months. This is likely an unrealistic scenario. Usually, 

start activity increases in the summer and decreases in the winter. Local starts information 

can be used to adjust starts up, or down depending on the month (or season) by changing 

the adjustment factors for each month. 

Starts

The Starts table can be used to completely replace the MOVES generated Starts table. 

Information on starts must be provided by month, hourdayID, sourcetypeid, and vehicle 

ageID. To use this input, vehicle starts information must be available for all fields. This input 

should only be used independently, and should not be used in combination with other starts 

inputs.

Startsopmodedistribution

The Startopmodedistribution table can be used to provide local soak-time distribution. A 

soak-time is the period between “key-off” and “key-on.” Longer periods of soak typically 

result in higher start emission rates. If local data are available, the MOVES default soaktime assumptions can be overwritten by changing the opmodedistribution fractions in this 
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table. This input can be used independently, or in combination with other start input 

options. Note that evaporative emissions will not be impacted by changing this table. 

Zone Importer

The Zone Importer is used (and will only appear) if the Custom Domain option is chosen 

in the County Domain Manager. Currently, MOVES only has the capability to model one 

off-network zone at a time within a Custom Domain, though multiple zones containing 

non-off-network 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.

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. 

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.

SCCRoadTypeDistribution Table

The 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. This input is only necessary if asking MOVES to generate output by SCC. 

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).
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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. 

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 offnetwork 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.

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 for light duty vehicles 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.

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 
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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.

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. 

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.

I/M Programs Importer

The I/M Programs Importer is used in both the County Domain Manager and Project 

Data Manager. It allows you to specify the level of compliance and general effectiveness of 

your I/M program design. 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 pollutant-process, location, source type, model year range, 

fuel type and specific I/M test types. The variable useIMyn is a yes/no status that controls 
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the use of the data. The lack of data in this importer will lead to the modeling of a no I/M 

scenario. 

When using the county data manager, the I/M Programs input tab will never automatically 

supply I/M Coverage data to the county input database. This is indicated by the red ‘x’ 

mark, and is true even if the selected county has an I/M program. The MOVES program will 

successfully run with a no I/M program scenario if the I/M Coverage tab has a red ‘x’ mark. 

If you desire to utilize the default I/M data for a given county, you must select the Export 

Default Data Button to export the default data to a spreadsheet and then import the data 

back into the county input database. 

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 will

be set to green checks or yellow tilds. 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 will contain either a message stating that the run 

was successful and that no errors occurred, or it will report a brief error message. 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. 

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. 

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 post-process 
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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. 

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 onroad 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. 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. 

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. 

Note: 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. Depending 
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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. 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).

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.

Run MySQL Script on Nonroad Output Database

Nonroad Post-Processing Scripts List The Run MySQL Script on Nonroad Output Database menu option enables you to select from 

a set of MySQL scripts to further process the MOVES nonroad output databases stored in 

the MySQL database format. The scripts are applied to the current output database 

selected in the current RunSpec. The Nonroad scripts require that MOVES be run in specific 

ways, so read the documentation associated with each script before using it. 

After selecting Run MySQL Script on Nonroad Output Database, click the arrow in the 

scroll down box to view all the available scripts. 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. Type a name for the 

post-processing script output in the File name field and click Save. When the script has 

completed (this may take some time), click OK. 
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. 

Script Title Description

EmissionFactors_per_hphr_by_Equipment.sql Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per horsepowerhour by fuel type and equipment type

EmissionFactors_per_hphr_by_Equipment_and_

Horsepower.sql

Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per horsepowerhour by fuel type, equipment type, 

and horsepower bin

EmissionFactors_per_hphr_by_SCC.sql Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per horsepowerhour by SCC

EmissionFactors_per_OperatingHour_by_Equipment

.sql

Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per operating hour 

by fuel type and equipment type

EmissionFactors_per_OperatingHour_by_Equipment

_and_Horsepower.sql

Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per operating hour 

by fuel type, equipment type, and 

horsepower bin

EmissionFactors_per_OperatingHour_by_SCC.sql Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per operating hour 

by SCC

EmissionFactors_per_Vehicle_by_Equipment.sql Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per vehicle by fuel 

type and equipment type

EmissionFactors_per_Vehicle_by_Equipment_and_ 

Horsepower.sql

Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per vehicle by fuel 

type, equipment type, and 

horsepower bin

EmissionFactors_per_Vehicle_by_SCC.sql Generates emission factors for each 

selected pollutant per vehicle by SCC

Inventory_by_County_and_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant

Inventory_by_County_FuelType_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant by fuel type

Inventory_by_Equipment_Horsepower_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant by equipment 

type and horsepower bin

Inventory_by_EquipmentType_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant by equipment 

type

Inventory_by_Sector_Horsepower_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant by sector and 

horsepower bin

Inventory_by_Sector_SCC_Pollutant.sql Generates an aggregate inventory of 

each selected pollutant by sector and 

SCC

Population_by_Sector_and_SCC.sql Generates population numbers by 

sector and SCC
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Produce Summary Report

Note: The Produce Summary Report menu option is not supported for MOVES2014. It has not been 

tested with the new model and EPA does not recommend its use. The information below is from the 

MOVES2010b user guide.

Produce Summary Report is intented to allow 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. 

This screen allows you to give the report a title. The default title is Summary Report, but 

you may change this in the text field. You may also 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.

Note: Files which already have this base file name will be overwritten without warning if reports are 

generated with the same base file name. 

You may also 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.

Then choose the categories to be distinguished in the report. At least one category must be 

selected. The category list is based on the RunSpec. The fewer categories selected, the 

more aggregate the report will be. Dimensions not distinguished when the run was made 

are not included. 

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. 
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Conversely, if only a single run is included in the report, there is little reason to select the 

MOVESRunID category. 

Finally, select the data items to be included in the report. At least one data item besides 

Distance must be selected. 

When OK is clicked, the screen report appears. 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 RunSpec, and the emission process 

covered by the report. Clicking on the Decode tab displays the decoded numeric codes 

included in the report.

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. 

Note: 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. 

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).

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 MySQL commands to generate a table that fits the necessary 

criteria and save it into the output database indicated by the currently loaded RunSpec.
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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.

Tools

Tools provides a drop-down menu with the choice Multiple RunSpec Creator, Process 

Done Files and Database Converter. 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. 

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 usersupplied 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.

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.

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 
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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 
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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.

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.

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. 

Process DONE Files

The tool Process DONE Files is an advanced MOVES tool that is not recommended for use 

by most users. 

Database Converter

The structure of the county data manager and project data manager input databases are 

slightly different between MOVES2010b and MOVES2014. To facilitate the migration of user 

work from MOVES2010b to MOVES2014, 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. 

Note: 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 

MOVES2014.

The Input Database and the New Database boxes are required entries. The name of the 

MOVES2010b county or project database is entered in the Input Database box. The name 

of the MOVES2014 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 MOVES2010b 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 MOVES2014. 

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 MOVES2010b county or 

project input database, the name of a new database to be created, and the name of the 

conversion script to be run. An example command line is:

ant -Dinput=2010binput -Doutput=2014input -Dscript=Convert2010b_CDM_PDM.sql 

convert
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Settings 

The Settings menu includes one option, Configure MOVES. This menu option allows you 

to set the basic MOVES operating configuration. Most users will not need to do this.

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. 

Note: 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. 

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. 

Help 

Help providesa link to the MOVES website and supplies general information about the 

version of MOVES being used.

Choose MOVES Websitetoopen a link to the MOVES web page with the user guide, this 

manual, and links to training materials and other support documents.. 

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/.