Methodology Used for MOVES Runspec

The discussion below identifies the inputs and settings used by the Shelby County Health 

Department – Pollution Control Section (SCHD-PCS) in the Run Specification file(s) (Runspec) 

to define the MOVES runs that were performed.

Description – provides descriptive details to help remember the purpose of the run and

distinguish the output Run Specification file(s).

Scale – county level was selected as the domain and the emission inventory method was chosen

for the calculation type.

Time Spans – inputs and settings were selected, as follows:

 Time Aggregation Level input – ‘Hour’ was selected. This was done in accordance with

EPA guidance for the preferred aggregation level for SIP and/or conformity runs.

 Years input – two MOVES runs were performed. 2006 was used as the year input in the 

first MOVES run and 2021 was used in the second run.

 Months input – July was selected as the month that best represents summer ozone 

conditions.

 Days input – weekdays were selected for the representative day type as they are 

considered to be the worst-case type when compared to weekends.

 Hours input – all hours of the day were included to represent the 24-hour day.

Geographic Bounds – Shelby County, Tennessee was selected as the geographic boundary.

Vehicles/Equipment – all representative fuel and vehicle types within the transportation network 

were selected from this input category, which featured 13 different vehicle classes (referred to as 

source use types) and different fuel types. Due to the lack of compressed natural gas and 

liquefied petroleum gas vehicles in the population, this analysis incorporates diesel and gas fuel 

types only. This analysis also allows for default fuel formulation and fuel supply information to 

be used in the study area. With the exception of diesel-powered motorcycles, gasoline-powered

combination long-haul trucks, and gasoline-powered intercity buses (which were removed 

because they are not represented in the vehicle population), all possible vehicle and fuel types 

were considered.

Road Type – all five roadway types, which include off-network, rural restricted access, rural 

unrestricted access, urban restricted access, and urban unrestricted access, were considered.

Notably, the off-network is intended to account for vehicle starts and evaporative emissions from

parked vehicles. While these emissions are not captured through the information in the regional 

travel demand models, default values can be used to assess their impacts.

Pollutants and Processes – Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), 

Non-Methane Hydrocarbons (NMHCs), and Total Gaseous Hydrocarbons (THCs) are selected 

because the purpose of the MOVES runs is to assess emissions relating to 8-hour ozone 

formation. Note, all pertinent processes associated with ozone formation are selected, however, 
vapor and spillage loss are not included as they are traditionally developed as part of the area 

source emissions inventory.

Miscellaneous Strategies – No information was entered for this section.

Output – To assist with post-processing aggregation, source use type information was included 

with the output. In addition, each of the MOVES runs creates output databases that include U.S 

tons, million btu’s, and miles as the units of measure.

The table below summarizes the settings used in the MOVES run specification file.

Table – MOVES Runspec Parameters

MOVES Runspec Parameter Settings

MOVES2010b Version 2012/04/10 

Description provided descriptive details to help remember the purpose of the run 

and distinguish the output Run Specification file(s).

Scale Domain/ Scale = County and Calculation Type = Inventory

Time Span Time Aggregation Level = Hour

two MOVES runs were performed and input was selected as follows:

1) Years = 2006

2) Years = 2021

Months = One month (July) was selected to represent summertime

ozone conditions

Hours = All hours of the day selected

Days = Selected Weekdays only

Geographic Bounds 1 custom domain – Shelby County, Tennessee

Vehicles/Equipment All valid source types, gasoline and diesel

Road Type All road types including off-network

Pollutants and Processes NOx, VOCs, total gaseous hydrocarbons, and non-methane 

hydrocarbons

General Output Units = U.S. tons, million btu, and miles

Output Emissions Time = hour, location = link, on-road emissions by road type and 

source use type

Advanced Performance None