Getting Started

SOFEA implements a generic methodology to determine fumigant air concentrations in large and diverse air sheds. Fundamentally, SOFEA implements a pre-processor that sequentially develops complex AERMOD input files and a post-processor that uses high-performance algorithms to calculate summary statistics, moving averages, estimated percentiles, and empirical distributions. Simulations of virtually any complexity can be developed by composition of fundamental components:

  • Scenario: Defines global parameters that apply to the complete AERMOD input file. Includes general settings for the dispersion model, meteorological data, and flux profiles.

  • Source Group: Defines Monte Carlo parameters and buffer zones that apply to a group of sources (treated fields). Corresponds to SO SRCGROUP in AERMOD.

  • Source: Defines the geometry and emission parameters for an individual source term (treated field). Emission parameters can be defined for a specific source or derived from distributions specified at the Source Group level.

The input structure is hierarchical, with one scenario containing one or more source groups, and one source group containing one or more sources. One SOFEA project can contain multiple scenarios. Component dependencies are illustrated in the following diagram:

Project
└──Scenario
   ├──Source Group
   │  ├──Source
   │  ├──Receptors
   └──Flux Profile

The SOFEA GUI provides a single integrated environment for defining scenarios, running the air dispersion model, and post-processing results. To open the GUI, double-click sofea.exe in the application folder.

Main Window

The main window is divided into the Project Browser, Messages, and Workspace:

  • Project Browser: Manages all of the scenarios and source groups in a project. Most options are accessed via the context menu displayed when right-clicking a scenario or source group.

  • Messages: Captures informational messages and errors from SOFEA and AERMOD while running.

  • Workspace: The central area of the window that displays AERMOD input files and the source data table.

The main project controls are available in the menus and toolbar:

NewScenario New Scenario

Creates a new scenario with default settings.

OpenProject Open Project

Opens an existing project file (.sofea).

SaveProject Save Project

Saves all scenario and source group data to the project file.

RunModel Run Model

Opens the run dialog to start and monitor progress of runs.

AnalyzeResults Analyze Results

Opens the post-processing utilities to analyze an output file.