1.1 Windows PC HYSPLIT Install

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The trial or registered versions of HYSPLIT should be downloaded as noted below. The installation contains all the executables, documentation, and some test meteorological data. The graphical user interface requires Tcl/Tk, Ghostscript utilities, and ImageMagick, which are provided with the Tutorial download. Optional programs such as Google Earth and ArcExplorer may be installed if needed. If you are running this tutorial through the web, each software component must be downloaded from its own home page. For some programs, selections exist for either a 32-bit or 64-bit download. HYSPLIT is provided only for a 64-bit OS. If you are unsure of which system is installed on your computer, check the control panel system tab for the operating system.

  1. Tcl/Tk Graphical User Interface

    The Tcl/Tk script interpreter is required to run the HYSPLIT GUI. Further, various computations can be automated through the use of Tcl scripts. Install the software to the suggested default directory.


  2. Postscript Converter

    The HYSPLIT trajectory and concentration display programs create high resolution publication quality graphics files in Postscript format. These can be printed directly on any Postscript printer, and if Ghostscript has been installed, viewed on the PC display monitor or printed on any non-Postscript printer. Install the software to the suggested default directories.


  3. Postscript Viewer

    Ghostscript should be installed prior to proceeding with this step. Ghostscript only provides for command line options. To more easily view and print Postscript files in a Windows environment, install Ghostview to the suggested default directories.


  4. ImageMagick File Converter

    The GUI has a built in link that permits the conversion of the Postscript graphics output file to most other graphical formats. This capability is enabled through the installation of ImageMagick, which requires the prior installation of Ghostscript to be able to read the Postscript files. Install the software to the suggested default directory but when prompted for additional tasks check the box to Install Legacy Utilities.


  5. Windows HYSPLIT Installation

    The HYSPLIT PC installation simply requires running the self-installing executable. You will be prompted for a default installation directory, the suggested default is c:\hysplit4. Installing to the default directory will make it easier to use preconfigured input files during the Tutorial. If installation to another directory name is required, avoid directories with embedded spaces because many programs in the HYSPLIT system use the space as a file name delimiter. A desktop icon and quick-start drop down menu will be installed. If you do not want to install on top of an existing version, it is best to rename the old \hysplit4 directory before proceeding. Note that the registered version is identical to the trial version in all respects except that the trial version dispersion model (for concentration predictions) only works with archival data and cannot be run using forecast data. Note that the trial version will work with all examples in this Tutorial and is the recommended version to install for the AMS short course.



  6. Optional GIS Viewer

    The GUI includes an option to convert various graphical products to the ESRI shapefile format. These shapefiles can then be imported and viewed in ArcExplorer or other compatible programs. It is then possible to overlay trajectories, meteorological data, and concentration contours, all on the same map background using the GIS software. Note that administrator access is usually required to install these programs. HYSPLIT also permits the use of shapefiles (.shp only) in defining the map background layers in the existing trajectory and concentration plotting programs.


  7. Optional Google Earth Viewer

    HYSPLIT trajectory and concentration output files can be converted to a format that is compatible for display with Google Earth. The conversion results in zip file (.kmz) that contains all the files required by Google Earth. A double-click on the "kmz" file will open Google Earth and it will automatically zoom to the display. Google Earth gives the best results for computers connected to the Internet, permitting access to its on-line geographic database.


  8. Optional MeteoInfo and TrajStat

    MeteoInfo is a freely available software designed to view and analyze meteorological and spatial data interactively. Supported meteorological data formats: GrADS binary grid and station data, NetCDF grid data, GRIB edition 1 and 2 data, HDF EOS5 data, ARL packed meteorological data, and HYSPLIT model output data (concentration, particle, trajectory). TrajStat is for the statistical analysis of air mass back trajectories combined with long-term ambient air pollution measurements and includes tools for source identification, cluster the trajectories, compute the potential source contribution functions (PSCF), and concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analyses when measurement data are available.



  9. Optional Tutorial Tips

    There are two things that you can do to configure Windows to make it a little easier to follow along with some of the tutorial examples. One is to put a short-cut link to Notepad on the desktop so that files without text extensions can easily be opened and viewed. Open the Windows Start Menu, open All Programs, Accessories, and find and right-click on Notepad, and select Send to, Desktop (create shortcut).

    The second, if File Explorer is not already configured to view all file extensions, open the View tab of Folder Options File Menu in the Control Panel, and uncheck the box for Hide extensions for known file types. It can also be helpful to add the Tutorial directory to the Favorites (or Quick Access) in Windows Explorer. To to this, navigate to the Tutorial directory in Windows Explorer, then right click on "Favorites" (near the top of the left panel), and select add current location to favorites.