1.1 Windows PC HYSPLIT Install |
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The public-unregistered or registered versions of HYSPLIT should be downloaded as noted below. The installation contains all the executables, documentation, and some test meteorological data. Starting with HYSPLIT v5.2.0, the graphical user interface only requires Tcl/Tk because the Postscript graphics have been replaced by Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) which can be displayed through any browser. Ghostscript and Ghostview are no longer needed. ImageMagick should also be installed if SVG is to be conveted to other formats. Other optional programs such as Google Earth and ArcExplorer may be installed if desired. Each software component must be downloaded from its own vendor or distributor web page, unless noted below. 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.
- Tcl/Tk Graphical User Interface
Version 8.5 or later is required.
A Tcl/Tk script interpreter is required to run the HYSPLIT GUI. Further, various computations can be automated through the use of Tcl scripts. The standard HYSPLIT installation includes all the GUI scripts, but the Tcl/Tk interpreter is not part of the distribution. You can download and compile the source code, use one of the precompiled binaries available from the Tcl/Tk web site, or download and unzip the ARL compiled version (tcl.zip) to a directory on your computer (C:\tcl for example) which will contain the Windows executable (tcl\bin\wish86t.exe). For other versions, install the software to the suggested default directory prior to installing HYSPLIT.
- ImageMagick File Converter
Tested versions include up to 7.0.7.
The GUI has a built-in link that permits the conversion of the SVG output to most other graphical formats. This capability is enabled through the installation of ImageMagick. Install the software to the suggested default directory but when prompted for additional tasks check the box to Install Legacy Utilities. Note that all HYSPLIT SVG graphic frames are packaged within a single HTML file. Conversion by ImageMagick to other formats requires that the individual frames (within the SVG tags) are written to individual SVG files. This is accomplished through the splitsvg program provided with the HYSPLIT distribution.
- Windows HYSPLIT Installation
Two types of HYSPLIT distributions are available for Windows OS. One is an self-installing executable and the other is a zip file. Both are for a 64-bit OS only.
Where to install HYSPLIT? Our recommendation is c:\hysplit. 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. You should install HYSPLIT under the same parent directory as the Tutorial. Installing to the recommended directory will make it easier to use preconfigured input files during the Tutorial as well as running example scripts without editing the directory pointer. If you do not want to install on top of an existing version, it is best to rename the old \hysplit directory before proceeding.
To install HYSPLIT using the self-installing executable, simply run it. This may require system administrator access to your computer. You will be prompted for a default installation directory; the suggested default is c:\hysplit. Other location may be used as long as it meets the conditions described in the previous paragraph. A desktop icon and quick-start drop down menu will also be installed.
To install HYSPLIT from the zip file, double click the file to view its content in a File Explorer. Copy the HYSPLIT directory therein to the installation directory. Our suggested location is c:\hysplit, in which case copy the HYSPLIT directory to c:. Other location may be used: see the above for requirements.
Note that the registered version is identical to the unregistered version in all respects except that the unregistered version dispersion model (for concentration predictions) only works with archival data and cannot be run using forecast data. Note that the unregistered version will work with all examples in this Tutorial.
If you downloaded the ARL tcl.zip file, after unzipping the file, let's assume the binary (wish86t.exe) resides under C:\tcl\bin, right-click the HYSPLIT shortcut "Run Hysplit" on the desktop, then Properties. In the Target: field, add C:\tcl\bin\wish86t.exe before C:\hysplit\guicode\hysplit.tcl (assuming hysplit was installed in C:\hysplit and separate these two strings with a blank space). Also wish86t.exe may require a system reboot and the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable update, if that is not already installed on your system. Both vc_redist.{x64|x86}.exe should be installed. If you installed one of the developer's Tcl/Tk packages, the above steps would not be required.
- Optional Python Emulator
A new class of display programs for trajectories and air concentration contours using the Python language has been developed. These programs are still undergoing modifications to their capabilities and interface requirements. To use them a Python emulator is required. If the Python display programs are provided with your HYSPLIT distribution, you will find detailed installation instructions in the python directory (e.g. install_win10.txt). More information about these displays can be found in the Python section. A system reboot may be required after installation.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tutorial Tips
There are several 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. Depending upon your version of Windows, one of these methods should work: 1) Start Menu, All Programs, Windows Accessories, right click on Notepad, More, Pin to Taskbar. 2) Start Menu, All Programs, Windows Accessories, and drag the Notepad icon to empty spot on Desktop. 3) Right-click on desktop, New, Shortcut, C:\Windows\notepad.exe, Next, and Finish.
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 do 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.