Author: user

  • Downloading NED Terrain Data – NK2.0 App

    If you are going to be using AERMOD, you will be using AERMAP to calculate elevations and effective hill heights. AERMAP needs terrain files to work. You can follow EPA’s guidance and follow the 10 steps to download the files needed and then follow another 10+ steps to convert the downloaded files to the required […]

  • Using Land Use to determine Rural or Urban – NK2.0 App

    Determining whether an area is considered rural or urban is one of the simplest tasks in dispersion modeling. If you are spending just a few minutes on performing this task AND documenting your analysis, you are spending wayyy too much time. Watch the short video below to see what I mean.

  • 10 Tips to Save Time and Money – FREE WEBINAR

    10 Tips to Save Time and Money – FREE WEBINAR

    When a task needs to be done, most people want to just dive in and start doing something right away. The sooner you start doing, the sooner you will be finished, right? Well, not always. A better outcome, which is quicker, less expensive, and of higher quality, results if a well thought out and vetted […]

  • What Will It Take?

    What Will It Take?

    First of all, I do NOT search for NOR make it a habit to look at cat videos. When I saw this video in my LinkedIn feed, it reminded me of so many people I have worked with over the years and a little bit of myself once in a while. The comment I made […]

  • Are Spreadsheets Obsolete?

    Are Spreadsheets Obsolete?

    Spreadsheet programs have been in existence for over 40 years (VisiCalc in 1979). We have all used them at work, in the home, and for school. We know them. We love them. But have they become obsolete? The short answer is “No”. However, their role, especially when it comes to dispersion modeling is very limited […]

  • Dispersion Modeling Simplified – Bits and Pieces

    Dispersion Modeling Simplified – Bits and Pieces

    When we say something is complicated, what does that really mean? In grad school, I had a final that had just two problems. The first problem was, from basic principles, derive the full (no simplifications) Navier-Stokes equations. The second problem was to derive the full vorticity equations and identify what each term means. In high […]

  • The Whole Problem

    The Whole Problem

    Americans constantly complain that completing their federal income tax return is too complicated and takes too long. Americans spend, on average, 13 hours to complete their federal tax returns. The 13 hours is broken down this way: • 6 hours to compile information ( W-2, 1099-INT, 1099-R, 1099-MISC, 1098, 1098-T, K-1, etc.) • 4 hours […]

  • How to Design an Air Quality Geodatabase – FREE WEBINAR

    How to Design an Air Quality Geodatabase – FREE WEBINAR

    What did an engineer, 2 meteorologists, and a college student do that a team of GIS professions couldn’t? Sounds like a joke, but it was no laughing matter. The answer is design, build, launch, and implement an air quality geodatabase for the second largest environmental agency in the world. By the way, it only took […]

  • Stone Knives and Bear Skins

    Stone Knives and Bear Skins

    It’s 2019. We all take for granted that we can flip a switch and our lights go on, that we can go online, select, buy, and have delivered to our doorstep, almost any product we want, that we can make that purchase from our smart phone (a.k.a. mini-computer), and that our purchases and anything else […]

  • Are Expedited Permits Worth It?

    Are Expedited Permits Worth It?

    Many years ago, I was in a process management class. One of the case-studies was about a customer service helpdesk. To serve the most customers, in the least amount of time, with a finite number of staff, each customer call was given a priority based on the severity of the customer’s issue. Staff tasked to […]