Volatile Correction Model

Help

Help text is provided during each step of the VCM correction, please refer this as you step through. This is also provided here as a summary.

Videos

We have also provided help videos for each stage of the VCM correction web portal and the final spreadsheet downloaded. The videos are provided in both Windows Media Video WMV format for playing in your PC's video player (requires Windows Media Player or similar) and in Flash video format which plays in Flash player (requires Flash Player 8+). Both versions play inside a new browser window.

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Stages 1 - 6 and Spreadsheet Help

This help video has all 6 stages of the web portal and all 4 stages of the spreadsheet included. The Flash player version also includes menu buttons linked to each stage enabling you to skip directly to the help you require.

Watch the all stages help video in Flash player

Watch the all stages help video in WMV format
Stage 1 - Select your TEOM site

The correction generated by the VCM is geographically specific, an exact location of your TEOM instrument is therefore required. The location is generated by completing the form below by inputting site name, site code, organisation name, site post code and importantly the site grid reference. This location information will be stored in our database ready for next time you use the portal.

The database already contains the locations of many TEOM's (such as those on the AURN and LAQN) and those generated by previous visitors. These can be searched by key words or grid reference.

Watch the stage 1 help video in Flash player

Watch the stage 1 help video in WMV format
Stage 2 - Check instrument software configuration

TEOM instrument software is configured such that it reports measurements to the specification laid down by the U.S. EPA. This default software configuration is a mathematical correction and is easily removed from the TEOM measurements.

In most situations the default software configuration will not have been altered.
If in doubt please contact your Equipment Support Unit or consult or help document

TEOM Instrument Configuration

Default software configuration explained

Watch the stage 2 help video in Flash player

Watch the stage 2 help video in WMV format
Stage 3 - Select your local monitoring data

The VCM can provide a corrected TEOM measurement at either an hourly or daily time resolution; please specify which time resolution you require.

Users of this web portal may have measurements of local temperature and pressure and their own FDMS purge measurements to input into the calculation that may be more geographically representative than held in our database. We have therefore provided the option of leaving these fields blank in the spreadsheet for you to complete once you have downloaded it.

Barometric pressure may also be recorded in other units such as mm Hg or atmospheres, ensure that your measurements are converted to mbar before adding them to the spreadsheet. Appropriate conversions can be found at www.unitconversion.org

Watch the stage 3 help video in Flash player

Watch the stage 3 help video in WMV format
Stage 4 - Select FDMS monitoring sites

Please choose the dates that you wish the VCM to provide a correction for. The database will then be searched for the nearest FDMS sites to your chosen location. Further filtering is applied so that sites with a good data capture are chosen preferentially.

Watch the stage 4 help video in Flash player

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Stage 5 - Volatile Correction Summary

Here is a summary of the details used to create your volatile correction; please check that these details are correct before proceeding to the final stage. A summary of these details will also be provided in the spreadsheet.

The data capture of the FDMS and meteorological instruments will have a bearing on the correction supplied. For instance, if no FDMS purge measurements are available on a particular day then no correction will be produced.

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Watch the stage 5 help video in WMV format
Stage 6 - Volatile Correction Complete

You are now ready to create your volatile correction and download your spreadsheet. Your spreadsheet can be downloaded directly from this page or sent to an email address.

Please note that this is a large .xls file (between 500KB and 10MB); as such some security restrictions may block a file of this size and file extension.

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Spreadsheet Introduction

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Spreadsheet Summary

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Spreadsheet Data

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Spreadsheet Results

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