Control Strategy Tool

The Control Strategy Tool (CoST) is a client-server system and is part of EPA's Emissions Modeling Framework (EMF). The purpose of CoST is to model the emission reductions and engineering costs associated with control strategies applied to point, area, and mobile sources of air pollutant emissions to support the analyses of air pollution policies and regulations. CoST accomplishes this by matching control measures to emission sources using algorithms such as "maximum emissions reduction", "least cost", and "apply measures in series". Control strategy results can be exported to CSV files or viewed in a graphical table that supports sorting, filtering, and plotting. The results can also be merged with the original inventory to create controlled emissions inventories that can be exported to files that can be input to the emissions model SMOKE.

The Control Strategy Tool was developed as a replacement for the AirControlNET (ACN) software tool. It was determined in 2006 that it was an appropriate time to replace the ACN software with newer software that could provide improved effectiveness, functionality, and transparency to support current and upcoming needs. A prototype version of the Control Strategy Tool was developed in 2006 and a fully functional version was developed in 2008. The tool has the functionality of AirControlNET but with added capabilities, including:

• the ability to insert emissions inventories almost seamlessly from the Emissions Modeling Framework (EMF)
• the ability to insert new control measure data
• easier for users to track their analyses and output
• Quality assurance (QA) steps provided for identifying errors in emissions and control measure data
• extensive set of mobile source control measures and functionality to apply control measures by month, seasonally, or annually.

Information on control efficiencies and costs is contained in the Control Measure dataset. This dataset currently focuses on criteria pollutants, with plans to add coverage for control information and costs for HAPs and GHGs in 2009.

The Control Strategy Tool is not yet accessible outside of EPA. The current schedule is to provide a version of the tool to non-EPA users in 2009. Documentation for the tool is included on this web site (below). Additional documentation is under development and will be posted on this website when available. Contact David Misenheimer at 919-541-5473 or at misenheimer.david@epa.gov for more information. >

	File Description	File Date	File Types
	Tool Documentation and Data
	Description of CoST and AirControlNET	04-08
	Documentation of Cost Equations in EPA's Control Strategy Tool (CoST)	04-08
	Control Measures Dataset (beta version)
	- Point Source Control Measures	Coming Soon
	- Area Source Control Measures	Coming Soon
	CoST User's Guide	coming soon
	CoST Development Report	coming soon
	Presentation and Workshops
	CoST Presentation for AQMP Workshop, June 2008	06-08
	CoST Paper for 2008 EI Conference, June 2008	06-08
	CoST Presentation for 2008 EI Conference, June 2008	06-08
	Training
	CoST Training Notes	coming soon
	Links to Related Sites
	PM Control Measure Information