BenMAP Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program Community Edition User’s Manual April 2017


Ben MAR!

mmmmmmmmummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm COMMUNITY EDITION

Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program -

Community Edition

User's Manual

April 2017

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Contents

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 Welcome to BenMAP-CE	1-1

1.1	Overview of BenMAP-CE & Benefits Assessment	1-2

1.2	How to Use this Manual	1-7

1.3	Computer Requirements 	1-8

1.4	Installing BenMAP-CE	1-9

1.5	Uninstalling BenMAP-CE	1-10

1.6	Contacts for Comments, Questions & Bug Reporting	1-10

1.7	Sources for More Information	1-11

1.8	Frequently Asked Questions (General)	1-12

BenMAP-CE User's Manual	April 2017

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Chapter 1 - Welcome to BenMAP-CE

CHAPTER 1

Welcome to
BenMAP-CE

In this chapter, find...

¦	An overview of the tool.

¦	Instructions for installing the tool.

¦	Contacts, sources for more information, and
answers to frequently asked general questions.

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The environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program—Community Edition
(BenMAP-CE) is a powerful, yet easy-to-use program that helps you estimate the
number and economic value of health impacts resulting from changes in air pollution
concentrations. The open-source BenMAP-CE tool replaces the proprietary version of
the program (BenMAP) that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) first
developed in 2003 to analyze national-scale air quality regulations. These analyses
include health benefits assessments for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQs) for Particulate Matter (2006, 2012) and Ozone (2008, 2010) as well as the
Locomotive Marine Engine Rule (2008).

U.S. EPA and its partners designed BenMAP-CE to serve the analytical needs of a range
of users, including scientists, policy analysts, and decision makers. Most users apply the
BenMAP-CE tool to answer one of two types of questions:

1. What are the human health and economic benefits associated with a policy
improving air quality?

2. What is the human health burden attributable to total air pollution levels?

While the BenMAP-CE development team designed the program to be accessible to
novice users, the tool includes a number of features that will appeal to advanced
analysts as well. For example, analysts can add their own health impact and valuation
functions, map results, and perform a suite of sensitivity analyses. Beginning users can
take advantage of U.S. EPA's pre-programmed settings and reports in the core program.

1.1 Overview of BenMAP-CE & Benefits Assessment

The BenMAP-CE program estimates the human health impacts and economic value of
air quality changes. That is — BenMAP-CE relates air quality changes to human health
benefits. Such analyses are a critical component of air quality policy assessments. As
such, a variety of Federal, State and Local air pollution officials have used BenMAP-CE
to inform air quality management decisions.1

BenMAP-CE estimates benefits from improvements in human health, such as reductions
in the risk of premature death, heart attacks, and other adverse health effects. Other
benefits of reducing air pollution (i.e., visibility and ecosystem effects) are not
quantified in the current version of BenMAP-CE. After estimating the reductions in the
incidence of adverse health effects, BenMAP-CE calculates the monetary benefits
associated with those reductions.

How does BenMAP-CE estimate human health effects?

First, BenMAP-CE determines the change in ambient air pollution using user-specified
air quality data. Because BenMAP-CE does not model air quality changes, these data

1 For a list of peer-reviewed articles that used the BenMAP and BenMAP-CE tools, see: www.epa.gov/benmap

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must be input into BenMAP-CE as modeling data or generated from air pollution
monitoring data (some monitoring data is pre-loaded in BenMAP-CE). Next, BenMAP-CE
applies the relationship between the pollution and certain health effects (also known as
health endpoints). This relationship is often referred to as the health impact function or
the concentration-response (C-R) function, which is derived from epidemiology studies
as shown in Figure 1-1. BenMAP-CE applies that relationship to the exposed population
to calculate health impacts.

Epidemiology study

Incidence
(log scale)

Ln(y) = Ln(B) + B
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Chapter 1 - Welcome to BenMAP-CE

A simplified example is shown below.

Health Effect = Air Quality Change * Health Effect Estimate * Exposed Population *
Health Baseline Incidence

¦ Air Quality Change. The air quality change is the difference between the
starting air pollution level (i.e., the baseline) and the air pollution level after
some change, such as a new regulation (i.e., the control).

¦ Health Effect Estimate. The health effect estimate is an estimate of the
percentage change in the risk of an adverse health effect due to a one unit
change in ambient air pollution. Epidemiological studies are a good source for
effect estimates.

¦ Exposed Population. The exposed population is the number of people affected
by the air pollution reduction. The government Census office is a good source for
this information. In addition, private companies may collect this information and
offer it for sale.

¦ Health Baseline Incidence. The health incidence rate is an estimate of the
average number of people who die (or suffer from some adverse health effect) in a
given population over a given period of time. For example, the health incidence rate
might be the probability that a person will die in a given year. Health incidence
rates and other health data are typically collected by the government. In addition
the World Health Organization is a good source for this.2

How does BenMAP-CE estimate the economic value of human health effects?

BenMAP-CE also calculates the economic value of avoided health effects (see Section 7
for details). After calculating the health changes, you can estimate the economic value
by multiplying the reduction of the health effect by an estimate of the economic value
per case (see Figure 1-2):

Economic Value = Health Effect * Value of Health Effect

2 The World Health Organization is a good source for international health data, see: http: //www.who.int.

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• •
• •

i* • • • • •

• • •• ••<
• • •• ••
• • • • •
• • • • « •

• •

• • • •
• • • <

$5,000/admission

100 • $5,000 =
$500,000

An air quality policy
reduces the number of
hospital admissions by
100

The economic value of
each avoided admission
is $5,000 in the year
2010

The economic value is
the number of cases
multiplied by the value
of each admission

Figure 1-2. Estimating the Economic Value of Human Health Effects

There are several different ways of calculating the value of the health effect. For
example, the value of an avoided premature mortality is generally calculated using the
Value of Statistical Life (VSL). The value of a statistical life is the monetary value that a
group of people are willing to pay to slightly reduce the risk of premature death in the
population. For other health effects, the medical costs of the illness may be the only
valuation data available. The BenMAP-CE database includes several different functions
for VSL and valuation functions for other health effects for you to choose, or you can
rely on U.S. EPA's preloaded selections.

Figure 1-3 summarizes the basic steps in BenMAP-CE. This figure shows the types of
choices that you make regarding the modeling of population exposure, the types of
health effects to model, and how to place an economic value on these health effects.
Please note that BenMAP-CE does not have air quality modeling capabilities, and
instead relies on externally created air quality modeling and monitoring data.

What else can BenMAP-CE do?

BenMAP-CE incorporates a geographic information system (GIS), allowing users to
create, utilize, visualize, and export maps of air pollution, population, incidence rates,
incidence rate changes, economic valuations, and other types of data.

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;aselineAirQualii

Post-Policy Scenario1
Air Quality

Change in air quality

(difference between baseline and
control air pollution conditions)

Incidence &/or
Prevalence Rates

Health Impact
Functions

Y n.o-BAPM\

BenMAP Analysis: Inputs & Outputs

Air Quality Surface

Health Impact Configuration

Change in population-level
exposure to air pollution

Change in health effect
incidence

(deaths and disease cases)

Aggregation, Pooling & Valuation

Valuation
Functions

.4 • AUGoodsIndex

Monetary value (benefits) of
health effects incidence change

Audit Trail Report

Results in tabular formats,
maps, audit trails

Figure 1-3. BenMAP-CE Flow Diagram

Analysts can use BenMAP-CE to:

¦ Create maps illustrating the population/community level ambient pollution
levels;

¦ Compare benefits associated with various regulatory programs;

¦ Characterize the distribution of health impacts among population sub-groups;

¦ Estimate health impacts and economic values of existing air pollution
concentrations;

¦ Estimate the health benefits of alternative ambient air quality standards; and

¦ Perform sensitivity analyses of health or valuation functions, or of other inputs.

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1.2 How to Use this Manual

Chapters 2 through 9 of this manual provide step-by-step instructions on how to use
BenMAP-CE. New users should start with Chapters 2 and 3, which are both very short.
These chapters provide a basic overview of the tool and how it works, and they explain
some potentially confusing terminology.3 Use the rest of the manual to answer any
specific questions you may have, or to walk you step-by-step through the various
components. Chapter 4 discusses how to enter data into BenMAP-CE, Chapters 5
through 7 cover each of the main steps in the Core Program, and Chapters 8 and 9 cover
mapping report options, and additional tools.

Each chapter is introduced by a short section that describes what you can find within
the chapter and provides an outline of the chapter's contents. This is a good place to go
if the Table of Contents does not provide enough detail for you to find the section you
need. The end of most chapters has a series of "Frequently Asked Questions," which
may also be helpful in answering specific questions. In chapters that provide
instructions on navigating the tool, the following conventions are observed: tree menu
items, buttons, tabs and selection box labels are in bold type; prompts and messages are
enclosed in quotation marks; and drop-down menu items, options to click or check, and
items that need to be filled in or selected by the user are italicized. Throughout the
chapters you will also see boxes presenting common mistakes and important things to
remember when working with BenMAP-CE.

There is also a set of Technical Appendices to provide more detailed information on
model functions, data, and underlying assumptions.

Appendix A: Monitor Rollback Algorithms

Appendix B: Air Pollution Exposure Estimation Algorithms

Appendix C: Deriving Health Impact Functions

Appendix D: Health Incidence & Prevalence Data in U.S. Setup

Appendix E: Particulate Matter Health Impact Functions in U.S. Setup

Appendix F: Ozone Health Impact Functions in U.S. Setup

Appendix G: Nitrogen Dioxide Health Impact Functions in U.S. Setup

Appendix H: Sulfur Dioxide Health Impact Functions in U.S. Setup

Appendix I: Health Valuation Functions in U.S. Setup

Appendix J: Population & Other Data in U.S. Setup

Appendix K: Uncertainty & Pooling

Appendix L: Command Line BenMAP-CE

Appendix M: Function Editor

References

3 Another good reference is the BenMAP-CE Quick Start Guide, see: http: //www.epa.gov/benmap.

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1.3 Computer Requirements

The computer hardware requirements for BenMAP-CE are typically modest, though this
will vary depending on the complexity of the analysis. BenMAP-CE requires a Windows
platform and can be used on machines running Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10.
In particular, BenMAP-CE requires a computer with:

¦ Windows 7 or Windows 8 (64-bit operating system recommended)

¦ Adobe Acrobat Reader

¦ Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet program (in order to read exported .xlsx
files)4

¦ Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (or 4.5)5

¦ 4 Gigabytes of RAM or greater

¦ Intel or compatible processor, Core i5 (or better)

¦ At least 10 GB free disk space is recommended for the installation of the
BenMAP-CE database and ancillary files.

BenMAP-CE works best in a 64-bit Windows environment. With a 32-bit installation
there are limits on the memory available to the software application; it can utilize no
more than 2 GB of RAM. This will impact performance when processing large
spatial datasets or numerous health impact/valuation functions.6 A solid state drive
(SSD) has also shown improved performance over hard disk drives (HDD).

4 OpenOffice and LibreOffice are two open-source options for spreadsheet tools.

5 If.NET is not pre-installed, BenMAP-CE will provide a message advising you to install .NET. A standalone
installer is available on the Microsoft website (URL: http: //www.microsoft.com/en-

us/download/details.aspx?id=177181 Install the runtime version and associated files (e.g.,
dotnetfx40_full_x86_x64.exe).

6 To determine whether your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, refer to this article
from Microsoft: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15056/windows-7-32-64-bit-faq

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1.4 Installing BenMAP-CE

The installation of BenMAP-CE is very simple. Double click Setup.exe in your
installation directory to bring up the setup wizard. Then follow the setup wizard by
clicking 'Next' or 'OK' to complete the installation.

BenMAP-CE

LsJ s

Welcome to the BenMAP-CE Setup Wizard

The installer will guide you through the steps required to install BenMAP-CE on your computer.

WARNING: This computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties.
Unauthorized duplication or distribution of this program, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil
or criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.

Cancel < Back Next >

jj-j) BenMAP-CE | en |' S

Installation Complete

BenMAP-CE has been successfully installed.
Click "Close" to exit.

Please use Windows Update to check for any critical updates to the .NET Framework.

Cancel < Back Close

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Upgrading to a new version of BenMAP-CE

Periodically, new versions of BenMAP-CE will be made available and posted to the
BenMAP-CE website: http://www.epa.gov/benmap/. If you are upgrading, first
uninstall the outdated version of the software on your computer. Then extract the files
from the installer package (.zip file) and run the executable ("setup.exeA new
installer package can be relatively large, about 600 megabytes, because the database is
embedded in the installer. However, once downloaded, the installation process is
generally very fast.

Installation instructions are typically provided with each software release. Refer to
these supplemental instructions for important additional information.

1.5 Uninstalling BenMAP-CE

To uninstall BenMAP-CE, go to Control Panel, Programs and Features and remove
BenMAP-CE. Note that uninstalling BenMAP-CE does not also remove any results files
that you have created with BenMAP-CE.

1.6 Contacts for Comments, Questions & Bug Reporting

For comments and questions, please contact Neal Fann at the U.S. EPA.

Address: C539-07, U.S. EPA Mailroom, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
Email: fann.neal@epa.gov
Telephone: 919-541-0209

Alternatively, you can send a message at the BenMAP-CE website:
https://www.epa.gov/benmap/forms/contact-us-about-benmap. or by simply emailing
benmap@epa.gov.

To report programming bugs or suggest additions to the software in BenMAP-CE:

¦ Select the Help menu in the main window;

¦ Open the Provide Feedback form;

¦ Complete the form and submit the report.

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i—M

BenMAP-CE is open-source software. If you encounter an error or would like to request a feature, please consider submitting a report by filling out this
form. We apologize for any issues you may have encountered and value your feedback as it will help us continue to improve BenMAP-CE.

Operating System Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1

BenMAP-CE Version 1.3.5.12 (April 18, 2017)

Your name (optional)

Your email address (optional)

Country where you are located
(optional)

What type of report would you like to submit?

® Software Error
© Requested Feature

How severe is the error you experienced?

Minor-this issue has little or no impact on my ability to use BenMAP-CE
# Major - this issue significantly hinders my ability to use BenMAP-CE
Blocking - this issue prevents me from using BenMAP-CE

What component of BenMAP-CE does the error affect?
| Graphic User Interface: suggested changes

The audit trail report may help us to debug or understand your report better.
f^l Include BenMAP-CE generated audit trail report.

Please describe what you were doing when you encountered the error. Can you tell us how to reproduce the error? (5000 character limit)

To submit this report to us, click the Submit button. Thank you for your time.

1.7 Sources for More Information

For supplemental information on BenMAP-CE, such as articles and presentations,
manuals, and training materials go to:

¦ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards (OAQPS), BenMAP-CE website. Available at:

http://www.epa.gov/benmap/

For more information on conducting benefit analysis, see the following documents:

¦ U.S. EPA (various years). Costs and Benefits of the Clean Air Act. Available at:

https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/benefits-and-costs-clean-air-act

¦ U.S. EPA (2006). Final Regulatory Impact Analysis: 2006 National Ambient Air
Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards. See: Chapter 5. Available at:

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/ecas/regdata/RIAs/Chapter%205--Benefits.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2008). Final Ozone NAAQS Regulatory Impact Analysis. Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards. March. See: Chapter 6. Available at:

https://www3.epa.gov/ttn/ecas/regdata/RIAs/6-ozoneriachapter6.pdf

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¦ U.S. EPA (2008). Regulatory Impact Analysis: Control of Emissions of Air
Pollution from Locomotive Engines and Marine Compression Ignition Engines
Less than 30 Liters Per Cylinder. Office of Transportation and Air Quality.
EPA420-R-08-001a. May. See: Chapter 6. Available at:

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P10024CN.PDF?Dockey=P10024CN.PDF

¦ U.S. EPA (2010). Final Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the S02 National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards. June. See; Chapter 5. Available at:

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/ecas/regdata/RIAs/fso2rial00602ch5.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2010). Final Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the N02 National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards. June. See: Chapter 4. Available at:

https://www3.epa.gov/ttn/ecas/docs/ria/naaqs-no2 ria final 2010-01.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2010). Guidelines for Preparing Economic Analyses. Office of the
Administrator, National Center for Environmental Economics. EPA 240-R-10-
001. December. Available at:

https://yosemite.epa.gov/ee/epa/eerm.nsf/vwAN/EE-0568-50.pdf/$file/EE-
0568-50.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2011). Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the Final Transport Rule.
Office of Air and Radiation. June. See: Chapter 5. Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/airtransport/pdfs/FinalRIA.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2011). Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Final Mercury and Air Toxics
Standards. Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. December. See: Chapter
5. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/ttnecasl/regdata/RIAs/matsriafinal.pdf

¦ U.S. EPA (2012). Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Final Revisions to the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. See: Chapter 5.
Available at: http://www.epa.gov/ttnecasl/regdata/RIAs/finalria.pdf

1.8 Frequently Asked Questions (General)

Is BenMAP-CE free? Is there a Terms of Use agreement? Are there any restrictions on
using BenMAP-CE?

BenMAP-CE is free. There is no Terms of Use agreement and there are no restrictions on
using BenMAP-CE. Feel free to share it with others.

How do I know which version of BenMAP-CE I am using? How do I know if I have the
most current version of BenMAP-CE? How do I get the most current version?

You can identify the version of BenMAP-CE you are using by going to the Help menu and
choosing About. Here you will see the version number and contact information. To

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determine whether you have the most recent version of BenMAP-CE, you can check the
BenMAP-CE website fhttp://www.epa.gov/benmap/1 which will have the latest
version that is publicly available. Alternatively, you can use the contact information to
inquire about any upcoming versions of the model.

About BenMAP-CE 1.3

W*'

Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program - Community Edition (BenMAP-CE)
Version: 1.3.5.12 (April IS, 2017)

U.S. EPA, 2015. Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program - Community Edition
(Version 1.3), 2015. Research Triangle Park, NC. Available on the Internet at

BenMAP-CE is free and open source software. Requests for the source code, as well as
comments and questions, should be sent to mai11c:benmapepa, gov.

Release Notes

Why don't my files created with an older version of BeniVIAP work with BenMAP-CE?

Files created with an older version of BenMAP will not, in most cases, work with
BenMAP-CE because of changes to the program. For example, later versions of
BenMAP-CE have the capability to handle population data differentiated by ethnicity.
For this reason, after completing an analysis with BenMAP-CE, it is always good to
archive the BenMAP-CE installer along with the files used in your analysis, so that you
will always be able to reproduce your work in the future.

Why are my pop-up windows too small? Why are buttons missing?

If the BenMAP-CE pop-up windows do not show the entire content (display seems cut
off or buttons are missing), please check the display properties for your computer.
Locate your Control Panel, then your Display settings, and choose the screen
resolution associated with 96 DPI (display pixels per inch). Here is what the screen
looks like for Windows 7 Professional operating system.

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Q9-1

Control Panel ~

File Edit View Tools Help

Control Panel Home

Adjust resolution
Adjust brightness
(jjjp Calibrate color

Change display settings
Connect to a projector
Adjust ClearType text
Set custom text size (DPP

All Control Panel Items ~ Display

^ Search Control Panel

r^irsirai
p\

Make it easier to read what's on your screen

You can change the size of text and other items on your screen by choosing one of these options. To
temporarily enlarge just part of the screen, use the Magnifier tool.

% Smaller -100%

See also
Personalization
Devices and Printers

Custom DPI Setting

For a custom DPI setting, select a percentage from the lis
drag the ruler with your mouse.

Scale to this percentage of normal size: 100%

9 point Segoe UI at 96 pixels per inch.

3 Use Windows XP style DPI scaling

Apply

Why do I get different results than someone else?

There are many possible reasons why your results might differ from someone else's
results. One good place to start is the Audit Trail Reporting option. With the Audit Trail
you can examine the assumptions and selections that you have made to generate your
results and compare your selections with those made in another analysis.

What do I need to be aware of if I use BenMAP-CE for a local scale analysis?

Perhaps the most important issue is to make sure that you have identified the
resolution of your analysis and have the appropriate grid definitions loaded into
BenMAP-CE. See Chapter 4 (Section 4.1.1) to read about grid definitions. The next key
step, which is closely connected to the grid definitions, is to determine the data that you
want to use. Data such as air quality modeling, incidence data, and population data need
to match the grid definitions that you are using. You also need to be careful about the
formatting of your data when loading it into BenMAP-CE. Chapter 4 also provides
information on loading data into BenMAP-CE.

Does BenMAP-CE estimate effects of air pollution that are not related to human health
(i.e., ecological effects)?

No. BenMAP-CE does not currently have impact functions to estimate other than human
health effects. In principle, it would be possible to estimate ecological effects, as
BenMAP-CE is designed to combine different types of geographically variable data. To

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do so, you would need to develop and load data and impact functions appropriate to
estimating ecological effects of interest.

How can I get training for BenMAP-CE?

A variety of training resources are available, including self-paced exercises, online
interactive modules and instructor-led training are available at:
https://www.epa.gov/benmap/benmap-ce-training-materials

Where can I find the source code for BenMAP-CE?

BenMAP-CE is an open source program and the development team welcomes
contributions and scrutiny from the user community. If you are interested in receiving a
current copy of the source code, please contact U.S. EPA at benmap@epa.gov.

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Contents

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 2 Terminology 2-1

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Chapter 2 - Terminology

CHAPTER
Terminology

In this chapter...

¦ Find definitions for common terms used in the BenMAP-CE
tool and in this manual.

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Active Layer. In the GIS window, the active layer is the top-most data layer. All queries
or statistical analysis of the map will act upon this top-most layer.

Aggregation. The summing of grid cell level results to the county, state, and national
levels.

Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation (APV) Configuration. APV configurations store
your preferences regarding how to aggregate your results, whether and how to pool
your results, and any economic valuation functions you have applied. For example, an
APV file might aggregate your estimated change in incidence to the U.S. county level, it
might pool across multiple hospital admission health impact functions and it could
include an economic valuation function. APV configurations are stored in files with an
.apvx file extension. The results derived from an APV configuration have an .apvrx file
extension. APV files are by default stored in the APV folder, and APV results files are by
default stored in the CFGR folder.

Air Quality Surface. An air quality surface contains modeled or monitored air pollution
data in a series of cells; these cells may be a regular shape (like a 12km by 12km grid)
or an irregular shape (like a county or census tract). These surfaces are also referred to
as air quality grids. BenMAP-CE uses one air quality grid to represent the baseline
scenario and a second grid to represent the control scenario. These baseline and control
grids must share the same geographic structure. The program calculates the difference
between baseline and control grids as an input to the health impact function. Air Quality
Grids are stored in files with an .aqgx file extension.

Air Quality Metric. The metric expresses the time period over which air quality values
are modeled or observed and whether that modeled or observed air quality value is an
average, maximum or minimum. For example, the metric DailyMean represents the
average concentration for the sampling day. This could be taken directly from a single
24-hour observation or from an average of hourly (or more frequent) observations. In
addition to the time period, some metrics also specify the method used for averaging or
aggregation. For example, a typical ozone metric D8HourMax represents the highest of
the 8-hour moving averages during the day.

Air Quality Model. Air quality models are valuable air quality management tools.
Models are mathematical descriptions of pollution transport, dispersion, and related
physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere. Air quality models (like CMAQ1 and
CAMx2) are used to estimate the air pollutant concentration at specific locations, which
are referred to as receptors, or over a spatial area that has been divided into uniform
grid squares. The number of receptors or grid-cells in a model far exceeds the number
of monitors one could typically afford to deploy in a monitoring study. Therefore,
models provide a cost-effective way to analyze pollutant impacts over a wide spatial

1 Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model is available at:

http: //www.epa.gov/amad/Research/RIA/cmaq.html or https: //www.cmascenter.org/cmaq/.

2 Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) is available at: http: //www.camx.com/.

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area where factors such as meteorology, topography, and emissions from both local and
remote sources could be important. BenMAP-CE does not contain an air quality model.

Attainment. The state of meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS)
for a pollutant. A geographical area that meets the NAAQS is called an "attainment
area."

Audit Trail. This is a report that contains a record of all the choices involved in creating
a particular file. Audit trails can be created for any file that BenMAP-CE creates.

Background Concentration. The concentration of a pollutant, generally in the absence
of human sources.

Background Incidence. The incidence of a given adverse effect due to all causes
including air pollution. Also called baseline incidence rates.

Baseline Scenario. The air quality levels prior to whatever policy change you are
evaluating. The baseline is sometimes referred to as "Business as Usual." The baseline
scenario is usually considered to be the reference scenario against which to compare a
potential "control scenario", in which air quality levels are changed from the baseline levels.

Beta. The coefficient for the health impact function. The value of beta (IS) typically
represents the percent change in a given adverse health impact per unit of pollution.

Closest Monitor. The procedure by which data from the closest monitor is used to
represent air pollutant levels in a population grid cell. BenMAP-CE can also scale the
data from the closest monitor with air pollution modeling data. BenMAP-CE includes two
types of scaling - "temporal" and "spatial". See "Scaling" for additional information.

Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model. An open-source photochemical
grid air quality model that the U.S. EPA and others rely upon to predict levels and changes
in pollutant concentrations.

Concentration-Response (C-R) Function. A C-R function estimates the relationship
between adverse health effects and ambient air pollution, and is used to derive health
impact functions (defined below). You will often see that the term C-R function and
health impact function are used interchangeably.

Configuration. A Configuration stores the health impact functions and model options used
to estimate adverse health effects. Configurations are stored in files with a .cfgx file
extension. CFGX files are by default stored in the CFG folder. The results derived from a
Configuration have a .cfgrx file extension. CFGR files are by default stored in the CFGR
folder.

Contingent Valuation. A survey-based economic technique for the valuation of non-
market resources, such as environmental preservation or avoidance of air pollution
health risk.

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Control Scenario. In a modeling study, this is a sensitivity scenario in which emissions
from one or more source sectors are changed (increased or decreased) from a given
"baseline scenario". The control scenario generally represents air quality levels after a
new policy has been implemented.

Core BenMAP-CE. The fully-featured benefits analysis program that accepts user-
defined air quality data, quantifies health impacts, aggregates, values and pools results.

Cost of Illness (COI). The cost of illness includes the direct medical costs and lost
earnings associated with illness. These estimates generally understate the true
economic value of reductions in risk of a health effect, as they include just the direct
expenditures related to treatment and lost earnings but not the value of avoided pain and
suffering.

Currency Year. The value of the currency based on the year specified. Valuation
estimates should use a consistent currency year to account for inflation. For example,
you might want to report the valuation estimate in 2000 dollars to make it easier to
compare with your cost analysis, which uses that same currency year.

Deltas. The difference between two data points. As used in BenMAP-CE, mapping the air
quality deltas shows the change in air pollution between the baseline air quality grid
and the control air quality grid.

Discount Rate. In a cost-benefit analysis, the discount rate is a quantitative method to
account for the fact that people generally value future benefits and costs less than current
costs and benefits. Typically, if a benefit occurs over multiple years, the economic benefit
would be discounted.

Endpoint. An endpoint is a subset of an endpoint group, and represents a more specific
class of adverse health effects. For example, within the endpoint group Mortality, there
might be the endpoints Mortality, Long Term, All Cause and Mortality, Long Term,
Cardiopulmonary.

Endpoint Group. An endpoint group represents a broad class of adverse health effects,
such as premature mortality or hospital admissions. BenMAP-CE only allows pooling of
adverse health effects to occur within a given endpoint group, as it generally does not make
sense to sum the number of cases of disparate health effects, such as premature mortality
and hospital admissions.

Epidemiology. The study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations.
Epidemiological studies cannot prove that a specific risk factor actually causes the
disease being studied but can only show that a risk factor is associated (correlated)
with a higher incidence of disease in the population exposed to that risk factor.

FIPS Code. Federal Information Processing Standard codes. Each state in the United
States is assigned a 2-digit code. For example, "01" refers to Alaska, "37" refers to North
Carolina, and "56" refers to Wyoming.

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Fixed Effect Pooling. Fixed effect pooling is one method to combine two or more
distributions of health impact or economic value estimates into a single new
distribution. Fixed effect pooling assumes that there is a single true underlying
relationship between these component distributions, and that differences among
estimated parameters are the result of sampling error. Weights for the pooling are
generated via inverse variance weighting, thus giving more weight to the studies that
exhibit lower variance and less weight to the input distributions with higher variance.
See Random Effects Pooling below for additional information regarding pooling
techniques.

Fixed Radius. An option to interpolate air quality data points that uses all monitors
within a fixed radius (or distance) of a given point of interest. All monitors are used and
weighted by their relative distance.

GIS. Geographic Information System. A GIS is a system of hardware and software used
for storage, retrieval, mapping, and analysis of geographic data.

Global Burden of Disease. The World Health Organization global burden of disease
(GBD) study measures burden of disease using the disability-adjusted-life-year (DALY).
This time-based measure combines years of life lost due to premature mortality and
years of life lost due to time lived in states of less than full health. The DALY metric was
developed in the original GBD 1990 study to assess the burden of disease consistently
across diseases, risk factors and regions.3

Grid Cell. One of the many geographic, or spatial, components within a Grid Definition.
These can be regularly or irregularly shaped.

Grid Definition. A BenMAP-CE Grid Definition provides a method of breaking a
geographic region into areas of interest (Grid Cells) in conducting an analysis. This can
be done in two ways - by loading a Shapefile (a particular type of GIS file) or by
specifying a regularly shaped grid pattern. These are referred to as Shapefile Grid
Definitions and Regular Grid Definitions, respectively. Typically a Shapefile Grid
Definition is used when the areas of interest are political boundaries with irregularly
shaped borders, while a Regular Grid Definition is used when the areas of interest are
uniformly shaped grids (e.g., rectangles). All grid definitions must have a unique (i.e.,
non-repeating) column and row index.

Health Impact Function. A health impact function calculates the change in adverse
health effects associated with a change in exposure to air pollution. Based on a C-R
function, a typical health impact function has inputs specifying the air quality metric
and pollutant; the age, race and ethnicity of the population affected; and the incidence
rate of the adverse health effect.

3 For more information on the GBD, see: http://www.who.int/topics/global_burden_of_disease.

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Incidence. The total number of adverse health effects in a geographic region in a given
unit time. In BenMAP-CE, this is the total number of adverse health effects avoided due
to a change in air pollution levels.

Incidence Rate. The background rate of a health effect per person in a given
geographic region. The average number of adverse health effects per person per unit of
time, typically a day or a year. The incidence rate must be expressed at the same time
scale as the remainder of the health impact function. For example, a health impact
function quantifying day-to-day changes in premature death must specify a daily death
rate.

Income Growth Adjustment. Adjusting certain valuation functions to reflect increases
in real income over time. Generally, an increase in real income implies an increase in
the willingness to pay (WTP).

Interpolation. The process of estimating the air quality level in an unmonitored area
by using one or more nearby air quality monitors. BenMAP-CE uses two types of
interpolation procedures: one is to simply choose the closest monitor, the other is to
use a technique called Voronoi Neighbor Averaging. These interpolation methods are
discussed in more detail in Appendix B.

Lat/Long. Latitude and longitude information to specify the geographic coordinates of
a spatial location. The CMAQ model data are usually provided for each grid cell
identified by the latitude and longitude of the grid cell's center point. Latitude identifies
the north-to-south location of a point on the Earth. Longitude identifies the east to west
location of a point on the Earth.

Layer. In GIS, a layer represents a logical separation of mapped data usually
representing a theme, such as political boundaries, roads, ozone data, number of
mortalities avoided, etc.

Layer Statistics. The summary statistics that correspond to the active layer in
BenMAP-CE. For example, "mean", "standard deviation" or "max" of PM2.5 air quality
grid.

Metadata. Data that serves to provide context or additional information about other
data. BenMAP-CE stores a minimum set of standardized metadata fields for imported
data files (e.g., file name, file date, reference, import date, and description). For certain
data types, additional metadata are recorded. For example, GIS metadata will include
information about datum, geographic coordinate system, resolution, and units.

Micrograms per Cubic Meter (ng/m3). The unit of measure for particulate matter in
the NAAQS. This unit represents the mass of PM and other particle pollutants found in a
cubic meter of air.

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Model Data. Pollutant concentration data that are generated by running an air quality
model such as CMAQ. This is different from "monitor data," which are based upon
observed concentrations.

Monetize. In the context of human health benefits assessment, this is the practice of
expressing society's preferences for avoiding certain health effects as an economic
value (e.g., in U.S. dollars). In BenMAP-CE we estimate monetized benefits by using either
Willingness to Pay or Cost of Illness valuation functions (see above and below).

Monitor Data. Pollutant concentration data that are based upon measurements from
an air quality monitor. "Raw" monitor data usually refers to data that are taken directly
from measurement networks, with no additional processing of the data. Monitor data
are different from "model data," which are based upon numerical predictions from an
air quality model.

Monitoring. Actual measurements of air pollution concentrations. The U.S. EPA has
monitoring data, as well as other information related to monitoring available through
its Air Quality System (AQS): https://www.epa.gov/aqs.

Monte Carlo Simulation. A technique used in BenMAP-CE to quantify the confidence
intervals around mean incidence and economic value estimate by randomly sampling
an uncertainty distribution around the effect coefficients or willingness to pay
estimates.

Morbidity. A measure of being diseased or afflicted by an illness (generally non-fatal).

Mortality. A measure of the number of deaths in a given population.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The U.S. EPA establishes levels for
pollutants that are considered harmful to public health and the environment. The Clean
Air Act established two types of national air quality standards. Primary standards set
limits to protect public health, including the health of "sensitive" populations such as
asthmatics, children, and the elderly. Secondary standards set limits to protect public
welfare, including protection against decreased visibility and against damage to
animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings. The U.S. EPA has set NAAQS for six principal
pollutants, which are called "criteria" pollutants: carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen
dioxide, ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), and sulfur dioxide.

Odds Ratio. A quantitative measure reported in epidemiology studies of the
relationship between exposure to air pollution and a health outcome. Odds Ratios must
be converted to beta coefficients to be used in BenMAP-CE

Ordinality. In relation to air quality monitors, ordinality refers to the number of
monitor values in the season that can exceed your standard. For example, if we had set
the ordinality to four, then a monitor can have as many as three daily averages
(assuming that we are using the daily average metric to define our standard) greater
than your standard without violating the standard. In terms of rollback, if it has more

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than three daily averages in exceedance of the standard, then the rollback technique
will be applied to that monitor.

Ozone (O3). BenMAP-CE focuses on ground level or "bad" ozone, which is not emitted
directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen
(NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Emissions
from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors,
and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOC. Breathing ozone
can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children, the elderly, and
people of all ages who have lung diseases such as asthma. Ground level ozone can also
have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems.

Particulate Matter. Particulate matter, also known as particle pollution or PM, is a
complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is
made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates),
organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. Once inhaled, these particles can
affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects. Includes PM2.5 (particles less
than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter), PM10 (particles less than 10 microns in
aerodynamic diameter), and PM10-2.5 (particles between 2.5 and 10 microns in
aerodynamic diameter).

Parts per Million (ppm). This unit represents the concentration of the pollutant in a
million parts of air. Carbon monoxide is often measured in units of ppm.

Parts per Billion (ppb). This unit represents the concentration of the pollutant in a
billion parts of air. Ozone concentrations in BenMAP-CE are reported in units of ppb.

POC (Parameter Occurrence Code). An identifier used by U.S. EPA to distinguish
between multiple monitors at the same site that are measuring the same parameter. For
criteria pollutants, multiple monitors may be collocated to check precision. For
combining data at the site level, the POC identifies the primary monitor (most frequent
sampling). (POC appears in BenMAP-CE's advanced filtering options for monitor data.)

Pooling. The combining of different sets of data. BenMAP-CE has several pooling
methods, including fixed effects, fixed/random effects, and subjective weighting.
Appendix K discusses the pooling approaches available in BenMAP-CE.

Point Mode. When defining the configuration, you may choose to either estimate
adverse health effects in point mode or using percentiles. The point mode simply means
that BenMAP-CE will use the mean value of the coefficient in the health impact function.

Population Exposure versus Personal Exposure. Population (or ambient) exposure
refers to the average air pollution level measured in a grid cell. In contrast, personal
exposure keeps track over the course of a day the exposure individuals encounter in
different micro-environments, such as the freeway, outdoors and indoors. BenMAP-CE
only represents population exposure.

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Population-weighted Air Quality. Modeled or monitored ambient concentrations that
have been weighted according to the number of people exposed.

Prevalence Rate. The percentage of individuals in a given population who already have
a given adverse health condition. Used to calculate changes in health conditions among
those who already have a health condition, such as asthmatics.

Random Effect Pooling. Random effect pooling is one method to combine two or more
distributions of health impact or economic value estimates into a single new
distribution. This approach allows the possibility that the estimated parameter from
different studies may in fact be estimates of different parameters, rather than just
different estimates of a single underlying parameter.

Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA). A policy tool used to assess the likely effects of a
proposed regulation or regulatory change. It usually involves detailed analyses to
quantify the costs and benefits of the regulation.

Relative Risk. Relative risk typically is used as a measure of the change in risk of an
adverse health effect associated with an increase in air pollution levels in an
epidemiology study. More specifically, it is the ratio of the risk of illness with a higher
pollution level to the risk of illness with a lower pollution level, where the "risk" is
defined as the probability that an individual will become ill.

Rollback. The process by which monitor data are reduced to a different level. BenMAP-
CE rolls back monitor data in three ways. Percentage rollback reduces all monitor
observations by the same percentage. Incremental rollback reduces all observations by
the same increment. Rollback to a standard reduces monitor observations so that they
just meet a specified standard.

Setup. A BenMAP-CE setup encapsulates all of the data needed to run analyses for a
particular geographic area—a city, an entire country, etc. These data consist of grid
definitions, pollutants, monitor data, incidence and prevalence rates, population data,
health impact functions, variables, inflation rates, and valuation functions.

Shapefile. A shapefile is a particular type of GIS file, and has a .shp extension. These files
are accompanied by companion files with .shx and .rf£»/extensions, and can be used to
create Shapefile Grid Definitions. See

http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf for more information.

Sum Dependent Pooling. Summing two or more incidence or valuation results,
assuming the underlying functions are correlated. For example, summing the incidence
of respiratory hospital admissions for two different age groups quantified using C-R
functions from the same study.

Sum Independent Pooling. Summing two or more incidence or valuation results,
assuming the underlying functions are independent (uncorrected). For example,

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summing the incidence of respiratory hospital admissions quantified using C-R
functions from different studies using different methods.

Threshold. BenMAP-CE's advanced settings for health impact functions allows you to
specify an air quality threshold; this is an air quality level below which benefits are not
calculated. For example, if the threshold is 5 |ig/m3, then only areas with PM2.5
concentrations equal to or greater than 5 |ig/m3 will be included in estimating health
incidence results. Specifying a threshold does not affect the shape of the C-R function
used to quantify impacts.

Unit Value. A unit value is the estimated mean economic value of avoiding a single case
of a particular health effect.

User-defined Weights Pooling. User-defined weights let you specify the weights that
you want to use when combining two or more distributions of results. The weights
should sum to one. If not, BenMAP-CE normalizes the weights so that they do.

Valuation Function. Valuation functions are used by BenMAP-CE to estimate the
economic values of changes in the incidence of health effects. These are selected within
an Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation Configuration (APV Configuration).

Variable Datasets. Health Impact functions and valuation functions may sometimes
refer to variables other than those for which BenMAP-CE automatically calculates
values. For example, some valuation functions reference the median income within
each area of analysis. To facilitate this, BenMAP-CE allows you to load datasets of
variables for use in functions, which may be used globally or may vary geographically
(meaning they are associated with a particular Grid Definition).

VNA (Voronoi Neighbor Averaging). An algorithm used by BenMAP-CE to interpolate
air quality monitoring data to an unmonitored location. BenMAP-CE first identifies the
set of monitors that best "surround" the center of the population grid cell, and then
takes an inverse-distance weighted average of the monitoring values. This is discussed
in detail in Appendix B.

WTP (Willingness to Pay). The willingness of individuals to pay for a good or service,
such as a reduction in the risk of illness. In general, economists tend to view an
individual's WTP for an improvement in environmental quality as the appropriate
measure of the value of a risk reduction. An individual's willingness to accept (WTA)
compensation for not receiving an improvement is also a valid measure. However, WTP
is generally considered to be a more readily available and conservative measure of
benefits.

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Contents

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 3_0verview of BenMAP-CE Features 3-1

3.1 Core Program 3-3

3.1.1 Create Air Quality Surfaces 3-4

3.1.2 Estimate Health Impacts 3-6

3.1.3 Aggregate, Pool, and Value 3-7

3.2 Menus 3-9

3.2.1 Tools Menu 3-10

3.2.2 Help Menu 3-11

3.3 Outputs 3-12

3.3.1 Results 3-12

3.3.2 Maps 3-13

3.3.3 Audit Trail Report 3-13

3.3.4 Dataset Validation Reports 3-14

3.3.5 File Types 3-14

3.4 Frequently Asked Questions 3-15

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CHAPTER

Overview of
BenMAP-CE
Features

In this chapter...

¦ Get an overview of the features available with the Core
Program.

¦ Learn about additional BenMAP-CE modules.

¦ Learn about the Tools and Help menu options.

¦ Find descriptions of the various outputs including types of
files, results, maps and reports available from BenMAP-CE.

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Upon starting BenMAP-CE for the first time, you will see the following Welcome screen.

BenMAP-CE 1.3

Welcome

The User Interface

Create Air Quality Grids

Calculate Health Impacts

Aggregate, Pool and Value

BenMAP-CE uses a series of "stoplights" that change colors as you
complete each stage of the program:

Operation not yet started.

Operation completed and requires no further attention.
Operation completed, but you may need to re-run this step.
You can find a quick-start guide to get you up and running here.

I~l Don't show this welcome screen again.

The Welcome screen gives a brief description of the user interface and highlights the
"stoplight" metaphor used in BenMAP-CE to indicate the status of analytical steps
performed using the tree menu on the left side of the main window. Clicking the links
on the left side of the Welcome screen (e.g., Create Air Quality Grids) will provide
information about each feature. You will also find a link to the BenMAP-CE website for
downloading the most current BenMAP-CE software and other reference information.
If you do not wish to see the Welcome screen at program start-up, check the option
'Don't show this window screen again' in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. To re-
enable the Welcome screen, go to Tools menu on the main BenMAP-CE window, select
Options, and check the option for Show Start Window. Press OK on the Welcome
screen to close this window and display the BenMAP-CE main window.

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Tools and Help
Menus

Setup

Option

Expand Symbol •
[+] or Collapse
Symbol [-]

Indicator —
("Stoplight" colors)

¦J BenMAP-CE 13,

File * United States - Modify Data:

o AirQuaiiTv&jrfaces
! Pollutant
; ~ H source of Aii Quaiiw Data
Baseline
Control

i-i 0 tstimateheaitn impacts
| Population Dataset
1 -H heaitn impact Functions
--Aggregate, Pool & Value

! £ Aggregation
^ ' 1 Pooiine Method
i.-.^ri Valuation Method

Tree Menu Item

Current Setup: United Statei

is ts Tools * Help ^ ^

Ith Imped Results le Foo-ea Incidercs Results | Valuator Results

Pool Incidence
Results Tab

Step 3

Health Impact
Results Table
(Columns and Rows)

dpoint Group

End point

Pollutant

Author Start Age

Audit Trail Report

End Age DatasetNa... Race

After results aregpnerated h»rp. doublp-rikk thpselpctpd study !r display map/data/chart hctow
[ctrl- or shift-cick to select multiple studies and then ciicfc "Show result* to display data for multiple studies..

Create mop,doto and chart (double-click the selected studr) Aggregation for tow dote. |

r\<-

• GIS Map | f*>. Dato | Chart | ^ Audit Tf

BenMAP

COMMUNITY EDITION

Doubla-click AQ data file or health study result
to display the map/table(data)/chart here

The tree menu on the left-hand window pane lists the analytical steps used in the Core
Program. The tree menu items allow you to perform a highly customized health impact
analysis. The Tools menu at the top of the screen is for less frequently used functions,
such as importing and exporting data and special modules described in later sections.

The first section in this Chapter describes the Core Program features. The second
section describes the additional functions found in the Tools and Help menus. The next
section covers BenMAP-CE output options. Lastly, we answer some frequently asked
questions. Note that this chapter provides an overview of functionality, not keystroke
by keystroke instructions. Those may be found in Chapters 4 through 9.

3.1 Core Program

Beginning at the main BenMAP-CE window, you can choose the Setup you want to use
for an analysis by selecting it from the Setup drop-down list. You are then ready to
begin using the features available through the tree menu.

File -

~ 0 Ai
ft

United States * Modify Datasets J Tools » Help -

Health Impact Results |t)F

United States

China
Detroit

Endpoint Group

Endpo

Aftprrp^nlts arpepn

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The tree menu takes you through the steps of an analysis. The first step, Air Quality
Surfaces, allows you to select the pollutant of interest, and then specify the baseline
and control air quality surfaces. The second step, Estimate Health Impacts, lets you
choose the population dataset for a particular analysis, and then specify the health
impact functions to estimate the incidence of adverse health effects. The last step,
Aggregate, Pool & Value, gives you different options for combining the health effects
estimates and choosing economic valuation functions.

3.1.1 Create Air Quality Surfaces

BenMAP-CE is not an air quality model, nor can it generate air quality data
independently. Instead it relies on the air quality inputs given to it. To estimate
population exposure to air pollution, BenMAP-CE combines population data with air
quality surfaces, which it generates using some combination of air quality modeling
and/or monitoring data. In BenMAP-CE, air quality surfaces can be described as air
quality grids (the structure) that have been populated with air pollution values (the
data). The following is a brief description of each step. For detailed instructions, see
Chapter 4: Loading Data and Chapter 5: Creating Air Quality Surfaces.

Pollutant

The Pollutants section of a setup specifies the pollutants that BenMAP-CE will analyze
and defines the air quality metrics to be used by BenMAP-CE. You are not importing air
pollution data, but rather naming your pollutants and defining the measures or metrics
BenMAP-CE will use when performing an analysis for each pollutant.

Grid Definition

Air quality surfaces contain air pollution exposure estimates for a particular Grid
Definition, as defined in the Modify Datasets window. Grid Definitions are typically
comprised of either regularly shaped rectangles covering the region of analysis, or
irregularly shaped polygons corresponding to political boundaries.

Modeling and Monitoring Data

To generate air quality grids, you can use air quality modeling data and air quality
monitoring data in three different ways, as discussed below. However, once generated,
all air quality grids have the same structure, and have the same *.aqgx extension that
BenMAP-CE uses to designate these file types.

¦ Model Data. Model Data grid creation simply takes raw model data and converts
it into a file that BenMAP-CE recognizes as an air quality grid. This type of grid
definition allows you to directly specify the air pollution values for each grid cell
in a Grid Definition.

¦ Monitor Data. Monitor Data grid creation uses air pollution monitoring data to
estimate air pollution levels for each grid cell in the selected Grid Definition. This

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may be done using one of three interpolation procedures - Closest Monitor,
Voronoi Neighborhood Averaging (VNA), or Fixed Radius. With closest monitor,
BenMAP-CE simply uses the data of the monitor closest to each grid cell's
centroid. With VNA, BenMAP-CE first identifies the set of monitors that most
closely "surround" each grid cell, and then calculates an inverse-distance
weighted average of the data from these neighboring monitors. With fixed
radius, BenMAP-CE constrains the VNA interpolation to a user-specified distance
around each monitor.

¦ Monitor Rollback. Monitor Rollback grid creation allows you to reduce, or roll
back, monitor data using three methods: Percentage Rollback, Incremental
Rollback, or Rollback to a Standard. Percentage rollback reduces all monitor
observations by the same percentage. Incremental rollback reduces all
observations by the same increment. Rollback to a standard reduces monitor
observations so that they just meet a specified standard. After the monitor data
is rolled back, it may be directly interpolated (as in Monitor Data grid creation)
or combined with modeling data. This approach is described in more detail in
Chapter 5: Creating Air Quality Grids, as well as in the Appendix A: Monitor
Rollback Algorithms.

¦ Open *.aqgx file. Open *.aqgx file allows you to load a previously created or
saved air quality surface.

J Choose a Grid Creation Method

Grid Type:

® Model Data

CMAQ 12km Nation

ve As( .aqg:

Save New Form at Cancel Next

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3.1,2 Estimate Health Impacts

The Estimate Health Impacts section allows you to calculate the change in the
incidence of adverse health effects associated with changes in air quality. There are
three steps in the process. The following is a brief description of each step. For detailed
instructions, see Chapter 6: Estimating Incidence.

¦ Step 1. Specify the Population Dataset and Population Year.

Population Dataset

Population Dataset: United States Census - County

Popu I ation Yea r: 2010

Map

¦ Step 2. Choose the Health Impact Functions that will he used to estimate the
incidence of adverse health effects.

Health Impact Functions

r^Tal^l

Selected Health Impact Functions
Filter Dataset

EPA Standard Health Functions

Filter Endpoint Group

py] Groups

Dataset Endpoint Group
Acute Bronchitis [1 item]
EPA Sta... Acute Bronchitis

Pollutant Author Start Age End Age Beta Distribution

Seasonal Metric

Acute Bronchitis PM2.5

D24HourMe... QuarterlyMean

Acute Myocardial Infarction [5 items]

EPA Sta... Acute Myocardial Infar... Acute Myocardial... PM2.5

EPA Sta... Acute Myocardiallnfar... Acute Myocardial... PM2.5

EPASta... Acute Myocardial Infar... Acute Myocardial... PM2.5

Zanobe... 0

Sullivan... 0
Peters e.

Normal
Normal
Normal
Normal

D24HourMe...
D24HourMe...
D24HourMe...
D24HourMe...

Selected Health Impact Functions

Endpoint Group Dataset Name Endpoint Pollutant

Author Start Age End Age Race

Gender Incidence Dataset

( Selected items to be shown here

Delete Selected

Advanced | J Cancel | | Save As (*.cfgx) | J Run

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Step 3. BenMAP-CE performs a full Monte-Carlo analysis to quantify the confidence
intervals around mean incidence and economic value estimates by randomly
sampling an uncertainty distribution around the effect coefficients or willingness to
pay estimates. In general, the computation time increases as you specify additional
percentiles to report from the Monte-Carlo generated distribution. If you want to
replicate the Monte-Carlo distribution from another analysis, then you may also
specify the Random Seed.) Specify the Air Quality Threshold, or a lowest value for air
quality data. Any observations which fall below this threshold will be replaced with
the threshold value in all calculations.

^ Advanced Settings

s 1^1

Run In Point Mode

Percentiles:

[20

Random Seed:

Air quality threshold:

BenMAP-CE can store configuration choices in a user-named file with a .cfgx extension,
and can store incidence change estimates in a user-named file with a .cfgrx extension.

3.1.3 Aggregate, Pool, and Value

The Aggregate, Pool, & Value feature on the BenMAP-CE tree menu allows you to
aggregate and pool previously calculated incidence estimates and place an economic
value on these pooled and aggregated incidence estimates. You can also aggregate the
economic values, and finally pool the aggregated economic values. There are several
steps in this process. The following is a brief description of each step. For detailed
instructions, see Chapter 7: Aggregating, Pooling, and Valuing.

¦ Step 1. Choose the desired aggregation levels.

' : Aggregation

B L

Incidence Aggregation: County

Valuation Aggregation:

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¦ Step 2. Choose the desired pooling and aggregation options for the incidence
results,

@ Select and Pool Incidence Estimates -OX

Available Incidence Results

Filter Dataset Filter Endpoint Group Filter

v] | -wl ~Groups View: i Details v | Select study fields

Endpoint

Endpoint Group

Dataset Name

Start Age

End Age

Author

~ Mortality, All.

Mortality

EPA Standard Hea

. 30

Krewski...

~ Mortality All.

Mortality

EPA Standard Hea

. 30

Krewski-.

~ Mortality, All.

Mortality

EPA Standard Hea

. 30

Krewski...

~ Mortality, All.

Mortality

EPA Standard Hea

. 30

Krewski-.

Remove Study

Remove All Studie:

Select Pooling Methods

Mortality j

Studies. By Endpi
B ij. Mortality

target Grid Type: CMAQ 12*m I

Start Age End Age

Rando... 116 U.S.... 30
Rando... 116U.S.... 30

TSP. 03, S04, S02 ASIAN

TSP, 03, S04, S02 BLACK

TSP. 03. S04, S02 NATAMER

TSP. 03, S04, S02 WHITE

(1-<1/EX... PM2.5

(1-(1/EX... PM2.5

(l-d/EX... PM2.5

(l-fl/EX... PM2.5

D24Hou... Q
D24Hou... 0
024Hou... Quarte

ERASta...
ERA Sta...
ERASta...

Condensed View Advanced

i? Select and Pool Incidence Estimates

Available Incidence Results
Filter Dataset

Filter Endpoint Group
~ [ Acute Respiratory Symp t |

n Groups View: | Details " | f Select study fields J j Check HIF Changes j

Endpoint Endpoint Group Dataset Name Start Age End Age Author

~ Minor Restrict... Acute Respiratory Sym... EPA Standard Hea... 18 64 Ostroa...

PI Minor Restrict... Acute Respiratory Sym... EPA Standard Hea... 18 64 Ostroa...

Add All Studies

Remove All Studies

Select Pooling Methods

Pooling Window Name: Acute Respiratory Symf

Show Tile Pooling Window Number: 3

Target Grid Type: State

Acute Bronchitis Acute Respiratoiy Symptoms |Acute Myocardial Infarction

Studies, By Endpoint Pooling Method

Endpoi... Author

Qualifier Location

Start Age

End Age Year

Other Pollutan... Race

Ethnicity Gen<

B-U Acute Respiratoiy Sympto... |Sum Dependent

""[MinorR... Ostroa...

1—Ostro

MinorR... Ostroa...

Nation...

64 1989

PM2.5

L^Ostro

Minor R... Ostro a...

Nation-

64 1989

« 1 1 J *

| Condensed View~j | Advanced | [ Cancel j j Next j

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¦ Step 3. Choose the economic valuation functions to apply to the pooled and
aggregated incidence results.

^ Select Valuation Methods, Pooling and Aggregation

Valuation Methods

EndPoint Endpoint Group Start A... End... Function Datasi

Mortality,... Mortality 0 99 A*B*AII... ERASta

Mortality,... Mortality 0 99 A*AIIGo... EPA Sta

Show Selections
Mortality

Studies, By Endpoint
El-Mortality

* Krewski

* Krewski
" Krewski

* Krewski

Click and select the valuation methods on the left panel,

and then drag them to the right panel under the desired Endpoint

Pooling Method

None

Variable Dataset: EPA Standard Variables v Delete Selected

Resolve Pooling Conflict

Advanced Cancel Save As (*.apvx) Run As (*.apvrx)

BenMAP-CE can store APV configuration choices in a user-named file with an .apvx
extension, and can store APV configuration results in a user-named file with an .apvrx
extension. As needed, you can access both files for later use.

3.2 Menus

There are five menu options found at the top of the main window: File, Setup, Modify
Datasets, Tools and Help.

¦ File. This menu provides options for selecting saved project files (.projx) to open,
starting a new project file, saving your work in a project file, and exiting the
program.

¦ Setup. BenMAP-CE comes pre-loaded with datasets for the United States and
China setups. The selected setup will be displayed in the menu bar. To learn
more about modifying setups, see Chapter 4: Loading Data.

¦ Modify Datasets. BenMAP-CE stores the information needed to run analyses for
a particular geographic area, such as a city, region, or nation in a single dataset
called a setup. Many users will never need to modify the preloaded setups.

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However, the Modify Datasets menu provides tools to add, modify (load
additional datasets), or delete these setups if needed. This is discussed in detail
in Chapter 4: Loading Data.

¦ Tools. This menu provides access to data import and export functionality in
addition to a number of other features. An overview is provided below.

¦ Help. This menu provides access to a Quick Start Guide (available on EPA's
website), information About BenMAP-CE, and a form to Provide Feedback about
software errors or requested features. An overview is provided below.

3.2.1 Tools Menu

The Tools menu has several options: Air Quality Surface Aggregation, Database Export,
Database Import, Online Database Export, Online Database Import, Export Air Quality
Surface, GBD Rollback, Neighbor File Creator, PopSim and Options menu. A brief
description is given below, but further information can be found in Chapter 9: Tools
Menu.

¦ Air Quality Surface Aggregation. Create a new air quality surface for a specified
grid definition (e.g., County) from an existing air quality surface created with a
different (and generally finer) grid definition (e.g., 12km CMAQ).

¦ Database Export. Export all or part of BenMAP-CE's internal database to a database
file or multiple csv or shapefiles which can later be used on another computer or
by another user. Manually loading data into BenMAP-CE can be time and labor
intensive, so this tool can be quite useful in sharing data with other users or
computers.

¦ Database Import. Import data created using the Database Export tool.

¦ Online Database Export. Allows users to post/share data for BenMAP-CE via a
cloud-based system.

¦ Online Database Import. Allows users to download data shared by others for
BenMAP-CE via a cloud-based system.

¦ Export Air Quality Surface. Generate a text file (.csv) with all of the data in air quality
surface, including summary statistics such as mean, median, minimum, and maximum.

¦ GBD Rollback Tool. The GBD Rollback tool allows you to select a country, region,
or group of countries and see the impact of lowering PM2.5 emissions based on

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the data from the 2010 GBD study1. The outputs include the baseline and policy
case PM2.5 concentrations as well as the population-weighted air quality change.

¦ Neighbor File Creator. Create a text file (. txt) identifying "neighbor" monitors and
associated interpolation weights for each grid cell in an air quality grid.

¦ PopSim. A dynamic population simulation that incorporates the cumulative
effects of air pollution on different age groups over time.

¦ Options. Select options for start-up and exit screens, validation logs and default set-
ups.

¦ Compute Grid Crosswalks. Remove all crosswalks for selected setups and re-create
them. This tool is for creating or repairing crosswalks which were broken due to
database error or force quitting of the application.

3.2.2 Help Menu

The Help menu has a few options to choose from: Quick Start Guide link, Information About
BenMAP-CE, and a form to Provide Feedback.

¦ Quick Start Guide. A link will open a webpage to the U.S. EPA site for BenMAP-CE
information. On the webpage, the Quick Start Guide can be found under Training
Materials. Click on the link for The BenMAP-CE Quick Start Guide, to begin
download of the guide. Files that the Quick Start Guide refers to can be found in
the same bullet, but under the BenMAP-CE Quick Start Data Files (zip) link. The
Quick Start Guide will take you through the basic operations of the BenMAP-CE
imports and decision-making.

¦ About. Opens a window that displays information about the program (e.g.,
software version, contact information, and a suggested citation). You can click on
Release Notes to read about software modifications and any known issues.

¦ Provide Feedback. This feature allows you to submit any problems that you may
encounter while running BenMAP-CE or requested features to the BenMAP-CE
development team. There are fields to provide your contact information
(optional) and information about the error or requested feature. Your feedback
will be logged into an issue tracking system for U.S. EPA to evaluate.

1 Exposure Assessment for Estimation of the Global Burden of Disease Attributable to Outdoor Air Pollution.
Michael Brauer, Markus Amann, Rick T. Burnett, Aaron Cohen, Frank Dentener, Majid Ezzati, Sarah B.
Henderson, Michal Krzyzanowski, Randall V. Martin, Rita Van Dingenen, Aaron van Donkelaar, and George
D. Thurston. Environmental Science & Technology 2012 46 (2), 652-660

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BenMAP-CE is open-source software. If you encounter an error or would like to request a feature, please consider submitting a report by fit ling out this
form. We apologize for any issues you may have encountered and value your feedback as it will help us continue to improve BenMAP-CE.

Operating System Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1

BenMAP-CE Version L3.5.12 (April 18, 2017)

Your name (optional)

Your email address (optional)

Country where you are located
(optional)

What type of report wouId you like to submit?

Software Error
Requested Feature

How severe is the error you experienced?

Minor-this issue has little or no impact on my ability to use BenMAP-CE
® Major - this issue significantly hinders my ability to use BenMAP-CE
Blocking - this issue prevents me from using BenMAP-CE

What component of BenMAP-CE does the error affect?
Graphic User Interface: suggested changes

The audit trail report may help us to debug or understand your report better.
[71 Include BenMAP-CE generated audit trail report.

Please describe what you were doing when you encountered the error. Can you tell us how to reproduce the error? (5000 character limit)

To submit this report to us, click the Submit button. Thank you for your time.

3.3 Outputs
3.3.1 Results

If you are interested in viewing or exporting the results of an analysis, these reports can
be accessed by clicking on the appropriate Results tabs from the upper portion of the
main BenMAP-CE window. The number next to the tab description indicates the
associated "step" of the BenMAP-CE analysis (from the tree menu).

©Health Impact Results Pooled Incidence Results | @ Pooled Valuation Results | Audit Trail Report

Endpoint Group

Endpoint

Pollutant

Author

Start Age

End Age

Dataset Na... Race

Acute Bronchitis

PM2.5

Docker...

EPA Standar...

i | id

'a Create map,data and chart (double-click the selected study)
O Create d ata (ta b I e) for m u Iti pi e stu d i es

Aggregation for raw data:

SelectResultFields

Show Results

Select the appropriate tab for the type of results you wish to create:

¦ Health Impact Results uses a Configuration Results file (with the .cfgrx

extension) to create a map, data table and bar chart for incidence results based

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on the selected health impact studies. "Raw" incidence estimates are those that
have not been aggregated, pooled or valued. See Chapter 6: Estimating Incidence,
for detailed instructions for creating health impact results.

¦ Pooled Incidence Results uses an Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation Results
file (with the .apvrx extension) to create maps, data tables and bar charts for
incidence, aggregated incidence and pooled incidence results. See Chapter 7:
Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation, for detailed instructions for creating pooled
incidence results.

¦ Pooled Valuation Results also uses an Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation
Results file (with the .apvrx extension) to create maps, data tables and bar charts
for valuation, aggregated valuation and pooled valuation. See Chapter 7:
Aggregate, Pool, and Value, for detailed instructions for creating pooled
incidence results.

The results data are viewable on the Data tab in the lower right frame of the
BenMAP-CE main window (see below). You can also view the results in a GIS Map
(described in the following section), or simple Chart format. All results can be exported
as comma-separated value files (.csv), which can be read into spreadsheet and database
programs.

r*": GIS Map

|"0" Data ] Q chart [W Audit Trail Report

Column

Row

D24HourMean

QuarterlyMean

11.95

10.69

11.66

10.22

10.91

10.90

12.01

10.12

11.12

3.3.2 Maps

GIS Maps can be viewed in the lower right frame of the BenMAP-CE main window. Once
an air quality surface is displayed, you can choose which layers to view by selecting or
deselecting items in the GIS table of contents. Spatial layers (except regional
administrative layers) are semi-transparent so that overlapping layers are viewable.
You can export a formatted graphics file (e.g., .png format) with the map legend and
title. For detailed instructions on GIS maps, see Chapter 8: GIS/Mapping.

3.3.3 Audit Trail Report

The Audit Trail Report provides a summary of the options selected in the various
parts of the analysis. You may generate an audit trail with any of the file types used in
BenMAP-CE: Air Quality Grids (with the .aqgx extension), Configurations (with the .cfgx

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extension), Configuration Results (with the .cfgrx extension), Aggregation, Pooling, and
Valuation Configurations (with the .apvx extension), and Aggregation, Pooling, and
Valuation Configuration Results (with the .apvrx extension). The report itself has a tree
structure that lets you easily find the information that you are seeking. Below is an
example of an Audit Trail Report.

r* : GIS Map Data i Chart

: Audit Trail Report

Name

BenMAP-CE 1.3.4
Estimate Health Impacts

— Create Datetirne:2016-08-08 09:02:51

— I s R u n I n Po i ntMode:Fal se
Latin Hypercube Points20

Po p u I ati o n D ata s et: M exPo p- M exi co-lOkrn-ai r£ji d
—Year:2010
—ThresholdO
Baseline And Control GroupO
(^Pollutant

I—Narne:PM2.5
Uobservati on Type:Daily
UseasonO January 01-March 31
Useasonl:April 01-June30
Useason2:July01-September30
Useason3:0ctober01-Decernber31
UMetri cO:D24HourMean
1— Seasonal MetridZ^QuarterlyMean

f Basel i ne : Ai r Qual ity Surfaces
I—Create Datetime:2016-08-08 08:56:40

Filter:

Note that each successive step in an analysis contains a summary of its inputs and
attributes, and those of each previous step in the analysis. For example, in the above
report the attributes of the Health Impact Function file used to generate the APV Results
are present in the Estimate Flealth Impacts node. Similarly, the metadata for both the
baseline and control air quality grids are present under the Estimate Health Impacts
node. For more information on audit trails, see Chapter 8: GIS/Mapping.

3.3.4 Dataset Validation Reports

You may load data to BenMAP-CE to tailor the analysis to your specific needs (click
Modify Datasets from the main menu). Loading data requires specific formatting.
BenMAP-CE offers a validation option to confirm that the proper headings and data
types are present in the selected file. The validation routines also check that values are
within reasonable ranges for certain types of data. If the file does not meet the
validation requirements, error and/or warning messages will be reported. For more
information about loading and validating data, see Chapter 4: Loading Data.

3.3.5 File Types

Export...

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BenMAP-CE has a number of file types that you can use to store the settings used in a
BenMAP-CE analysis, the results of an analysis, as well as maps and reports. Table 3-1
presents the names of the different file types, their functions, and their default folder
locations.

Table 3-1. File Types Generated by BenMAP-CE

File
Extension

Description

Default Folder
Location1

*.aqgx

Air quality grid.

Result\AQG

*.apvx

Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation configuration
specifying the aggregation levels, pooling options, and
valuation methods used to generate aggregated incidence
estimates, pooled incidence estimates, valuation estimates,
aggregated valuation estimates, and pooled valuation
estimates.

Result\APV

*.apvrx

Aggregation, Pooling, and Valuation configuration results,
containing incidence results at the grid cell level,
aggregated incidence results, valuation results, aggregated
valuation results, and pooled valuation results.

Result\APVRX

*.bdbx

BenMAP-CE Database Export tool creates files which can
contain individual datasets or entire setups. These are
saved in a specific format for importing to BenMAP-CE.

User-specified

*.cfgx

Configuration specifying the health impact functions and
other options used to generate incidence estimates.

Result\CFG

*.cfgrx

Configuration results, containing incidence results at the
grid cell level.

Result\CFGR

*.csv

Reports (Results Tables) and PopSim tool results are
exported as *.csv files, which may be viewed in a text editor,
or in programs such as Excel.

Result\CFGRX or

Result\APVRX,

PopSim

*.rtf

Validation results from data imports

ValidationResults

*.shp

Shape files generated by BenMAP-CE's geographic
information maps system. These files can be viewed within
BenMAP-CE or within shape file viewers, such as ArcView.

AppData\...
\Shapefiles2

*.xlsx

GBD Rollback Tool results are exported as .xlsx files, which
may be viewed in a spreadsheet tool such as Excel (there is
also a .csv option).

GBD

1 Most files generated by BenMAP-CE are stored within the User's directoiy under C:\Users\\Documents\My BenMAP-CE Files\.

2 Shape files (*.shp) are stored at

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\BenMAP-CE\Data\Shapefiles\\.

3.4 Frequently Asked Questions

When creating reports from *.cfgrx and *.apvrx files, why do some of the variables
that I have checked appear as blanks?

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When results are pooled, some of the identifying information for individual health
impact functions gets lost. For example, when pooling endpoints within the same
endpoint group, such as "HA, Pneumonia" and "HA, Chronic Lung Disease" (both within
"Hospital Admissions, Respiratory"), there is no longer a unique endpoint name for the
pooled result. So, BenMAP-CE would leave the endpoint name blank.

How do I export my results?

Identify the type of report that you want to create, then refer to the Section 3.3.1 in this
chapter on exporting reports.

How do I determine what the Column and Row refer to?

The Column and Row are variables designed to uniquely identify each grid cell in the
grid definition. In the case of the County grid definition, the Column refers to the state
FIPS code and the row refers to the county FIPS code. One way to get a good sense of
the Column and Row variables is to create a map and then view where particular
Column and Row variables occur in the map.

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Contents

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 4 4-3

Loading Data 4-3

4.1 Add, Modify, and Delete a Setup 4-4

4.1.1 Grid Definitions 4-7

4.1.1.1 Regular Grid 4-10

4.1.1.2 Shapefile Grid 4-12

4.1.2 Pollutants 4-13

4.1.2.1 Hourly Metrics 4-18

4.1.2.2 Manage Seasons for Individual Pollutant Metrics 4-22

4.1.2.3 Define Seasons for all Pollutant Metrics 4-24

4.1.3 Monitor Datasets 4-25

4.1.3.1 Add Monitor Datasets 4-25

4.1.3.2 Format for Monitor Data 4-29

4.1.4 Incidence and Prevalence Rates Data 4-30

4.1.4.1 Add Incidence/Prevalence Rates 4-30

4.1.4.2 Format for Incidence/Prevalence Data 4-34

4.1.5 Population Data 4-35

4.1.5.1 Add Population Data 4-36

4.1.5.2 Format for Population Data 4-41

4.1.6 Health Impact Functions 4-42

4.1.6.1 Add Health Impact Functions 4-43

4.1.6.2 Format for Health Impact Functions 4-47

4.1.7 Variable Data 4-51

4.1.7.1 Add Variable Data 4-51

4.1.7.2 Format for Variable Data 4-55

4.1.8 Inflation Data 4-56

4.1.8.1. Add Inflation Data 4-56

4.1.8.2 Format for Inflation Data 4-58

4.1.9 Valuation Data 4-58

4.1.9.1 Add Valuation Data 4-59

4.1.9.2 Format for Valuation Data 4-63

4.1.10 Income Growth Data 4-64

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4.1.10.1 Add Income Growth Data 4-64

4.1.10.2 Developing Income Growth Adjustment Factors 4-65

4.1.10.3 Format for Income Growth Adjustment Data 4-68

4.2 Export and Import Setups 4-69

4.3 Frequently Asked Questions 4-70

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CHAPTER
Loading Data

In this chapter...

¦ Learn how to create a new setup for your project.

¦ Learn more about the file structure for data inputs.

¦ Learn how to export and import a setup.

BenMAP-CE can store the information needed to run analyses for a particular
geographic area, such as a city, region, or nation, in a single dataset. This dataset is
called a "Setup" and consists of 10 categories of data:

Grid definitions
Pollutants
Monitor data

Incidence and prevalence rates
Population data

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¦ Health impact functions

¦ Variable data (socioeconomic variables)

¦ Inflation rates

¦ Valuation functions

¦ Income growth data.

Grouping the data in this way has a number of advantages. It makes it easy to organize
and view the data, export the data (either a whole setup or a portion of a setup), and
import setups generated by others.

In this chapter we discuss how to add, modify, and delete a setup. It is important to
keep in mind that if you delete one part of a setup, you may be affecting other parts of
the setup. We discuss this further below.

Many users will never need to modify the setup. If you are performing an analysis
with the pre-loaded United States, China, or Detroit setups, you may find that
BenMAP-CE contains all of the data you need to perform your analysis, and no
additional modifications are necessary.

We will also discuss how to load (import) data into an existing setup. There are a
number of steps involved in formatting and loading these data, so it is important to
carefully review the steps in this chapter. For most dataset types, BenMAP-CE provides
a validation tool to help you check your data file format (column names, required
columns, and data types) before import. Validation reports are provided which
describe any errors or warnings with the associated row number and column name.1

4.1 Add, Modify, and Delete a Setup

To add a new setup, modify an existing setup, or delete a setup, choose Modify
Datasets from the menu bar. This will bring up the Modify Datasets window. The
United States setup, which comes preinstalled with BenMAP-CE, includes a variety of
datasets and looks like this:

1 Validation reports are saved to C:\Users\\Documents\My BenMAP-CE Files\ValidationResults.

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y:,J Modify Datasets

E \\m2m\

Available Setups United States

Add

Delete

Grid Definitions

Pollutants

Monitor Datasets

CMAQ 12km Nation

CMAQ 12km Nation - Clipped

CMAQ 36km

County

Nation

State

Manage

Ozone

PM2.5

Manage

EPA Standard Monitors 03
EPA Standard Monitors PM2.5

Manage

Incidence/Prevalence Rates

Population Datasets

Health Impact Functions

Variable Datasets

Inflation Datasets

Valuation Functions

EPA Standard Inflators

Manage

Add a Setup. To add a setup (e.g., to add a new country that was not pre-loaded with
BenMAP-CE), click the Add button. The New Setup window will appear where you can
type a name for the new setup.

T—• —

s||p New Setup | o | 0 |j

New Setup Name:

Cancel

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After naming the new setup, you can define the elements that comprise a setup.
Table 4-1 lists the 10 dataset types within BenMAP-CE and indicates which types of
data are needed to perform certain analyses.

Table 4-1. BenMAP-CE Data Elements

Dataset Type

Required to
Estimate Health
Impacts

Required to Quantify
Economic Values

Grid Definitions

Pollutants

Monitor Datasets (or

Modeled Data")

Incidence/Prevalence Rates

Population Datasets

Health Impact Functions

Variable Datasets

Inflation Datasets

Valuation Functions

Income Growth

Adjustments

Some of the elements of a setup are fundamental and should be entered before the
others, namely, Grid Definitions and Pollutants. The Incidence/Prevalence Rates,
Population, and Variable Datasets depend on the Grid Definitions, and the Monitor
and Health Impact Functions datasets depend on the Pollutants that you have
defined. Therefore, it is best to start by defining your Grid Definitions and Pollutants,
and then define the other elements of the setup.

Modify a Setup. To modify a setup, click Modify Datasets on the menu bar. Choose the
setup for modification from the drop-down list of Available Setups (the default value is
United States). Then, click on the Manage button under one of the ten components
comprising a setup. The sections below provide more information for each of these
components.

Delete a Setup. To delete a setup, click Modify Datasets on the menu bar. Choose the
setup for deletion from the drop-down list of Available Setups. Click the Delete button.
You will then be asked to confirm your decision.

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4.1.1 Grid Definitions

A BenMAP-CE Grid Definition specifies geographic units (i.e., grid cells) that serve two
purposes: (1) the program assigns air quality, population, and baseline incidence rates
to these grids when calculating impacts; and (2) you can use these grids to report
results in the GIS. You can define a grid in one of two ways: by loading a Shapefile (a
particular type of GIS file) or by specifying a regularly shaped grid pattern. These are
referred to as Shapefile Grid Definitions and Regular Grid Definitions, respectively.
A Regular Grid Definition is used when you want to specify a grid that is regularly
shaped (e.g., 12 x 12 km squares). A Shapefile Grid Definition can be used to create
either grids that are regularly shaped or grids that match an irregular shape, like a
political boundary. All Shapefile Grid Definitions must contain an attribute table with
a unique (i.e., non-repeating) column and row index.

At least one Grid Definition should be created to outline the area of interest for the
BenMAP-CE analysis (a city boundary, for example). Additional grid definitions can also
be created for subdivisions of that area for which (a) data is available (see the Air
Monitoring, Population, Incidence and Prevalence, and Variables sections below), or (b)
reports or maps are desired.

For example, an analysis for the United States might use one or more of the following
grid definitions:

¦ Nation - this Shapefile Grid Definition contains an outline of the United States
(just the lower forty-eight states), defining an overall area of interest.

¦ State - this Shapefile Grid Definition contains state borders, for use in
generating reports and maps with results aggregated to the state level.

¦ County - this Shapefile Grid Definition contains county borders, for use with
county-based population and incidence rate data.

CMAQ 12km Nation - this Shapefile Grid Definition contains grid cells that are roughly
12 kilometers on each side, for use with air quality modeling data. To start adding or
modifying grid definitions, click Modify Datasets on the menu bar. Click on the
Manage button below the Grid Definitions box. The Manage Grid Definitions
window will appear.

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(¦!iji Manage Grid Definitions

Available Grid Definitions

CMAQ 12km Nation

CMAQ. 12km Nation - Clipped

CMAQ 36km

County

Nation

State

Grid Type:

Shapefile
Default Grid Type:

CMAQ 12km Nation

GI5 Projection

This projection will be used when performing area- or distance-based calculations on all shapefile grid
definitions in this setup.

We recommend using one of the Albers projections in the list below. For U.S. setups, we suggest
USAContiguousAlbersEqualAreaConicUSGS. To see a list of all available projections, check the
"Show AH" box.

Show All ~

NorthAmerica - USAContiguousAlbersEquaiAreaConicUSGS

Delete

Add

Edit

View Metadata

Click on the Add button to display the Grid Definition window. Provide a name for the
Grid Definition in the Grid ID field and specify the Grid Type: Shapefile Grid or Regular
Grid.

When you add a new Setup, you will be asked to select a GIS projection. The projection
you specify will be used when performing area- or distance-based calculations on all
shapefile grid definitions in this setup. We recommend selecting a regional setting that
best represents the geographic area you are evaluating from one of the Albers
projections provided in the list box. (For U.S. setups, we suggest
USAContiguousAlbersEqualAreaConicUSGS.)

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Manage Grid Definitions

Available Grid Definitions

Grid Type:

Shapefile
Default Grid Type:

GIS Projection

This projection will be used when performing area- or distance-based calculations on all shapefile grid
definitions in this setup.

We recommend using one of the Allbers projections in the list below. For U.S. setups, we suggest
USAContiguousAlbersEqualAreaConicUSGS. To see a list of all available projections, check the
"Show AM" box.

Show All ~

Africa - AfricaAlbersEqualAreaConic

Asia - AsiaNorthAlbersEqualAreaConic

Asia - AsiaSouthAlbersEqualAreaConic

Europe ¦ EuropeAlbersEqualAreaConic

NorthAmerica - AlaskaAlbersEqualAreaConic

NorthAmerica - CanadaAlbersEqualAreaConic

NorthAmerica - HawaiiAlbersEqualAreaConic

NorthAmerica - NorthAmericaAlbersEqualAreaConic

NorthAmerica - USAContiguousAlbersEqualAreaConicUSGS

SouthAmerica - SouthAmericaAlbersEqualAreaConic

If you have reason to choose another type of projection (e.g., in consultation with a
geospatial analyst), you may check the "Show All" box and select from an expanded list
of choices.

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§l§ Grid Definition

Grid Definition
Grid ID: US Counties

(E)

Grid Type. I Shapefile Grid

Load Shapefile:

>h a pefi I es\Cou nty_e pa 2_WGS1984.sh p

Current Shapefile Name: County_epa2_WGS1984
Columns: 56

Rows: 840

View Metadata

|—I Create crosswalk between this grid definition and ,
— all other grid definitions in this setup.

Selecting this option will substantially increase the
time required to import the shapefile.

Cancel

4.1.1.1 Regular Grid

Regular Grid Definitions are defined by a lower left corner (specified as decimal
degree latitude and longitude, with West and South having negative values and East and
North having positive values), a total number of columns and rows, a number of
columns per degree longitude, and a number of rows per degree latitude. Individual
cells within the resultant grid are numbered in sequential order (columns from left to
right, rows from bottom to top) starting at (1, 1). These field values will be used to link
the Regular Grid Definition with other sources of data, as discussed in more detail
below.

To define a Regular Grid, start by selecting Regular Grid from the Grid Type drop-
down menu. Type the name of the grid definition in the Grid ID box, and then define
the number of Columns and Rows in the grid. To locate this grid geographically,
provide the decimal degree coordinates for the lower left-hand corner of the grid in the
Minimum Longitude and Minimum Latitude boxes.

To give the overall geographic size of the grid, provide the number of Columns Per
Longitude and Rows Per Latitude. For example, if you specify 16 columns and 2
columns per degree longitude, then the grid will span 8 degrees of longitude. And if you

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specify 25 rows and 4 rows per degree latitude, then the grid will span 6.25 degrees of
latitude.

Combining the numbers in this example, if the minimum longitude and latitude are -81
and 38 and the grid spans 8 degrees longitude and 6 degrees latitude, then the grid will
run between -81 and -73 degrees longitude and between 38 and 44.25 degrees latitude.

After defining the grid, click the Preview button to see what the grid looks like. You
may change the parameters and click the Preview again to see how the grid changes.
When you are satisfied with the grid definition, click the OK button.

Grid Definition

i = i @ ms .r

Grid Definition

Grid ID: CMAQ 12km Nation

1 ° l

Minimum Longituc

Minimum Latitude

—

4®

View Metadata Preview

r Create crosswalk between this grid definition and
all other grid definitions in this setup.

Selecting this option will substantially increase the
time required to import the shapefile.

Cancel

To calculate health impacts and economic benefits, BenMAP-CE uses air quality,
population, and demographic data at different spatial scales. To do this, the program
calculates a crosswalk (percentage file) that relates data at one spatial scale to another
(e.g., 12km CMAQ grid to county). This step is performed only once per crosswalk and
the results are saved to the database for subsequent calculations.

If you wish to pre-calculate the crosswalk (percentage overlap) between this grid
definition and all other grid definitions in this setup, check the option box. This will
take longer to load the data now, but can save you time later when you are ready to

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calculate health impacts. If you do not create the crosswalks at the grid definition stage,
BenMAP-CE will create crosswalks as needed during the configuration or aggregation,
pooling, and valuing stages.

The name of your newly defined grid will then appear in the Manage Grid Definitions
window. You may click Edit to change the grid definition, Delete to permanently
remove the grid that you just defined, or Add to define a new grid definition. View
Metadata is not applicable for Regular Grid Definitions. Click OK to return to the
Modify Datasets window.

4.1.1.2 Shapefile Grid

Shapefiles used to create Shapefile Grid Definitions should be of the ESRI Shapefile
format. Details on this format can be found at

https://www.esri.com/libraiy/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf. When a shapefile is
being used to create a new grid, BenMAP-CE will: (1) check to see if the file is projected
to GCS NAD 83; and (2) if necessary, re-project the file (with notification) from the
native projection to GCS NAD 83. Any shapefiles used must contain integer fields
named Column (or Col) and Row, and each shape within the shapefile must contain a
unique combination of values for these two fields. These column and row values are
used, just as the Column and Row field values in Regular Grid Definitions, to link the
Shapefile Grid Definition with other sources of data, as discussed in more detail below.

To add a Shapefile Grid, click on the Add button in the Manage Grid Definitions

window, choose Shapefile Grid from the Grid Type dropdown menu, name the grid in
the Grid ID, and browse for the correct shapefile by clicking on the small open-file icon
just to the right of the Load Shapefile input box. After locating the file, click Open. This
will choose the file, and bring you back to the Grid Definition window. To view the
shapefile, click Preview. You can add metadata using the View Metadata button.
Adding metadata allows you to supply a file Reference (e.g., person, organization,
publication, or model that produced or supplied the values in the electronic file) and
Description (or any relevant notes about the use or limitations of the data). Other
minimal file attributes are pre-populated automatically during import.

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\ Grid Definition

Til

Grid Definition

Grid ID: NewGridDefinition

Grid Type, jshapefiie Grid

Load Shapefile:

CurrentShapefile Name: Detroit_Counties
Columns: 26

Rows: 165

View Metadata

Create crosswalk between this grid definition and ,
all other grid definitions in this setup.

Selecting this option will substantially increase the
time required to import the shapefile.

When you are satisfied that the shapefile looks correct, click OK. This will save the
shapefile and bring you back to Manage Grid Definitions window.2 Note that the Grid
Type box displays the type of grid for each of your grid definitions. The View Metadata
button will allow you to see and edit any comments that were previously entered.

Click OK when you are finished loading grid definitions. The Modify Datasets screen
will now list the Grid Definitions that you have just created. At any time, you may click
the Manage button to add, modify, or delete grid definitions.

WARNING! If you delete a Grid Definition, you will permanently delete any gridded
data that is dependent on it, such as any Incidence/Prevalence, Population, and
Variable Datasets that use this particular Grid Definition. As we discuss each of these
other setup elements below, we will describe how this might happen.

4.1,2 Pollutants

2 Shapefiles are saved to C:\Users\\AppData\Local\BenMAP-CE\Data\Shapefiles\\.

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BenMAP-CE will use when performing an analysis for each pollutant. You may include
any pollutant, though typically air pollutants such as particulate matter, ozone, sulfur
dioxide, and carbon monoxide are used in a BenMAP-CE analysis.

A key concept for pollutants is the Metric. Air quality metric describes the period of the
day over which the pollutant observations are averaged. For example, a metric of
D24HourMean is a daily average of hourly measurements. A metric of D8HourMax is the
average of the 8-hour period during the day when pollutant levels are the highest (see
Table 4-2 below). The air quality change must be expressed in a metric that matches the
metric used by the health impact function; this concept is discussed further below.

In general, air pollution data in BenMAP-CE is hierarchical - a pollutant can have
multiple Metrics, each of which has multiple Statistics (these are automatically
calculated by BenMAP-CE) and which can have multiple Seasonal Metrics. Similarly,
Seasonal Metrics have multiple Statistics. Furthermore, air pollution data can be
provided to BenMAP-CE at any of these levels, in addition to the daily and hourly
observation level, as described in more detail in Section 4.3.

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Table 4-2. Example Calculation of D8HourMax

Hourly Period1

Hourly average 03
concentration2 (ppm)

Moving 8-hour
average3

D8HourMax4