AMDAS FAQs

(Frequently Asked Questions about AMDAS)

Q1: Does it cost anything to download and use AMDAS?

A1: No. AMDAS is available for your use at no cost.

Q2: What other software do I need to use AMDAS? How much does it cost?

A2: To use AMDAS, you must have the S-PLUS 6.2 statistical data analysis software package installed on your Windows PC. S-PLUS is available from Insightful Corp. (www.insightful.com).

Q3: Will AMDAS run under Windows NT?

A3: Yes, AMDAS will run under NT4.0 (service pack 6), Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows 2003 Server. Earlier versions of Windows (Windows 95, 98, ME) are not supported.

Q4: How can I find out which version of AMDAS I have on my computer?

A4: Start AMDAS by choosing AMDAS from the Windows Start menu or double clicking on the AMDAS icon in the c:\amdas. Then choose the About command from the AMDAS menu to display information about the version of AMDAS you are currently using.

Q5: How can I find out which version of S-PLUS I have on my computer?

A5: When AMDAS is running, choose About S-PLUS from the Help menu to display the version of S-PLUS installed on your computer.

Q6: How can I find out which version of Windows I have on my computer?

A6: To display the Windows version, go to the Windows Start menu, select Control Panel and then System.

Q7: Where can I get more information about AMDAS?

A7: A comprehensive User’s Guide for AMDAS is available for download from the AMDAS web site at www.environ.org/amdas. Information on using AMDAS to analyze air quality data is also contained in a workbook: AMDAS PAMS Data Analysis Workbook: An Illustrated Guide to the Analysis of PAMS Data Using the Ambient Monitoring Data Analysis System (AMDAS), T. Stoeckenius and M. Grondona, Prepared for Mark Schmidt, Air Quality Trends Analysis Group, MD-14, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC USA, Prepared by ENVIRON Corporation, Novato, CA USA, 30 September 2001.

Q8: Where can I get more information about S-PLUS?

A8: Information about S-PLUS is available at www.insightful.com. Numerous books about S-PLUS and the S language on which it is based are available (see http://www.insightful.com/support/splusbooks.asp). There is also a very active news group for users looking for help with S and S-PLUS: go to www5.biostat.wustl.edu/s-news/ for more information and to sign up.

Q9: How do I share imported data with other AMDAS users?

A9.1: AMDAS allows you to share data with other AMDAS users via the AMDAS:Data:Import Data Frames command (which copies the new data into your default AMDAS data directory where they can be used in conjunction with your existing data) or the AMDAS:Data:Use Data command (which simply points AMDAS to the directory containing the new data without copying it). To share your previously imported AMDAS data with another user, send the user a copy of the files in your c:\amdas\datafram directory (or any other directory in which you have stored your data frames). Instruct the recipient to create an empty directory on their system in which to save the files and then to use either of the two AMDAS commands mentioned above to access the data.

A9.2: For more advanced users: if you want to send another AMDAS user just some but not all of your data, you can copy selected data frames to a new location using the S-PLUS objcopy command. To do this, Start AMDAS and type the following command into the Commands window:

objcopy(c(<names>), <where.new>, where.old=2)

where <names> is replaced by the name(s) of the data frames that you want to send with each enclosed in quotes and separated by commas, <where.new> is the path name (enclosed by quotes) of an empty directory where you want to temporarily store the data frames (remember to use double back slashes in the path name instead of the usual single back slashes). In most cases, you’ll want to copy not just the data frames containing the data of interest but also the corresponding .flags data frames. For example, to copy VOC data for the Lynn, MA monitoring site to a new directory called c:\data\transfer, type:

objcopy(c("LynnMA.1995.voc.1hr.example","LynnMA.1995.voc.1hr.example.flags"), "c:\\data\\transfer", where.old=2)

(you can type the entire command on one line following the > prompt or you can type part of it, hit the Return key (S-PLUS will indicate that you need to complete your command by putting a + prompt on the screen) and then type the rest of it). You can now send the contents of the c:\data\transfer directory to your AMDAS buddy.

Q10: How can I backup data I have imported to AMDAS?

A10: As with any project, creating regular backups of your AMDAS data is highly recommended. The best approach is to create a complete backup of your c:\amdas directory using any standard file backup method (e.g., copying onto a CD-R or CD-RW disk). This will insure that not only your imported data, which by default are all stored in the c:\amdas\datafram directory, but also any changes you may have made to the AMDAS internal data dictionary and any user-defined data flag definitions you may have created (which are stored in c:\amdas\pduser) are backed up along with a complete copy of the specific version of AMDAS you are currently using.

Q11: How can I delete data I have imported to AMDAS?

A11: Data which have been imported can be deleted using the AMDAS:Utilities:Remove Data Frames command.

Q12: How can I store data I have imported to AMDAS in different directories?

A12: You can point AMDAS to a directory of your choice using the AMDAS:Data:Use Data command. Any data which you subsequently import will now be stored in the directory you have selected. If you have imported lots of different data into the default data location used by AMDAS (c:\amdas\datafram), you can use the S-PLUS objcopy command described under question 9 above to move data frames from the default location to a new location – just remember to keep all related data frames together (e.g., voc data, meteorological data, etc. from the same monitoring site along with the associated .flags data frames and composite variables (.comp) data frames, if any).

Q13: I don’t see a AMDAS Data Explorer window when I start AMDAS. How can make this window appear?

A13: Some users have reported problems with the AMDAS Data Explorer, including getting an error message similar to

Error in S.ipc.execute (S.gui.get.conne..:) The file 'C:AMDAS AMDAS Explorer.sbf" cannot be opened in either the current directory or default directory for Object Browsers 'C:AMDAS'

This error or the absence of the AMDAS Data Explorer Window when AMDAS is opened will not prevent AMDAS from working properly. The Data Explorer is only included as a convenient way of seeing the names of data frames which have been created by the data import process – its absence does not impact the functionality of AMDAS in any way. You can still see a list of the all of the data frames in your current AMDAS data directory by using the AMDAS:Utilities:Browse command. However, if you would like to restore the Data Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Start AMDAS

2. Select New from the File menu

3. Select Object Explorer

4. Right click on the page tab in the bottom left-hand corner of the new

Object Explorer window and select Create Explorer Page... from the pop-up

menu. Click OK on the resulting dialog.

5. Right click within the white space in the left-hand pane of the new

Object Explorer page and select Insert Folder from the pop-up menu.

6. Name the new folder "AMDAS data" or similar

7. Right click on the new folder and select Folder from the pop-up menu

8. In the resulting Folder dialog, place check marks next to

only the Graphs, Scripts, and Reports options

9. Click on the Advanced tab at the top of the Folder dialog (see attached

screen shot)

a) under Object Creation, select data.frame from the pull down list

b) under Documents, the Graphsheet, Report, and Script entries

should be highlighted

c) no items should be highlighted under Interface Objects

d) in the Database Filter section, next to Databases, the

C\AMDAS\DATAFRAM entry should be the only item highlighted

e) in the Database Filter section, next to Classes, select (All) from the pull down list

f) "include derived classes" option should be unchecked

g) "Archive Database Position Only" should be checked

10. Click the OK button on the Folder Dialog.

11. You should now see an open Object Explorer window with your imported

AMDAS data frames listed in the right pane. Make sure this is the "active

window" by clicking on its title bar. Note that the folder you just created

must be highlighted in the left hand pane in order for the data frames to

appear on the right hand side. In some cases, you'll need to right click on

the folder and select Refresh from the pop-up menu for this to work.

12. Select Save As from the File menu and save the new Object Explorer

under the name AMDAS Explorer.sbf in your c:\amdas directory. Replace the

existing file of this name if prompted to do so.

After completing the above steps, the AMDAS Data Explorer Window should appear the next time you start AMDAS.

Q14: How do I get an “R2” format file from AQS?

A14: Data from the Air Quality System (AQS) are available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see www.epa.gov/ttn/airs/airsaqs/aqsweb/aqswebhome.htm). An AQS account is needed to access the system and obtain data in “R2” format.

Q15: My AMDAS data dictionary seems to have gotten corrupted. How do I fix it?

A15: You can restore the contents of your AMDAS data dictionary to the default values which shipped with the system by typing the following in the AMDAS Commands window:

assign("datadict.frm", datadict.frm.bak, where=3)

This will replace your current copy of the data dictionary with the backup copy that shipped with AMDAS.

Q16: I have an “R2” file with multiple POCs but only want to import records corresponding to some of the POCs. How do I do this?

A16: When you import the file, you’ll see a dialog box asking you to enter the value of a POC which you would like to exclude from the import. Enter the number of the POC that you want to exclude and hit OK.

Q17: How can I make AMDAS recognize additional species not included in the built-in AMDAS data dictionary? (See also: Q18: When importing an “R2” or VOCDAT file, I get a message stating that some species are not in the Data Dictionary and will not be imported. How can I add these species to the Data Dictionary? See also: Q19: How can I view and edit entries in the internal AMDAS data dictionary?)

A17: You can use the AMDAS:Utilities:Edit Data Dictionary function to alter entries in the data dictionary. See the AMDAS Release Notes for more information.

Another option for just looking at your current data dictionary is to go to the Command window in AMDAS and type the following at the > prompt:

write.table(datadict.frm,file='c:\\amdas\\testdict.txt')

This will put a copy of the data dictionary in your c:\amdas directory under the file name testdict.txt. You can then view this file by opening it with a spreadsheet program such as MS Excel.

Q18: When importing an “R2” or VOCDAT file, I get a message stating that some species are not in the Data Dictionary and will not be imported. How can I add these species to the Data Dictionary?

A18: Before you can import these data into AMDAS, you’ll need to add entries to the AMDAS data dictionary corresponding to these species. See A17 for information on making changes to the AMDAS data dictionary.

Q19: How can I view and edit entries in the internal AMDAS data dictionary?

A19: See A17 above.