Overview of the Model and Observation Evaluation Toolkit (MONET) Version 1.0 for Evaluating Atmospheric Transport Models

This paper describes the development and initial applications of the Model and Observation Evaluation Tool (MONET) v1.0. MONET was developed to evaluate the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) for the NOAA National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) modeling system. MONET is designed to be a modularized Python package for (1) pairing model output to observational data in space and time; (2) leveraging the pandas Python package for easy searching and grouping; and (3) analyzing and visualizing data. This process introduces a convenient method for evaluating model output. MONET processes data that is easily searchable and that can be grouped using meta-data found within the observational datasets. Common statistical metrics (e.g., bias, correlation, and skill scores), plotting routines such as scatter plots, timeseries, spatial plots, and more are included in the package. MONET is well modularized and can add further observational datasets and different models.