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Can I choose my own RAWS for the Auto97th fire behavior runs?

I just completed an Auto97th fire behavior run and was looking over the summary report - it looks like the closest RAWS was used by default to get the 97th percentile weather conditions. Is there a way for me to specify what RAWS I'd like to use? 


Best Answer

At this time you cannot specify your own station. IFTDSS chooses the closest Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) to generate fuel moistures, wind speed and wind direction for the Auto97th Landscape/Fire Behavior Report. The RAWS is selected by:
1) Identifying the center of the landscape extent;

2)Calculating the distance from the center to the nearest RAWS using a horizontal/vertical (elevation) algorithm; and

3) Ranking the stations and selecting the station which is the “closest” and has weather data requisite for running the model.

In time, the IFTDSS team would like for users to be able to select their own RAWS station for this report. This option is on the development list and will be prioritized with other enhancements.


Hi Jeffery,

Thank you for reaching out on the issue of being able to select your own RAWS for 97th percentile calculations.  This is a frequent request from users. 


At this point in time we are waiting for the new FEMS to be built out to the degree that we can use the data as a service to select RAWS stations. This is a new application that will house weather and RAWS data.


Check out the site information and the application itself here:   FEMS | Wildland Fire Application Information Portal (wildfire.gov) and the link to the actual application:  FEMS 1.0 (usda.gov) 


So unfortunately we are at the mercy of the development of this new system.   We do not have a time frame at this time, but it is very high on our list once the service is available. Stay tuned here for more info and as things evolve.


Reach out if you have more questions or would like additional info


Kim

IFTDSS Team


Just curious if the above answers are still the case, or have there been any updates to allow individual station selection for Auto97th runs?

Answer

At this time you cannot specify your own station. IFTDSS chooses the closest Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) to generate fuel moistures, wind speed and wind direction for the Auto97th Landscape/Fire Behavior Report. The RAWS is selected by:
1) Identifying the center of the landscape extent;

2)Calculating the distance from the center to the nearest RAWS using a horizontal/vertical (elevation) algorithm; and

3) Ranking the stations and selecting the station which is the “closest” and has weather data requisite for running the model.

In time, the IFTDSS team would like for users to be able to select their own RAWS station for this report. This option is on the development list and will be prioritized with other enhancements.

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