Choosing a Location

Choosing a location within WEPS defines the physical location of the field to be simulated. This location information is used within WEPS to select the weather stations (CLIGEN and WINDGEN) to be used for the simulation.

Location information is entered through the rightmost panel of the main interface screen, labeled 'Location Information' (Fig. 1.9). Select the state and county of interest from the drop-down list by clicking the down arrow to the right of the state and county. The centroid latitude and longitude coordinates of the county will automatically be displayed. The CLIGEN and WINDGEN stations nearest to the center of the selected county will then be selected by the interface and displayed. As an alternative, the longitude and latitude of the location can also be entered, which will automatically display the state and county in which the coordinates reside and select the nearest CLIGEN and WINDGEN stations to that latitude and longitude. Clicking the buttons to the right of the Longitude and Latitude fields will toggle between the Western and Eastern hemispheres for Longitude and the Northern and Southern hemispheres for Latitude. Note that the default hemispheres are the Northern and Western hemispheres for the United States. If the Southern hemisphere is desired, the user should select CLIGEN stations and management files appropriate operation dates for this hemisphere. Once the stations are displayed, the user can click on the down arrow next to the stations to bring up a list of nearby stations from which to choose an alternative station if desired. The search radius for the list of stations (maximum distance to all stations on the list) are listed to the right of 'CLIGEN Station' and 'WINDGEN Station.' The State and County, as well as the Longitude and Latitude, fields are optional and can be added to or removed from the interface through the 'Miscellaneous' tab of the 'Configuration' panel (see the discussion on 'Configuration' for more details).

An alternative method to choosing a location in the United States is by using the Map Viewer. Clicking on the 'Use Map' button (displayed via the configuration panel) displays the Map Viewer with a map of the United States including state and county boundaries (Fig 1.10). The map can be centered and 'zoomed' in or out by selecting the appropriate button at the bottom of the screen and clicking within the map area. Clicking the check boxes at the left side of the Map Viewer window will display the location of Climate stations or Wind stations. Double clicking a location on the map will select the nearest CLIGEN and WINDGEN station and close the map viewer. The map viewer is a convenient way to view all of the climate stations within a state or region. The map viewer button is optional and can be added to or removed from the interface through the 'Miscellaneous' tab of the 'Configuration' panel (see the discussion on 'Configuration' for more details).

The western region of the United States has areas where the mountainous terrain results in stations that vary significantly over short distances in climate and wind energy. NRCS has developed Cligen and Windgen maps to assist users in selecting the appropriate weather station. These maps are available on the web as part of the Field Office Technical Guide for each state.

Notes

The user may type in notes for the run using the 'Notes' panel (Fig. 1.11). Clicking the 'Edit' button opens a window where notes may be entered and edited. Clicking the 'Clear' button clears the notes. These notes will be displayed and can also be edited within the Project Summary output report after a WEPS run has been completed. These notes are kept with the WEPS run as a record of any sort the user desires.