WEPS users, reviewers, testers, etc:

This is the most current in-house build release (2009-06-12).
following the first official NRCS release build (2007-12-26)
of the WEPS 1.0 interface and science model. 

Some issues addressed since the original 2007-12-26 release are:
2009-06-12 updates
1. Cleaned up Mantis support in WEPS interface.
2. Cleaned up info for "rock fragment" fields/
3. Updated to latest release of crop and operation databases as well as translation file maintained and provided by NRCS.
4. Fixed known issues with output reports.
5. Science code changes to support confidence interval mode of running WEPS, including special output report and commandline argument to enable the mode.  There is no support yet in the interface for this run mode.
6. Configured WEPS for Field Office usage, hiding and making read-only many database and other parameters and values used within WEPS.
7. For NRCS Field Office use, a modified windgen index file is specified by default that does not allow selected stations to be chosen.
8. Updated Map Viewer and fixed several bugs in it.
9. Added cligen and windgen polygon files (created by NRCS) for NRCS usage in western U.S.
10. Added initial support code for "interpolation" of windgen station data.  No support yet within WEPS interface.
11. Numerous minor bug fixes and changes also made to the WEPS interface.

2009-02-09 updates
1. Updated the file dropdown code to fix issues with it
2. Updated to latest crops and operations db provided by NRCS.
3. Updated and re-arranged the fields in the WEPS GUI to better accommodate additional input fields, water erosion, rock fragment override, etc.
4. Now provide option to generate a batch file for re-generating a WEPS Run (useful for automating WEPS runs without the GUI).
5. Added a "Crop Rotation Year" tabular report to the Run Summary.
6. Added a "Reset" button to the "File" (or "Project) menu which deletes all "working" copies of man and soil files in the default "project" directory.
7. Changed SCI calculations to use only top 4" of buried roots/residue.
8. Added an NRCS specific report capability so that NRCS could customize the reports without it affecting other WEPS user needs.
9. Expanded amount of memory used by Java from 64MB to 128MB due to increased usage by WEPS.
10. Values are now "auto-selected" upon entry in MCREW table and its drilldown forms with mouse cursor making it easier to replace the values.
11. Added color identifier on operation dates that are out of order in MCREW.
12. Numerous minor bug fixes and interface changes also made.

2008-09-22 updates
1. Improved "About" messages.
2. Created a "single project" mode for NRCS.
3. Added support for NRCS GIS shape files, etc. for selecting windgen and cligen stations.
4. A rewrite of all report code was completed (except the detail report).  The display format was redone in JasperReports and now uses a Java db backend for accessing the WEPS science data.  The older screen reports have been removed.
5. Fixed a bug in code extracting soil data from NRCS database causing negative layer thicknesses to occur.
6. Changed aggregate stability function to keep increasing for clay content above 0.35 instead of decreasing. Value did not change for clay content above 0.6. No data was available in that range.
7. Fixed crop/op db editor so that it doesn't require "bigtool" anymore to provide sufficient number of "process" columns.
8. Added "resurf_roots" commandline argument to WEPS to allow control over whether the resurfacing process resurfaces root biomass or not.  The original method does and is still the default.  This was done because the "growth of roots" in WEPS is not very accurate and also because RUSLE2 doesn't do it.  All WEPS configuration files are now configured to "disable" this functionality by default.
9. Numerous other small fixes and features have been added.

2008-07-14 updates
1. Fixed problem causing STIR report to hang interface when a single year rotation was run.
2. Changed the configuration file arrangement to use a "system" configuration file and a "user" configuration file.
3. Made "system", "user" and "log" file/paths be specifiable from the commandline.
4. Fixed bug leaving "*.ldb" files remaining after closing WEPS.
5. Added keyboard shortcuts to the file dropdowns in MCREW.
6. Added ability to hide the "P" and "T" buttons on the main WEPS screen.
7. Added SCI to WEPS Summary Report.
8. Added file dropdown support to main WEPS screen for the management and soil fields.
9. Fixed scroll wheel for WEPS Reports.
10. Added online and tooltip help support to WEPS Reports.
11. Fixed "water erosion" units display and number of significant digits to show.
12. Added "Run Location" column to WMRM.
13. Added latest list of NRCS crops and operations.

2008-05-21 updates
1. Improvements made to the NRCS XML (skel) to MCREW management file format converter.
2. Updated list of wind barriers and associated documentation with input from NRCS.
3. Added more robust support for multiple soil (SSURGO) databases.
4. Updated both SWEEP and WEPS User Guides.
5. Added printing and WEPS Run delete support to WEPS Multiple Run Manager (WMRM).
6. Added NRCS Soil Conditioning Index and STIR report to WEPS (output available when run in NRCS mode).
7. Added dropdown choice lists to MCREW for selection of management operations and crops/residue.
8. Added the ability for MCREW to have additional, user-selectable columns display in the table view.
9. Added more edit/view/hide configuration controls to the MCREW table view and the drilldown screens.
10. Added max/min limits to the input parameter fields in SWEEP.
11. Added the ability to read from zipped files as if they were regular directories.
12. Added an option to the Project menu to export (copy or move) a WEPS run to another location.
13. A simpler to use single-project mode for WEPS has been implemented (but not yet enabled for general use).
14. Updated with latest NRCS list of operation and crop database records.
15. Changed the default WEPS Run Location to be in the user's My Documents directory for NRCS.
16. Added some options to speed up Yield Calibration Runs (not yet enabled by default).
17. Additional cligen stations added for western U.S.

Additional SWEEP and WEPS interface and science bug fixes not enumerated here.

February 09, 2009

Larry E. Wagner