FireFamilyPlus Change Lg FireFamilyPlus is used fr analysis f fire danger indices and weather. It is a Windws prgram that cmbines the fire climatlgy and ccurrence analysis capabilities f the PCFIRDAT, PCSEASON, FIRES, and CLIMATOLOGY prgrams int a single package with a graphical user interface. The current versin f the prgram is Versin 4.2 (Build 24.19), released in September 2016. The mst significant changes in previus Versin 4 releases are prvided here. FireFamilyPlus Versin 4.2 Build 24.19, Release September 2016. Majr Items f Nte in FireFamilyPlus 4.2 Crrected defects that caused the applicatin t freeze n sme 64-bit Windws 7/8/10 Operating Systems with 64-bit MS Access drivers. Added Natinal Assciatin f State Fresters (NASF) as a standard fire agency using State and Cunty FIPS Cdes as Regin and Unit identifiers. Surce data: FAMWEB Data Warehuse. Fr mre details, see the nline tutrial under the Help menu. Crrected hurly values f fuel mistures (and subsequent NFDRS indices) cmputed using Fsberg methds. Only 1-hur and 10-hur mistures are nw cmputed frm hurly bservatins; 100-hur, 1000-hur, live fuel misture, and KBDI are cmputed nly using the 1300 LST bservatin. New FlamMap/FARSITE Weather Stream (*.wxs) exprts, with gust r average winds have been added t Hurly Weather Exprt ptins. Minr Crrectins and Enhancements The template database, ffplus4.ffp has been updated t reflect recent WIMS statin catalg data fr active statins. Histrical statins were remved, and USFS and FWS agency structures were updated t reflect varius cnslidatins and additins. Remved WRCC RAWS as a weather imprt ptin. Functinality t ingest hurly wind gust data is nw in standard FW13 frmat frm the Western Regin Climate Center (WRCC). Enhanced Wind Rse graphics t use either 10-minute average r hurly gust values, r bth. Remved the FARSITE Versin 3 ptin in Hurly Data Analysis FARSITE Exprts. Verbiage n PcketCard threshlds when percentile is < = 50 has been crrected. Page 1 Last Updated: December 2016
Stplight n PcketCard has been remved. Default values fr lcal parameters Wind, Relative Humidity, and Temperature have been remved. The user is required t make thughtful entries. Varius defects in Interactive Batch (IAB) were crrected fr mre cnsistency between Batch and Interactive wrking sets. Exprt Daily List t DL_Output table in database nw wrks in batch mde. Exprt Hurly Listing t HL_Output table in database nw wrks as expected. Varius minr imprvements have been made t FW9/FW13 and Generic Weather Imprt functins. Varius minr imprvements have been made t Generic Fire Imprt functins, including adding new unit/subunits as needed. Sme rudimentary editing f USFS and DOI fire cause cdes is available under Optins > Statistical Cause Cdes. When Human is selected in Fire Analysis, yu can further restrict fires by statistical cause by clicking n the Mre buttn. Live Fuel Index values are crrectly cmputed fr a SIG. When Daily is selected as the categry in Event Lcatr, the actual value is displayed instead f TRUE. When Hurly is selected as the categry in Hurly Event Lcatr, the actual value is displayed instead f TRUE. FireFamilyPlus Versin 4.1 Build 1520, Release March 22, 2013 Majr Items f Nte in FireFamilyPlus 4.1 New Analysis Variables: Fsberg Fire Weather Index (FFWI). Live Fuel Index Based Live Herbaceus Fuel Misture (FLI HerbFM - Experimental). Live Fuel Index Based Live Wdy Fuel Misture (FLI WdyFM - Experimental). New Statin Metadata: WIMS Regular Scheduled Observatin Time (RS) NESDIS Statin ID WRCC Statin ID New NFDRS Prcessing Optins t mre clsely align with WIMS Versin 2: Prcess NFDRS fr bth traditinal "O" recrds and WIMS Versin 2.0 "R" recrds with calculated State f Weather and WetFlag. These R recrds, fr the RS time, are currently nly available frm WIMS via the PLST r Dashbard (FW9/FW13 Exprt Functins). State f Weather can be estimated fr the RS bservatin frm hurly weather data as is dne in the WIMS RAWS Gateway. Slar Radiatin and Precipitatin Threshlds can be mdified as in WIMS. See Weather > Hurly Data Analysis > Calculated SOW/WetFlag. WIMS Snw Flag lgic in NFDR cmputatins. (The Snw Flag is nt yet transmitted externally but shuld be part f FW13 exprts by spring f 2013.) Page 2 Last Updated: December 2016
Weather Data > Imprt and Exprt accmmdate bth FW9 and new FW13 Fire Weather Transfer Frmats. FW13 adds Slar Radiatin, Hurly Gust and Snw Flag. TERM: A Term mdule has been added (Weather > Term). Term files can be initially ppulated frm the Event Lcatr r manually. Term files can be imprted and exprted t text files. See Help Tpic Term. Interactive Batch: Mre rbust with better cntinuity between wrking set in Interactive and Classic mdes. Reprts in Interactive Batch can be edited and Cpy, Cut, and Paste functins wrk as in the classic mde (Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X, Ctrl-V, respectively). Left clicking muse in Graph Windw nw returns X and Y values as in Classic mde Stats Graphs: Overlay Year(s) are nw included in File > Exprt Graph Data. Fire Occurrence Graphs: File > View Graph Data mved t Optin > View Graph Data. Fire Analysis Graphs: Lines thicker and line types differ fr Fire-Day types.fire Analysis Statistics: Sum f Squares infrmatin remved fr easier reading. Icns added t Tlbar fr Daily List (L), Viewing Daily Observatins (D), viewing All Observatins (R), and viewing Fire Business Candidates (C). The View Observatins windws can nw be minimized while perfrming ther FFP functins. Data Cunt Reprt: Refrmatted fr easier reading. Selecting Variables: The display rder may be changed by clicking the Variables buttn. Available rders are: Alphabetical, Gruped (WX/NFDRS/CFDR), and ID (frm ffpclimateoptins table). Daily List: Results f Daily List can be directly exprted int the current FireFamilyPlus database as a table. Table is always verwritten and named DL_Output. StatinID r SIG name is included in each recrd. Mem field f first recrd in DL_Output hlds the run parameters. Batch\Run Optins: Mved frm Optins t Batch n the main menu.. NFDRS Calculatr: Validates field limits and recalls last sessin. Data->Imprt->Weather (FWX/FW9/FW13): If the imprter detects a statin ID frm the Western Regin Climate Center (WRCC), yu have the ptin t lad the data under the WRCC ID (current functinality) r the assciated WIMS ID (new functinality). FireFamilyPlus Versin 4.1 Beta Release, April 16, 2010 Added Features A TERM mdule (Weather > Term) has been added. The "Term" mdule duplicates the functinality f the Waiting Time functins in the RERAP prgram. Existing Term Files may be imprted and any number f Term Files can be stred in the database. Term files are assciated with the Active Wrking Set (Statin/Sig) when the file was created. There is capability fr extensive cmmenting in the term file. Term files in the database can be edited r deleted. Finally, results frm the Event Lcatr can be used t prvide initial dates fr a term file. See the Help Tpic entitled "Term." Page 3 Last Updated: December 2016
Interactive Batch: User Variables are available. Overlay Years are available. Existing Dates in the Wrking Set are used instead f all available data; changes made t wrking sets in Interactive Batch are saved in the active wrking set. Imprting Multiple FW9 Files: The "Operatin Failed, N Current Recrd" Errr has been fixed. Exprting Fires t Shapefiles: Fire Number nt truncated in length; State Fire Cause Cdes are nw crrect. (They were being remapped t DOI cdes). Live Fuel Misture Calculatins: Certain warm climate statins wuld nt prperly green up every year because X1000 nt reset t FM1000. This has been crrected in CFNDRS.dll. FireFamilyPlus Versin 4.0.2 Beta Release, December 1, 2008 Added FeaturesFiles can nw be run in "Batch Mde." T facilitate building batch jbs, FFP "Runs" can be saved in the active database. Runs are numbered sequentially, and all the parameters within a run (statin, SIG, data years, seasnal filters, verlay years, etc.) are saved. Once in a database, these Runs can be used t: 1. build batch jbs cnsisting f ne r mre saved runs, r 2. relad identical settings and Run FFP in the "classic" mde. When running a batch jb, utput can be t the screen (flying windws) r aut- saved t disk. Files can als be run in "Interactive Batch Mde." The interactive batch functin allws yu t "Run" any number f statins r SIG's at ne time. Every reprt fr every variable in the database is generated fr all years f data fr each statin. Reprts are tabs acrss the page tp, statins and variables are expansin lists n the left side f the screen. Icns allw yu t change graph ptins, wrking set dates, verlay years, and fire- type selectins t view. Changes are made t all reprts and variables at nce and redisplayed. Fire Occurrence Data: The new BLM WFMI Fire Occurrence Exprt frmat (pchaffp) is supprted alng with the new NWCG Unit Identifiers fr BLM, NPS, and BIA fire assciatins. Mre DOI "fire types" can nw be imprted. A Generic Fire Imprt mdule supprts Cmma Separated Value (CSV) files fr imprting Custm agency fire data. Mre fields (e.g. cunty, latitude, lngitude, etc.) can be included. The FPL frmat is n lnger supprted, but existing FPL files shuld be easily cnverted t CSV files. Fires frm the Wrking Set Fire Assciatins can be exprted t an ESRI shape file. Weather Data: ALL Statin infrmatin frm WIMS as f April 2007 is in the default FFP database structure. Therefre, if yu create a new database r upgrade frm a Versin 3.0.5 FFP database yu d nt need t imprt catalgs. Yu may still wish t imprt a catalg t update infrmatin r when a new statin has been added t Page 4 Last Updated: December 2016
WIMS. Generic weather imprt functinality allws flexibility t imprt data frm alternate surces. It displays all f the weather bservatin elements frm the FireFamilyPlus WXOBS data table and allws yu t select clumns that match elements in yur alternate weather file. Yu can select the field delimiter and date/time frmats. WRCC RAWS: This functinality allws flexibility in imprting hurly RAWS data frm the Western Regin Climate Center's (WRCC) Data Lister (http://www.raws.dri.edu/index.html). Yu can include wind gust and slar radiatin infrmatin t the FFP database. Nte: Data imprted in any manner frm the WRCC will nt have a STATE OF WEATHER (SOW) cde. Statin Infrmatin and NFDRS: The latitude and lngitude are nw GIS friendly. When imprting weather data, the WET FLAG data is nw used and the WIMS snw cver lgic has been implemented in FFP4. Custm Yearly Initializatin: T accunt fr variable greenup dates and t better supprt the Canadian system, a Custm Yearly Initializatin feature has been added t FFP. See Weather > Custm Yearly Init. Brush Drmant Date: T supprt areas where freezes d nt generally ccur, the capacity t allw shrubs t g int drmancy is supprted by a new drmant flag and date. If the flag is set, a valid date is entered in the live fuel misture mdel (78 mdels nly), the vegetatin state has cured, the bservatin date is greater than the drmant date, and the live fuel misture mdel has dried the wdy fuel misture t its drmant value, the live vegetatin state is put int a drmant state s that wdy fuel mistures d nt increase late in the fall with fall rains. This change was requested by Russ Gripp and allws FFP t better emulate user cntrl in WIMS. The default value fr this field is unchecked. A "use weighed 10-hr sticks" flag tells FFP t ignre weighed sticks and cmpute the 1- and 10-hur misture by algrithm fr the perid f recrd. This allws fr a cnsistent climatlgy fr statins that may have 15 years f weighed sticks and 15 years withut. Reprts: Expanded reprt headers include all current settings and statin metadata. The ability t cntrl reprt header infrmatin is included under the Optins > Reprt Optins menu item. Yu can select a delimiter (e.g. cmma) fr sme reprts t facilitate imprting int ther applicatins such as spread sheets r statistical analysis prgrams. There is a FlamMap Fire Risk Exprt functin. Wind rses are available fr hurly data (FW9 r WRCC). Page 5 Last Updated: December 2016