Manual Forecast Display
The Manual Forecast display allows for the configuration of single or scheduled manual forecasts. A Stand Alone system only supports a single forecast; in this case no schedule options can be used. In order to use a scheduler a client-Server version of the FEWS including a Master Controller and Forecasting Shell Servers have to be configured.
A configured manual forecast can be submitted to the system by pressing [Run]. With [Close], a user can leave the Manual Forecast display.
The various items in the Manual Forecast display are described below.
Workflow
A workflow can be selected from a drop-down list with pre-configured workflows. By pressing [INFO], a description of the selected workflow can be displayed.
What-if Scenario
A What-if Scenario can be selected from a drop-down list with predefined What-if Scenarios. By pressing [INFO] a description of the selected What-if Scenario can be displayed. What-if Scenarios are defined via the What-if Scenario display (see section 2.8)
Forecast description
A forecast description can be entered in this field. Entering of a description is not obligatory.
Please note that the forecast name is generated automatically by the system and consists of the (i) start time of a forecast, (ii) the selected workflow and (iii) the selected What-if Scenario.
Scheduler options
Two types of manual forecasts can be defined:
- single forecast
- scheduled forecast
A single forecast will only run once. A scheduled manual forecast will run for a period of time and with a time interval both defined by the user. The scheduled manual forecast can only be selected when the system is a FEWS Client-Server version.
For single forecast only the T~0~ of the forecast has to be entered in the date & time field (yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm).
In case a manual forecast is scheduled, the following information should be entered by the user:
- Period of time for which a scheduled manual forecast should run is defined by entering the Start time and End time (yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm). The first forecast run is done at the Start time.
- Via menu item Interval , the time interval at which the scheduled manual should run can be defined.
- Entering Shift T~0~ allows the user to define a period of time over which the T~0~ of the forecast itself should be set back in relation to the Start time of the forecast run.
In case for example scheduled manual forecasts should always be made at 8:00 AM but the forecast itself should start at 12:00 PM the previous day, the Shift T~0~ should be set at 8 hours while the Start time is set at 08:00.
*_ Approve_*
Ticking the approve box will set the status of the forecast to current. Please note that in an operator client automatic current forecasts can not be set via the manual forecast display. This can only be done by a system manager using the Admin Interface. Reconfiguration or cancelling of both automatic forecasts and scheduled manual forecasts can only be done by the system manager.
*_ Forecast length_*
A default forecast length is configured when setting up the forecasting system. Please note that within an area different forecasts lengths may have been configured depending on for example the hydrological (sub-) system and/or the forecasting models used.
*_ State selection_*
Leaving Select initial state unchecked, the default state- as has been configured by the system manager- will be used to start the historic run preceding a forecast simulation (see also Running Modules ). For simulation models like PDM or ISIS this means that the state selection for a model will follow the state selection rules as configured in the General Adapter Module Instances.
Checking Select initial state allows the user to select a particular state to start the historic run. A selection can be made between a cold and a warm state. A Cold state is a fixed module state defined in the system configuration. Normally various cold states will be available representing characteristic catchment conditions (e.g. dry, normal and wet). When a cold state should be used at the start of the historic run, the following information is required:
- Type:
Via a drop-down list a typical cold state type can be selected.
- Relative start time:
The relative start time defines the length of the historic run.
A Warm state is a module state that has been generated in a previous forecasting run and stored in the Central Database. In order to find a suitable warm state to start the historic run, a time interval needs to be defined within which the system will look for a warm state. The time interval is defined relative to the T~0~ of the forecast by the using the following entry fields:
- Time unit:
The time unit that will be applied to defined the Search interval .
- Start & end time:
The start and end time of the search interval are defined by multiplying the above mentioned Time interval with the values respectively entered in the first and second field. The system will look for the warm state with the date/time stamp closest to T~0~ , which means that the multiplier for the Start time should always be set at a lower value than for the End time.
Please note that in case a Warm state is selected as the initial state, the date/time stamp of the warm state found within the defined Search interval will determine the actual start and therefore length of the historic run.
In case no Warm state can be found within the defined Search interval , the system will automatically run as if Select initial state was unchecked. This means that in that case the default state will be used for starting the historic run.
Priority
The user can give a forecast run either a High or a Normal priority. The Master Controller will give precedence to high priority tasks above normal priority tasks.
Please note that setting the priority to 'high' does not mean that the task will be directly carried out. In case other high priority tasks are waiting for execution, the new task will be added to the queue. When another task with normal priority is already being executed, it will not be cancelled when a new high priority task is submitted, but will be completed first.
