ClimReader

A component based simulation systems consists of a framework which allows using model components (i.e. discrete software units which contain models, such as crop development and growth, soil, agricultural management etc.) and utility components, which provide input/output functionality. Crop, cropping systems, hydrological models at field level, often require meteorological data at daily or hourly time resolution. Such data may include different set of variables (e.g. maximum and minimum daily air temperature, daily rainfall, daily evapotranspiration). Also, such data may include missing data. Meteorological data also require site ((location)) data (e.g. latitude, clear sky transmissivity). Even if not related to meteorological data, other site data of interest are soil data which need to be loaded at start run. CRA.ClimReader.dll is a component which allows loading location and soil data, and provide met data at run-time. The component allows loading data in different formats (txt, XML, and from MS Access), and different sets of data, allowing for flexibility of data sources. The component allows estimating some meteorological variables if missing in the input file: reference evapotranspiration, vapour pressure deficit, day length, global solar radiation. Reference evapotranspiration can be estimated using the Hargreaves, Priestley-Taylor, and Penman-Monteith method according to data availability. The component uses the CRA.Met.dll library, which includes classes from the ET, AirT, Wind, Rain, and GSRad components. The component implements the test of pre-conditions and post-conditions for each of the models provided, allowing an output on screen, txt or XML file; custom output drivers can also be developed. The component can be freely used and distributed by modellers and developers in their own applications, if the application contains either a dedicated menu item or a dedicated button calling the info() method of the component, and links to the original help file. This method displays information about the component and a button which activates the help of the component (examples of how to do this are shown in the sample applications provided to illustrate the use of the component). The component can be used in code developed using any Windows .NET language (VB, C#, C++ managed, J#).