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1987-01-21
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*******************************************************************************
* WEATHER RECORDS AND STATISTICS *
* Version 1.3 *
* *
* *
* Public-Domain Software for the IBM Personal Computer *
* *
* To Display Records Stored in a Weather Database *
* And Statistics Calculated from the Database *
* *
* By Martin E. Morrison *
* 136 Loma Verde Drive *
* Hayward, CA 94541-1368 *
* Telephone: (415) 278-8458 *
* CompuServe: 70315,101 *
*******************************************************************************
The Files
---------
WEATHER consists of four files:
WEA0000.DAT a weather database template
WEA1986.DAT a sample weather database
WEATHER.DOC this documentation file
WEATHER.EXE the weather records and statistics program
Using WEATHER
-------------
WEATHER.EXE is the executable file that is run directly from the PC-DOS prompt.
You should make sure that any annual weather datafiles you intend to use
(explained under "The Annual Weather Datafiles" below) are resident with
WEATHER.EXE on your current device and directory.
WEATHER first asks you to input the name of the annual weather datafile to be
used. (As explained under "The Annual Weather Datafiles" below, the weather
data for each calendar year should be stored in a separate file with a filename
you designate.) If you input a filename that does not exist, WEATHER will
warn you with a beep and a "***FILE NOT FOUND***" message and then allow you to
input a filename again.
WEATHER then displays the "Reading records in from file [filename]" message and
displays the date of each record as it is read in, so that you can follow the
progress of reading in the records. If you see any errors (e.g., dates in the
wrong format or extraneous characters) as the display increments or if you
receive an "Input past end" error message, check at the date where the error
occurred for typographical errors, particularly punctuation errors, in the
annual weather datafile you used. If you receive an "Input past end" error
message after the last date, check the end of your datafile for the presence of
more than one carriage return (blank lines) after the last line of data.
WEATHER then displays the Options Menu as follows:
(1) Display or print weather records
(2) Display or print weather statistics
(3) Choose another annual weather datafile
(4) Exit
If you select option 1 or 2, you will be prompted for the following
information:
Input starting date (YY-MM-DD)
Input ending date (YY-MM-DD)
Input city location (10 letters maximum)
Input state location (2-letter state code)
Printout also (yes/NO)
As WEATHER searches for the dates in ASCII order, you need enter only YY or
YY-MM, if you desire a year or year-month combination. However, you must enter
leading zeros (e.g., 86-03-04). If you enter a carriage return at the "Input
starting date" prompt, WEATHER returns to the Options Menu. The printout
default is "no" (display on monitor screen only).
If you select option 1, WEATHER displays or prints the following fields
from the database for each record between the starting and ending dates:
Date
Low Temperature
Time of Low Temperature
High Temperature
Time of High Temperature
Atmospheric Pressure
Rainfall
If you select option 2, WEATHER calculates and displays or prints the
following statistics from the database for the records between the starting and
ending dates the accuracy of the statistics is, of course, dependent upon the
completeness of the records entered into the database):
Extreme Low Temperature (with date and time of day)
Extreme High Temperature (with date and time of day)
Extreme Low Pressure (with date)
Extreme High Pressure (with date)
Extreme Low Rainfall (with date)
Extreme High Rainfall (with date)
Average Low Temperature (with average time of day)
Average High Temperature (with average time of day)
Average Atmospheric Pressure
Average Rainfall
Total Rainfall
If you select option 3, WEATHER allows you to input the name of another annual
weather datafile to use with options 1 and 2.
If you select option 4, WEATHER exits to DOS.
The Annual Weather Datafiles
----------------------------
WEA1986.DAT, consisting of the 1986 weather data for Hayward, California, is
supplied as a sample to demonstrate the format for entering data into an
annual weather datafile to be used by WEATHER. This file is a standard ASCII
file that may be listed using the PC-DOS "TYPE" command.
Because of restrictions on string space imposed by the IBM BASIC Compiler, the
weather data for each calendar year should be stored in a separate file under a
name you designate for each (e.g., WEA1986.DAT). It is possible to maintain
annual weather datafiles for more than one location; however, each location's
annual datafile must be maintained separately under a different filename, and
only one location's annual datafile may be used by WEATHER at a time.
First, inspect the sample file, which is an ASCII file, by using the PC-DOS
"TYPE" command. Then, observe WEATHER's operation by running it and inputting
WEA1985.DAT when prompted to input the name of the annual weather datafile to
be used.
As your annual weather datafiles must be ASCII files, you may enter them by
using EDLINE (the PC-DOS line editor), WordStar's non-document mode, or any
other editor that an ASCII file consisting only of letters, numbers, and
punctuation. You should particularly note the following requirements for
entering data:
* You must enter each days' record serially, earliest date first, in
exactly the same format as the sample file with respect to spacing,
punctuation, etc.
* You must enter the abbreviation "n/a" ("not available") when you are
missing any datum.
* You must not enter extra spaces at the end of a line before the carriage
return or enter extra carriage returns (blank lines) after the last line
of data.
A template file (WEA0000.DAT) is provided for entering 365 days of weather
records into an annual weather datafile.
The Units Used
--------------
WEATHER is programmed so that all data need to be stored, displayed, and
printed in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)- and International
Standards Organization (ISO)-recommended SI metric system units, which have
also been approved by the U.S. National Weather Service. The units are as
follows:
Dates: YY-MM-DD format
Times: HH:MM format using a 24-hour clock
Temperatures: degrees Celsius (to one decimal place)
Pressures: kilopascals (to three decimal places)
Rainfall: millimetres (to one decimal place)
If your instruments do not give readings in SI metric units, you must convert
your readings to SI metric units before entering them into your annual weather
datfile. The conversion formulae are as follows:
Degrees Fahrenheit to Degrees Celsius: (X-32)*5/9
Millibars to Kilopascals: X/10
Inches of Mercury to Kilopascals: X*3.386389
Inches to Millimetres: X*25.4
Two excellent instruments that do give readings in SI metric units are
available through the Edmund Scientific Catalog, 101 East Gloucester Pike,
Barrington, NJ 08007.
COMPUTEMP. Monitors indoor and outdoor temperature and time of day.
Records the day's high and low temperatures in degrees Celsius and the
time they occurred. Catalog No. H61,236. $79.95.
DESK BAROMETER. Calibrated in millibars (hectopascals), which can easily
be converted to kilopascals by dividing by 10. Gilded case has a 100 mm
silver dial with black numerals and gold set band. Catalog No. H41,951.
$19.95.
----------------end-of-author's-documentation---------------
Software Library Information:
This disk copy provided as a service of
The Public (Software) Library
Disks in the library are updated monthly.
For a copy of the latest monthly software library newsletter
and a list of the 800+ disks in the library, call or write
The Public (Software) Library
P.O.Box 35705, Rm. F
Houston, TX 77235-5705
(713) 721-6104
We are not the authors of this program, nor are we associated
with the author in any way other than as a distributor of the
program in accordance with the author's terms of distribution.
Please direct shareware payments and specific questions about
this program to the author of the program, whose name appears
elsewhere in this documentation. If you have trouble getting
in touch with the author, we will do whatever we can to help
you with your questions.