CopyFromModel

Overview

CopyFromModel is a simple tool to allow you to copy model data into a particular edit area, possibly while time-shifting the model data.

If you use the "Populate" method to fill in a Fcst grid, the ENTIRE model grid is copied into your Fcst grid. Likewise, if you use the grid manager, button-3 menu items of "copy" and "paste", the ENTIRE model grid is copied into your Fcst grid. With this tool, if an edit area is active - it will only copy the model grid into the specified edit area - NOT the entire grid. If no edit area is active - it copies the entire grid. You can specify that a "taper grid" be used to smooth-in your changes over a 5-gridbox band if you desire - so that there are not abrupt gradient problems near the edge of your edit area. In addition, you can specify a model "hour offset" so that you can copy the data from other model hours into the hours of your Fcst grid.

If the timerange of the grid you are editing contains more than one model grid, the model grids are averaged (in a time-weighted sense) before they are copied into your Fcst grid. However, for QPF and SnowAmt, the model values are accumulated - so that your Fcst grid will contain the total accumulation of the model grids during the time period of your Fcst grid. For PoP grids, the maximum model value is copied into your Fcst grid - so that it remains consistent with the "floating PoP" concept. For Wx grids, it seems to read the "last" model Wx grid and copies that into your Fcst grid - but I think you are crazy if you use this tool for Wx grids.

If you use the "hour offset" feature, a negative offset means to read model data from "earlier". For example, if you have a Fcst grid with a timerange of 12-15Z, and you say to copy from the GFS Model with an offset of -6, it will read the GFS model grids from 6-9Z and copy them into your Fcst grid (and, again, only in the active edit area, if you have one defined). A positive offset means to read model data from "later". For example, and offset of 6, with a Fcst grid timerange of 12-15Z, will copy model data from 18-21Z.

This is a SmartTool - and, thus, it only operates on existing Fcst grids - so in that sense it differs from the "Populate" or "Copy/Paste" methods which can "create" grids for you. You must create a grid (possibly "from scratch") before you can run this tool.

If you run the tool on multiple grids (i.e., with a selected time range), the "hour offset" is applied separately to each grid. For example, with a -3 "hour offset", a Fcst grid from 12-15Z will read model data from 9-12Z, while a Fcst grid from 15-18Z will read model data from 12-15Z.