ClimProb: Software for Assisting Climate-Related Decisionmaking

Abstract

Agricultural decisionmakers often base climate-related decisions solely on experience. Ideally, these management decisions should be based on quantifiable information, obtained by examination of long-term climatological records. The need to quickly and easily quantify climatic information was the primary incentive for the development of ClimProb (short for climatological probabilities). ClimProb, a PC-based IBM-compatible software package, is a tool that helps guide decisions by developing probabilities of climatic events based on the climatological history of a particular weather station. This software package allows the user to choose from 17 temperature options, six precipitation options, and eight degree day options. ClimProb's design is unique in two ways. First, the user defines a time window specific to a particular application. Second, the user chooses values for thresholds, accumulations, and extremes related to this application. ClimProb's tabular output can be saved or printed. It can also be graphically represented as a time series, cumulative probability distribution, or histogram. There are over 800 data sets for the 48 contiguous states available for use in ClimProb. Originally developed for extension education, the software now has broader applications including research, classroom instruction, and service/outreach.