- Author
- Harms, M. F. | Lavdas, L. G.
- Title
- Users Guide to VSMOKE-GIS for Workstations.
- Coporate
- Department of Agriculture, Juliette, GA
- Report
- Research Paper SRS-6; RP-SRS-006, September 1997, 45 p.
- Keywords
- computer programs | prescribed burning | smoke | dispersion | smoke plumes | forest fires | forestry
- Identifiers
- plume definition; smoke plume parameters; VSMKGS; VSMOKE-GID dashboard
- Abstract
- VSMOKE-GIS was developed to help prescribed burners in the national forests of the Southeastern United States visualize smoke dispersion and to plan prescribed burns. Developed for use on workstations, this decision-support system consists of a graphical user interface, written in Arc/Info Arc Macro Language, and is linked to a FORTRAN computer program. VSMOKE-GIS combines a graphics display of a forest with a dashboard of five icons. By clicking the mouse on these icons, a fire manager can interactively affect the appearance of a smoke plume. Once appropriate tiles have been created, more than one smoke plume can be viewed at once, and different aspects of the forest, such as stands of trees, rivers, or soil types, can be viewed together or separately. This users guide provides a complete tour of the VSMOKE-GIS, including a history of its development; a tutorial of the steps used in creating, viewing, and manipulating plumes; system definitions; descriptive figures; and instructions on acquiring and personalizing the system for an individual forest.