Weather and Climate Tools & Data

Weather and climate data are needed in a variety of applications, from managing crops, to adaptation planning, to understanding long-term trends in species and ecosystems. However working with these spatial data can be challenging, due to their large size, multi-dimensionality, and unfamiliar units.

See below for a sample of projects and tools developed by IGIS to make working with weather and climate more effective and efficient. If you have a question or a project that requires weather and climate data, please get in touch or leave a comment below.

Cal-Adapt Tools

Cal-Adapt is California's official data portal for modeled climate data - past and future. Cal-Adapt also serves interpolated observed historical weather data. We've developed libraries to import Cal-Adapt data into the R and Python programming environments using the Cal-Adapt API.

• caladaptR. R package for importing and manipulating Cal-Adapt data in R via the Cal-Adapt API.
  
  
• caladapt.py. This Python module allows you to import Cal-Adapt data into Python for a specific location and/or the entire coverage area. Includes an ArcGIS toolbox to import Cal-Adapt data directly into ArcGIS Pro.

Computing Degree Days

• degday. R package for computing degree days.
  
  
• HeatUnits.py. Python module for computing degree days.
  
  
• Degree Days Validation Challenge. Code validation site including a sample dataset and reference answers. Code libraries that pass the challenge earn a badge.

Decision Support Tools

• Pistachio Nut Growth Calculator. Shiny app that uses a weather driven regression model to predict the development of pistachio nuts.
  
  
• Projected Winter Chill. Computes projected winter chill in the coming decades using modeled climate data.
  
  
• Precision Irrigation Calculator. Phone friendly Shiny app that computes irrigation requirements based on reference evapotranspiration and precipitation data from the CIMIS network.
  
  
• CalAgroClimate. A one-stop-shop resource for agroclimate metrics in California.

Workshop Recordings

• Computing AgroClimate Metrics in R. December 2022.
  
  
• Working with Cal-Adapt Climate Data in R. April 2022
  
  
• Getting Started with Cal-Adapt Climate Data in R. October 2021.