Control File - General Notes

Comment lines in the control file begin with an asterisk (*) and have no effect on program operation. Blank lines are ignored as well. Lines that set operating parameters begin with a keyword, followed by a colon and a parameter value or set of values. Where multiple parameter values appear on a line, they can be separated by any combination of spaces, tabs, and commas. For example, the lines:

    * Peak intensity period for January Storm
    TimeStart: 13JAN95, 1300
    TimeEnd: 13JAN95, 1400

set the start and end times for the interpolation period. The first line is a comment, written by the user to identify the purpose of the file; the next two lines start with the keywords TimeStart and TimeEnd, respectively, and each line contains two parameter values (a date and a time) separated by a comma and a space.

Keyword	Function
* (asterisk)	Identifies comment line.
ENDFILE	Lines following this keyword will be ignored.

The control file contains three sections:

Control File - Interpolation Parameters: The first section sets parameters that control the interpolation process: the start and end times, the interpolation method to be used, the maximum distance a gage can be from a cell to contribute to its precipitation estimate and the output DSS file and path names.
Control File - Grid Parameters: The second section sets output grid parameters: the type of grid, its location, and the number of cells (rows and columns) it will contain.
Control File - Gage Parameters: The third section sets precipitation gage parameters: their names, locations, and the DSS file and path names associated with them.