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What is CIMIS?
CIMIS is an acronym for California Irrigation Management Information
System, a program unit in the Office of Water Use Efficiency (OWUE),
Department of Water Resources (DWR). CIMIS is an integrated network
of over 125 automated active weather stations located throughout
California. Historical data is also available from an additional
61 inactive weather stations. These are weather stations that
have been disconnected from the CIMIS network for various reasons.
The numbers of active and inactive stations change with time as
new stations are installed and existing stations disconnected.
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How does CIMIS work?
Specific weather parameters are collected on site and temporarily
stored in a data logger that is mounted on the mast of the weather
stations. A computer at DWR headquarters in Sacramento calls every
CIMIS station beginning around midnight (Pacific Standard Time)
and retrieves the previous days data. The data is checked for
quality and flagged, if necessary. Flagging does not mean the
data is bad but as an indication of possible problems or deviations
from expected normalcy. The flagging is explained in the quality
control section of this web site. Reference Evapotranspiration
(ETo) is calculated from this data and stored in a database along
with the collected climatic data. Users can access the stored
data via the Internet and/or FTP.
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When was CIMIS established?
CIMIS was established in 1982 as a joint project between the University
of California, Davis (UCD) and DWR. DWR assumed management of
the CIMIS program in 1985.
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Who owns the CIMIS stations?
Some of the CIMIS stations are owned by DWR while local cooperators
own others. The list of local cooperators includes water agencies,
universities, cities, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation, conservation districts, and private agricultural
related industries.
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I had an account for the Dial-Up/Telnet option. Can I
use it on the web?
Yes, you can use the same user id and password on the web. In
fact, we encourage users not to create multiple accounts so that
we have accurate statistics on the use of CIMIS data. If you forget
your user id and password, please call us toll free at 1-800-922-4647
before you create a new account.
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Is there a fee involved?
No. CIMIS is a state agency serving the public free of charge.
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How many years of data are used to calculate CIMIS`s historical
(long-term average) data?
The number of years for historical averages vary by station, it ranges
from 5 to 11 years. These averages were computed in 2000 from data
collected between 1989 and 1999, and for stations that had at least
5 years of data then. Regional averages were assigned to stations
that did not have at least 5 years of data. That is, averages were
computed from stations within the region that met the 5 year data
limit. It was felt that weather during the 5 years prior to and including
1999 was fairly representative of California average weather conditions.
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What other information is available from the
Weather Station List?
Information detailing each station`s geographic location including
elevations, site descriptions, zip code(s) the station represents,
start date, and county and nearby city are available. In this same
section you will find maps giving approximate and specific locations
of each station and other information regarding station components
and siting criteria.
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What other information can I get from the CIMIS web site?
Additional valuable information can be obtained from the CIMIS web
site. Information is presented on irrigation, ETo, station siting,
quality control, contacts, downloads of important documents, links
to useful web sites, system news, consultants, software, ETo equations,
ETo zone map, station location map, and station sensor specifications.
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What do I have to do to install a new CIMIS station in
my area?
You need to contact the CIMIS representatives from your district.
You can get their contact information by clicking on "CIMIS
Staff" from the CIMIS "Welcome" Page. You can also
contact Kent Frame of DWR CIMIS headquarters at (916) 651-7030 or
kframe@water.ca.gov.
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Why do I have to register to access CIMIS data?
Registration is purely for statistical purposes. We want to know
who is using our data so that we can better serve their needs. The
information you provide is confidential and will not be shared.
You can obtain CIMIS data without registration but it will be limited
to the previous 7 days and/or 12 months.
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Whom do I contact if I have questions about CIMIS and
its data?
There are several ways you can get help. You can email your questions
to the Webmaster by clicking on "Contacts" at the bottom
of any CIMIS Page. Alternatively, you can call the CIMIS help line
at 1-800-922-4647 or you can also go to "CIMIS Staff"
on the CIMIS Welcome Page and call or email anyone from the list.
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