Update extract_daily_weather_from_livneh to reflect latest release of daily dataset

[CaitlinA]

The Livneh data was updated recently and now includes daily data from 1915 - 2015: ftp://livnehpublicstorage.colorado.edu/public/Livneh.2016.Dataset/.

Citation: https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201542

The data is structured very similarly to the old dataset. Only a few lines of code would need to be change to incorporate the new dataset into rSFSW2.

I suggest we eliminate the functionality from rSFSW2 from extracting from Livneh 2013 and replace it with updated functionality for Livneh 2016.

@dschlaep What do you think?

[dschlaep]

Sounds great to update to have coverage of recent years.

Are the values of the years covered by both versions identical?

• if yes, then I agree that we can eliminate the support for Livneh et al. 2013
• if not, then I suggest that we add a version flag so that we can reproduce previous data extraction and offer access to the new version simultaneously (that version flag would just need to if ... then ... select that few lines that need changing)?

[CaitlinA]

I've had a chance to compare the two datasets, and they are quite different, particularly regarding daily precipitation estimates. I will proceed with a version flag.

Do you think that their should be option in the descriptions.R file to set the version, or should it be behind the scenes within the functionality.

[dschlaep]

I personally would add it to SFSW2_project_descriptions.R for transparency and explicitness of simulation project documentation by the meta.rds object

[CaitlinA]

I put my initial code up on GitHub, opened a PR, and put you as a reviewer. My code is not complete, nor has it been tested, but I would like to get your comments on approach.

I added a version argument and subsequent if().... statements to the extract_daily_weather_from_livneh function.

From a user's point of view they either pick from "GriddedDailyWeatherFromLivneh2013_NorthAmerica" or "GriddedDailyWeatherFromLivneh2016_NorthAmerica" in the descriptions.R file.

Also, could your provide some context on the dw_Livneh2013_NorthAmerica function. It is never called in rSFSW2 code. Should I replicate this functionality for Livneh2016?

[dschlaep]

A new function dw_Livneh2016_NorthAmerica is necessary; all the functions dw_* are called by the function dw_determine_sources:

temp <- try(ftemp(dw_source, dw_names, exinfo, site_dat, sim_time,
      path = path_dw_source[[dw_avail_sources2[k]]],
      MoreArgs = MoreArgs[[dw_avail_sources2[k]]]), silent = TRUE)