Online Decision Aide Offers Lawn Owners Irrigation Help During Drought!
August 29, 2007
Press Release
RALEIGH - Water conservation is everyone's business, especially as the drought in NC worsens.
Through a cooperative effort between the Department of Crop Science and the State Climate Office of North Carolina at NC State University an internet based decision-aide entitled the Turf Irrigation Management System (TIMS) has been developed and is now available to the citizens of North Carolina . This simple to use system can be utilized by anyone from the dedicated turf professional to the homeowner to help make irrigation management decisions.
First, it guides you through your account set-up by asking a few simple questions about the type of grass, soil and irrigation system you have. After set-up, it calculates the amount of irrigation you need and keeps track of when and how much water you actually use. Once you have entered your address, climate information is read from the closest weather station which is part of the NC Climate Retrieval and Observations Network Of the Southeast (CRONOS) and the irrigation needed by your turf is calculated based on recent weather conditions including precipitation and evaporation.
This system will help you practice better water conservation for your lawn, landscape or other turfgrass areas in this critical time for water resources.
It is free to the public in NC and can be accessed at the following URL:
www.TurfFiles.ncsu.edu/TIMS [1]
The State Climate Office of North Carolina is a public-service center and extension of the UNC system housed at NC State University and the primary source for climate data and expertise in North Carolina. The mission of the State Climate Office is to provide climate related services to the state, local and federal agencies, businesses and citizens of North Carolina.
Lead Scientist: Dr. Charles Peacock, Professor of Turfgrass Science Crop Science Department
Contributing Scientist: Dr. Dan Bowman, Professor of Turfgrass Science Crop Science Department
Meteorologists: Mark Brooks, Joshua Hemperly, Ryan Boyles, State Climate Office of North Carolina
Design Programmer: Jenifer Jordan Reynolds, Crop Science Department
Database Programmer: David Zahn, Crop Science Department