User's Guide

FasTrac Millennium User’s Guide – May 2003
Managing Storm Tracks
 ETA BOX NUMBER OF LINES specifies the size, in lines, of the ETA box graphics. For
example, to display eight communities, enter 8.
 PLACES SHOW RANGE ZERO CUTOFF specifies at which range every community
appears. For example, if you create a storm projection based on a 60-mile view and have all
the communities posted, your projection would be crowded by locations. To alleviate this
problem, we have created an option that tells the computer the range at which you want each
community to show. Typically, that value is between 25 and 75 miles.
At distances greater than specified value, the system will post every community, prioritized
at half the map range. For instance, if you set Places Show Range Zero Cutoff to 50 and
you have a 60-mile radius map and do a storm projection, the system will post all
communities with priorities 30 miles or above. Once the radius is within the zero cutoff zone,
it will post all communities.
Clients who prioritize their Places database usually set a low value (between 25 and 50
miles) for the Places Show Range Zero Cutoff variable. The earlier prioritization of cities at
different miles means that cities will appear in a storm track displayed above the specified
range. Clients who have done relatively little Places prioritization should set Places Show
Range Zero Cutoff to a relatively high value (between 50 and 75 miles). Of course, even
after you set this parameter, you should test storm tracks a few times to verify that the desired
number of cities appears in the storm track. If not, set the Places Show Range Zero Cutoff
value higher to display more cities; set the value lower to display fewer cities.
 STORM TRACK MAX SHOW RANGE specifies the maximum range, in miles, at which
storm track graphics (the storm track and the Storm ETA box) begin to appear.
4.2 Creating Storm Tracks
The Storm > Add command contains options for creating three kinds of storm projections: Fan,
Circle, and Squall. The following subsections describe each type of projection.
4.2.1 Creating Fan Projections
Fan projections indicate a fan-shaped area, which depicts storm tracks that are close to the
leading edge of the storm.
1. Select Storm > Add > Fan, and move your cursor to the location of the storm. You will see a
small storm projection icon with a small crosshairs (+) above it. The crosshairs represent the
center point.
2. Place the storm project icon the leading edge of the storm you wish to track, and then press
and hold down the left mouse button. Note that a red elastic band forms, rooted from the
point of your initial click to where your mouse is now.
3. Move the red rubber band in the direction of storm movement, and note that the status bar
indicates your azimuth (direction in degrees), speed, and range. The speed is based on the
Initial Track Duration parameter you set in the Initial Track Setup menu (see section 4.1,
Setting Defaults for Storm Tracks).
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