****THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ONLY APPLY TO USFS PERSONNEL****
For all other users may require working with your IT and Computer support as required for software installation
Recent changes in how the Forest Service Chief Information Office (CIO) is managing IT applications is affecting the ability of Forest Service employees to install FlamMap and other fire- related software on Forest Service hardware. For example, PowerBroker, the utility which provided the "install elevated" and "run elevated" options for software installation and execution, has recently been removed for many USFS users. To facilitate the installation of FlamMap6 without the need to request assistance from the USFS Computer Helpdesk please follow these installation instructions. 1. Create a folder called C:\FireApps\ 2. Download the FlamMap6 software from the Fire Lab site to the folder you created in Step 1: https://firelab.org/document/flammap-software The file is a zip file containing the FlamMap6 installation file (FlamMap_Setup.exe and FlamMap6.msi), General Installation notes that are non USFS specific, and USFS Specific Installation Instructions. 3. Extract the zip file to the C:\FireApps folder you created in Step 1. Right-click on the file and select Extract All…. If using 7-Zip, select Extract Here 4. Once extracted, your folder should look like the following. IT IS CRITICAL that the FlamMap_Setup.exe and FlamMap6.msi file be under C:\fireapps if it is not the program WILL NOT INSTALL
NEED TO UPDATE FIGURE
5. Double-click click on the FlamMap_Setup.exe installation file and follow the installation prompts and accept the default installation location for FlamMap6 (C:\Workspace\FlamMap6).
Once the program starts to install you should see the following standard Windows Installation pop-up windows. Click Next on all. It is recommended to accept the defaulted installation folder Recommended to install to the defaulted location. • DO NOT install the program on server location that will be accessed across a network. • DO NOT install in Program Files or Program Files (x86) [Often blocked to write temporary files to] • DO NOT install on Desktop [creates long pathname issues] • DO NOT install in My Documents [creates long pathname issues]
IF you choose to install the program in a Different location it must be to an area with Read/Write Access as FlamMap requires an area that it can write and store temporary files to.
6. Open FlamMap and from the main menu select Help > About FlamMap if you have installed and opened the correct version of the program you should see the following. The current Build date for FlamMap is April 15, 2021 FlamMap General Information
General Information about the application and how to access the Help is discussed here. Open up FlamMap and look at some general information about the application. On the Menu bar click the Help button. This will open the following drop-down menu of options.
The About FlamMap and will display the following information. This will provide you information regarding the version you are using and the build date. You may be asked for this information during troubleshooting issues with FlamMap. FlamMap Help
The Help in FlamMap exists in the program as an embedded and content linked Help that can be opened separately or accessed by clicking on any of the Help buttons from any FlamMap dialog screen which will take you to that specific location of the Help. When you first access the Help file the screen will look like the following.
• Selecting What’s New in FlamMap will provide a general list of updated and new features within the program. • Selecting the Using FlamMap Help will display the Help file Version Number and its current date. • Be sure to go through the Tutorials, Using the Tree Pane, Runs, Using the Display Pane, and Edit Landscape Books as they all contain useful information on using FlamMap.
If you have an active internet connection, you can access the Help. This new version and delivery method of the Help allows for a living document that is continually being updated with new information being added. The Current Help File Version and Date will be visible as well. It can be accessed from the Menu bar Help > Help. Selecting the online Help should open the Help System in whatever your default browser is. Data File Management
While this seems rather remedial it is an important topic. With FlamMap and multiple runs you can generate a lot of outputs and depending on your landscape size, data spatial resolution these can be many, many megabytes to GB in size! File management and organization is important.
Some items to consider.
1. DO NOT create your project folders on your Desktop, yes, it is the Easy Button! But it tends to create a long pathname (c:\users\cmchugh\documents\ for example) to your folder often including special characters like % signs that you do not see. 2. DO NOT create your project folder in My Documents. Same as above with creating your work area on your Desktop. 3. DO NOT use, access, or acquire data across a Network. Always keep the program and data installed locally on your computer. Certainly, back up your data onto a network or other reliable storage area/device. But the program is not designed specifically to operate in this manner. 4. Safest to create a workspace on the largest drive on your computer and do all your work there. Make sure you have read/write access to these areas. 5. You can use an external type hard drive as your workspace/work area. A word of caution here though. If you use multiple external drives and attach them in a different order the drive letter designations may change every time. It is recommended to use Windows Disk Manager and assign a specific drive letter. You should only attempt this if you are confident in this as there can be unintended consequences of overwriting standard Windows System folders such as the C:\ drive or other drive assignments assigned by your organization or agency. 6. Keep pathnames and filenames short. a. Follow old style DOS naming conventions b. Don’t use spaces use underscores, e.g., _ c. Don’t include special characters such as @, #, $, %, &, *, /, \ d. Example Workspace might be: C:\WorkSpace\FlamMapAnalysis\ with several subfolders underneath it. For example:
e. Because of the ability to use long filenames and characters (see item c above) if you use ignition files, barrier files, or other geospatial information from the WFDSS or IFTDSS application it is recommended to rename and shorten them prior to use in FlamMap. 7. Use FlamMap’s Archive function to save and backup and share your FlamMap projects. IT IS the ONLY method to ensure that all your settings and data will be stored and shared with the project. Currently, the one exception to this is Landscape Edit Rules. Those are currently not saved with the FlamMap Archive file.
Practice organized file and data management and you will be much happier in your geospatial analysis.
