Frequently Asked Questions

Rainlog.org and Its Purpose

Technical Problems and Questions

What is Rainlog.org?

Rainlog.org is a cooperative rainfall monitoring network for Arizona developed at the UA by SAHRA and Cooperative Extension. SRP has been a leading partner in supporting rainlog.org. Data collected through this network will be used for a variety of applications, from watershed management activities and weather reporting to hydrologic research and drought planning at local, county, and state levels.

All one needs to participate is a rain gauge and access to the Internet. We seek volunteers with rain gauges installed at their homes, who are willing to report daily total rainfall amounts through an online data entry form.

Why do we need more rainfall data?

Official rain gauges in Arizona are few and far between. The large gaps in coverage are a particular problem where precipitation amounts are highly variable due to topography and seasonal weather patterns. This is especially true during the monsoon season, when thunderstorms can produce heavy rainfall that is very localized.

What products will come out of this project?

All data posted by volunteers is available in real-time in maps and time series graphs through the data tab at the top of the web page. These maps are useful in tracking high-resolution variability in precipitation patterns and potential changes in drought status. As more people participate and more information is gathered, the resolution of the maps will improve.

How can I join?

Just go to www.rainlog.org, click on the "register" button in the upper right, and follow the instructions. It's quick and easy.

If you don't have a rain gauge, you can find information on different types of gauges on the rainlog site. If you want an inexpensive, fairly accurate gauge and can't find one at a nearby retail outlet, one can be purchased through SAHRA's Web site.

I can't get a map to appear and I am getting the following message: "The Google Maps API key used on this web site was registered for a different web site. You can generate a new key for this web site at http://www.google.com/apis/maps/."

This message is displayed when the URL is wrong. Check to make sure that you are typing rainlog.org and not rainlog.com. We own the .org, .com and .net versions of the URL but an end-user agreement with Google Maps makes the map webpage work only on the .org version of the URL.

I tried to enter rain data yesterday, but it did not appear on the website. I read the gauge the night before shortly after a rain. I am confused as to how to get rain data into your system.

Rainlog asks volunteers to make daily observations as close to 7 am as possible (anywhere from 7am to 10am is good for recording data) for the previous 24hr period. This means that a recording made this morning will be reported as the daily total for yesterday. For example, if you read your rain gauge at 7am on July 23rd it will be displayed as the daily observation for July 22nd. The reason we have it structured this way is to be consistent with the way that the National Weather Service displays their volunteer observations. Reading the gauge in the morning ensures that if you get any nighttime precipitation you do not have to stay up and read your gauge at 12am. It isn't a perfect approach but ensures consistency between the different groups that collect rain data. So, check to see if the data you reported is displayed as the previous day.

My GPS gives different coordinates than rainlog.org does. Is there any way to determine which coordinates are most accurate?

At this point in time, it would be best to use the Rainlog coordinates for right now to make sure that your location displays correctly on the Rainlog maps. Your coordinates determined by GPS are undoubtedly more accurate. The rainlog tool may be using a different datum. We have had some problems with the mapping tool, but as of now, it would be best if you kept to the rainlog coordinates.

Why does the website appear to work very sporadically?

First of all, it is important to keep in mind that the website is constantly changing, so it is very possible that at some point our users enter the website while changes are being made. Another point of note is that a monsoon brings not only precious water, but also powerful thunderstorms capable of shutting down electricity for quite a long time, which would in turn affect the availability of our servers.

Additionally, there are several factors that could affect the rainlogger's experience on the website. The main two are Internet connectivity and computer capacity. The amount of data transmitted to show the map and the rainfall totals is quite large so a slow connection will definitely affect users who, for instance, are using a phone dialup to access the internet.

Computer capacity also plays a role on the user experience, so an old computer may not have enough resources available to handle the content of the website. The same is true of older versions of web browsers. On this latter front, the latest version of Internet Explorer is widely used among our users and the website works quite well with it (it is a browser we always use during testing) but there is a significant increase in performance with the Mozilla Firefox browser (which is available for free download at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox). So, for users who want a faster and more pleasant experience, Firefox is the ideal choice and it's free.

When I attempt to add data and hit the "Save" button nothing happens.

Check to see if your browser is set up to run Javascript, a programming language which adds important functionality to the website. We recommend you use Microsoft Internet Explorer instead. In the following link there is information on how to enable this Javascript on IE, maybe the AOL browser has something similar:
http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/kt/web/

I've been able to set up my account, but when I try to enter data I get a message that says "error on page."

This problem is most likely due to the fact that your browser is not enabled to accept cookies. Please consult our page on enabling your browser to accept cookies to fix this problem.

If your current web browser is Mozilla Firefox, click here.
If your current web browser is Internet Explorer, click here.

When I have tried to retroactively change data on the Monthly Grid it doesn't appear to be saving.

When you are changing data retroactively, it is important to remember that you must check the box on the left in order to save the data. If you know the data for the whole month, you can also click the uppermost box to check all the boxes to be saved. When you finish entering data, click the button on the bottom, middle of the page labeled "save>".

How should I report data when there is snowfall at my house?

When there is snowfall, sleet, or hail, take your rain gauge indoors and wait until it melts and record the amount of water that has collected in your gauge. Additionally, make certain to report in the Additional Comments field the type of precipitation that occurred.

I am interested in registering my rain gauge info but wondered if it is significant that I am out of town for several weeks at a time more than once a year. Does this negatively impact the data?

We have to assume that our rain loggers have normal lives and so cannot always be around to read their rain gauges. I would urge you to sign on, even if you'll be gone for a couple weeks from time to time.

The problem for us is that when it rains in part of an area, and we get no report from some loggers, we don't know how to interpret that - did they get no rain, or were they not there to read the gauge?

Our web site allows one to enter "absent" or "lost" when rain gage is lost due to rain gauge malfunction or other mishaps.

In addition to accepting daily rain totals, the site also accepts monthly totals. So if you really want to know about the rain at your home while you're gone for a couple weeks, you could do what those who only report monthly totals do - put a little mineral oil in the gauge. Then when it rains, the water drops below the mineral oil and doesn't evaporate. At least, not very much. There are instructions on this on our web site as well.

Why is mineral oil used and where can I find it?

Mineral oil is a byproduct of distilling gasoline which is also used for health care uses. More specifically, mineral oil is just baby oil without the fragrance added. Mineral oil is used as it does not evaporate, remains clear, and lets water readily pass through it. Best of all, mineral oil is inexpensive and is found at most drug stores.

Mineral oil is only necessary if you plan on capturing the totally rainfall over a month and should not be used for daily recordings. To avoid build up of dirt and insects, one should clean their rain gauge readily. Soap and water will clean it out just fine.

If I move, should I sign up for a new account or modify my current account?

When you move, you need to register your new rain gauge location with a new account. This is due to RainLog being based on gauges at fixed locations. As for the old account, you do not need to enter any more data and you can email help@rainlog.org to make your account inactive so you do not have to receive emails for it anymore.

What do I do if I have rainfall records prior to 2007?

Rainfall records prior to 2007 are very helpful and greatly appreciated. If you have them in electronic format, please email them to help@rainlog.org. If you have them on paper sheets you can snail mail them to:

SAHRA - HWR - UA
Att'n Gary Woodard/Ramon Vazquez
845 N Park Ave, Rm 549D or 546
Tucson, AZ 85721-0158

What is the difference between RainLog and RainMapper and what are the benefits of registering for each one?

RainLog is a cooperative rainfall monitoring network for Arizona in which the data collected will be used for a variety of applications. In registering for RainLog, one would have to set up a rain gauge and register the location of the rain gauge online. They would report daily total rainfall amounts through the online data entry form. The benefit to using RainLog is that you can personally observe the amount of rainfall for your area as well as helping provide information which will be used in activities such as drought planning and watershed management activities.

RainMapper is based on RainLog and developed at the University of Arizona with support from the Bureau of Reclamation. In registering for the free RainMapper service, you will be provided with information on the amount of rainfall within 5 miles of you location. The benefit to using RainMapper is that you receive information about the amount of rainfall in your area which can be viewed on the RainLog.org website in map form.

If you are registered for RainLog, it is beneficial but not necessary to register for RainMapper as well. When it rains, RainMapper can be a useful reminder to enter your own rainfall data as well as very informative of the various rainfall levels in your area.

How can I view a summary of my data?

After you have entered in your rainfall data, view a map with your data point on it. Click on the data point and a graph of rain for year to date will pop up. Click on the graph to get a larger version of the graph. If you have rainfall data entered for previous years, you can view this as well. Click on "show report's compact version." You can print this out and have a nice summary of your precipitation data for that year which includes a graph on top and a calendar below.

If you are not registered with RainLog or want to view a precipitation summary of another area, you can click on any other location and follow the same process.

Should I record dew as precipitation?

Dew found in the rain gauge should not be counted as precipitation because it is difficult to tell whether dew is falling across the entire landscape.

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