envision website user guide: wind gust forecast projects

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Envision Website User Guide:

Wind Gust Forecast Projects

Prepared By:

RWDI AIR Inc. Consulting Engineers and Scientists

Suite 1000, 736 – 8th Avenue SW Calgary, AB T2P 1H4

T: (403) 232-6771 F: (403) 232-6762

[email protected] www.rwdi.com

November 18, 2011

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.rwdi.com/


Envision Website User Guide Wind Gust Forecast Projects November 18, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PURPOSE OF DOCUMENT ......................................................................................................................... 2

ABOUT RWDI AIR INC. ............................................................................................................................... 2

1 GENERAL WEBSITE INFORMATION ................................................................................................. 3

1.1 Envision Website Link ................................................................................................................... 3

1.2 Envision Website Access .............................................................................................................. 3

1.2.1 Requesting Website Access .............................................................................................. 3

1.2.2 Forgotten Password .......................................................................................................... 3

1.3 End-User License Agreement ....................................................................................................... 3

2 ENVISION WEBSITE ............................................................................................................................ 4

2.1 Desktop vs. Mobile Version ........................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Sign In ........................................................................................................................................... 5

2.3 Projects ......................................................................................................................................... 5

2.4 Project Pages ................................................................................................................................ 6

2.4.1 Current Gust Forecast ....................................................................................................... 7

2.4.2 Alerts History ................................................................................................................... 10

2.4.3 Project Configuration ....................................................................................................... 10

3 ALERTS 16

3.1 Wind Gust Alerts ......................................................................................................................... 16

3.2 Environment Canada Alerts ........................................................................................................ 18

4 TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON ENVISION AWFS......................................................................... 19

5 END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT ................................................................................................. 22

APPENDIX A: RWDI CONTACT INFORMATION ..................................................................................... 28

APPENDIX B: RECEIVING ALERTS BY SMS (I.E., “TEXTS”) ................................................................ 29

APPENDIX C: WIND DESCRIPTIONS WITH ASSOCIATED WIND SPEEDS AND CONSTRUCTION ITEMS AT RISK OF BECOMING WINDBORNE ............................................................. 30



Tables

Table 1: Description of Gust Forecast Page ..................................................................................... 9 Table 2: Possible Alert States ......................................................................................................... 17

Figures

Figure 1: Desktop Version of the Sign-In Page .................................................................................. 4 Figure 2: Mobile Version of the Sign-In Page .................................................................................... 4 Figure 3: Example Projects Page ....................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4: Project Overview & Navigation ........................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Wind Gust Forecast Sample ............................................................................................... 7 Figure 6: Example Current Gust Forecast Page ................................................................................ 8 Figure 7: Forecast Delivery List........................................................................................................ 11 Figure 8: Example Forecast Delivery Configuration ........................................................................ 12 Figure 9: Example Alerting Configuration ........................................................................................ 14

Appendices Appendix A: RWDI CONTACT INFORMATION Appendix B: RECEIVING ALERTS BY SMS (I.E. “TEXTS”) Appendix C: WIND DESCRIPTIONS WITH ASSOCIATED WIND SPEEDS AND CONSTRUCTION

ITEMS AT RISK OF BECOMING WINDBORNE



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Document History

Version Date Description Contributor

1.0 10-2011 Original Document DYC

1.1 10-2011 First Edits/Formatting BRD

1.2 10-2011 PM Review CMV



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PURPOSE OF DOCUMENT

This document describes how to use the Envision website for wind gust forecasting projects. The

Envision website is an environmental data visualization product by RWDI AIR Inc. that includes a forecast

system for predicting wind gust speeds that are both location and height specific. Wind gust forecasts and

automated alerts are distributed to users via e-mail or SMS messaging and are available on the Envision

website.

ABOUT RWDI AIR INC.

RWDI AIR (RWDI) Inc., a member of the RWDI Group of Companies, specializes in resolving air quality,

noise and vibration, and hazard and risk issues for a wide array of industrial, commercial and government

clients.

With offices and personnel strategically positioned throughout Canada, we have worked closely with

many different sectors for more than 30 years to meet their modelling, measurement, mitigation and

regulatory compliance needs.

Although our greatest resource has always been our people, other key assets include an extensive range

of computer models (including GIS and CFD), field monitoring equipment and four boundary layer wind

tunnels. Having a full spectrum of tools, from simple to advanced, allows us to tailor our resources to

meet the specific needs of our clients.

The RWDI Group of Companies is comprised of innovative international consulting businesses that

specialize in providing wind engineering and environmental solutions to their clients. Since 1972, the firms

have earned a trusted reputation for delivering understandable and useful results.



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1 GENERAL WEBSITE INFORMATION

1.1 Envision Website Link

http://envision.rwdiair.com

1.2 Envision Website Access

Access to the Envision website is restricted to authorized users only – information is not publically

available. Wind gust forecasts and/or alerts may be sent to non-users via e-mail or SMS at the discretion

of Envision users.

RWDI AIR Inc. is responsible for the creation of user accounts and sends account information directly to

individuals by e-mail. This e-mail contains username and password information needed for access.

Please note that RWDI strongly recommends changing the initial password after signing in for the first

time. Also note that RWDI never requests password information from its users.

1.2.1 Requesting Website Access

If you require access to the Envision website, please refer to your company‟s RWDI contact.

1.2.2 Forgotten Password

If you have forgotten your password, please follow the „Forgot Password‟ link from the Sign In page. You

will be asked to enter your e-mail address that is on record with the Envision system. An e-mail containing

a link to reset your password will then be immediately sent to that e-mail address. Please note that the

link will only be valid for six hours. You may always request another password reset if needed.

1.3 End-User License Agreement

When accessing a project for the first time, users are asked to read and agree to the End-User License

Agreement (EULA) for that project. Please note that a single EULA may be applicable to one or more

projects. The EULA must be accepted before a user can access the project(s).

If the terms of an EULA change, users will be prompted to agree to the updated EULA the next time an

applicable project is accessed.

A EULA may be reviewed at any time under the “License Agreement” link found at the bottom of any

project page (Section 0).

The EULA is displayed in Section 5 in this manual.

http://envision.rwdiair.com/



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2 ENVISION WEBSITE

2.1 Desktop vs. Mobile Version

The Envision website supports the latest mobile devices. A mobile device connecting to

http://envision.rwdiair.com/ will automatically interact with the mobile version, which has been streamlined

to work in smaller screens and with slower download speeds (compare Figure 1 to Figure 2).

Figure 1: Desktop Version of the Sign-In Page

Figure 2: Mobile Version of the Sign-In Page

http://envision.rwdiair.com/



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2.2 Sign In

A username (typically an e-mail address) and password are required to sign into the Envision website.

For more details on access, refer to Section 0.

If “Stay signed-in” is checked (Figure 1), later visits to the website will not require the user to re-enter her

username and password. RWDI recommends that this option is turned off when accessing Envision

through a public or shared computer.

2.3 Projects

Envision is separated into “projects” where each project represents a particular building or complex that

requires wind gust information. Users may have access to multiple projects but will typically only have

access to a single project.

In the case that a user has access to only one project, the “Current Gust Forecast” page (Section 2.4 and

Section Error! Reference source not found.) for that project is automatically displayed after signing in.

In the case that a user has access to more than one project, the “Projects” page (Figure 3) is displayed

after signing in and the “Projects” link appears in the top-right corner of the screen (see Figure 4 for an

example). This page lists all available projects for selection. The search textbox in the top-right corner can

be used to quickly find a specific project.

Figure 3: Example Projects Page



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2.4 Project Pages

Figure 4 depicts each element of the Envision website once a project has been selected. This screen is

also displayed if a user has access to a single project.

Figure 4: Project Overview & Navigation

Project-Specific Items:

1. The name of the currently selected project.

2. The time zone of the currently selected project. All dates and times are displayed in this time

zone. In this example, the time zone is Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) and has a UTC offset of -6.

This means the project‟s time zone is currently 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)

which is also informally known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

3. The currently selected project page. There are three project pages in total:

Current Gust Forecast (Section Error! Reference source not found.);

Alerts History (Section Error! Reference source not found.); and,

Project Configuration (Section Error! Reference source not found.).

4. Display the end-user license agreement (EULA) for the currently selected project. The EULA is

detailed in Section 5.



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Top-Level Items:

A. The name of the currently signed-in user.

B. E-mail Envision support.

C. Changes the currently signed-in user‟s password.

D. Signs out the currently signed-in user.

E. The projects page (Section 0). Note that this link is only visible if the currently signed-in user has

access to more than one project.

2.4.1 Current Gust Forecast

The Current Gust Forecast page displays hour-by-hour forecasted maximum wind gust speeds for each

of the configured project heights.

Figure 5: Wind Gust Forecast Sample

Figure 5 lists the first section of an example wind gust forecast where there are 5 levels in the currently

selected project. Here is an example of how to read the highlighted wind gust speed in the above forecast:

43 km/h is the predicted maximum sustained wind gust speed at 200m above ground at 4:00 PM

on August 4th, 2011 Mountain Daylight Time for this specific project location.

This forecasted wind gust time series is only applicable to the currently selected project because it is

calculated using location specific wind gust factors. Different locations will have different forecasted wind

gust time series.

The wind gust forecast is updated every hour as new forecast data becomes available. The forecast

typically contains 48 hours of predicted data. After loading the Current Gust Forecast page, the newest

available forecast is always shown first (i.e., the most recent forecast). This means that the current hour

should match the hour shown in the top row.

The predicted maximum sustained wind gust duration is three-seconds. Instantaneous wind gust speeds

higher than the forecasted sustained wind gust speed may occur, and higher sustained wind gusts can



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occur due to the inherent limitations of weather forecast technology and complex wind patterns generated

by the interaction of wind with building features that cannot be predicted.

Weather forecast technology will sometimes forecast events at the wrong time (either too early or too late).

Users must not rely on the system as though each hour is precisely accurate, and should not run weather

dependent operations right up to the hour where a severe weather event is forecast by the system to

occur. It is important to remember that the system is a forecast and will contain some inherent

inaccuracies that cannot be avoided.

Figure 6 shows an example of the Current Gust Forecast page and Table 1 describes the elements found

within.

Figure 6: Example Current Gust Forecast Page



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Table 1: Description of Gust Forecast Page

Item Description

1 Forecast Selector

Allows users to view previous forecasts. To view a previous forecast: set the desired date

and time, click the “Load” button, and allow a few seconds for the forecast to load. To

switch back to the most recent forecast at any time, simply click the “Most Recent

Forecast” link.

2 “Alert in Forecast” Warning

If present, indicates that one or more alerts exist in the current forecast. In certain

situations, an alert state may exist where it is not immediately visible on the page unless

scrolled to. This warning text ensures that users are aware of any alert state.

3 The wind gust forecast for hours August 4th, 2011 14:00 to August 6

th, 2011 15:00

inclusive.

4 Wind Gust Alert designated with a red background

A wind gust alert is triggered when the predicted maximum wind gust speed is above a

specified threshold for the respective building height. Wind gust speeds greater than or

equal to the alert threshold are marked with asterisks (*) and the entire row is shown with

a red background. In Figure 6, the example alert was triggered by the 56 km/h value for

the 50 m level.

For configuring wind gust alert thresholds, see Section Error! Reference source not

found.. For detailed information on wind gust alerts, see Section 0.

5 Wind Gust Alert designated with a black background

A wind gust alert is triggered when atmospheric conditions are predicted to be favourable

for the development of convective weather (primarily thunderstorms) that have the

potential to generate strong winds. This convective weather may be forecast to occur

anywhere over the city. Due to its highly unpredictable nature, it may not form directly

over the project site, may not form at all, or may form but without precipitation, lightning,

or thunder.

In these instances, “GUST” is displayed instead of an actual wind gust speed as it is

difficult to forecast a gust speed for winds generated by convective weather.

This alert trigger cannot be configured in any way. For background information on

convective weather, see Section 4.

6 List of example construction items at risk of becoming airborne at various wind gust

speeds. This list assumes that the construction materials are lying flat on a flat surface.



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2.4.2 Alerts History

The Alerts History page displays all alerts that have been sent and which users received them. Alerts are

described in detail in section 3.

Each history record lists the following:

when the alert was sent;

the type of alert;

the short title of the alert;

the number of e-mails that were sent; and,

the number of SMS messages (or “texts”) that were sent.

The “Details” link displays additional information about the alert including:

the full text of the alert that was sent by e-mail;

the full list of SMS contacts who received the alert; and,

the full list of e-mail contacts who received the alert.

History records can be filtered by using the dropdown at the top of the page. Users can opt to see only

wind gust alerts or Environment Canada watches/warnings.

2.4.3 Project Configuration

The project configuration link contains two tabs, one for configuring delivery of forecast data and another

for delivery of alerts.

Forecast Delivery Tab

Wind gust forecasts can be e-mailed directly to individuals at specified times during the day. An example

setup would be: to receive a forecast email at 6:00 AM prior to the start of the work day and another at

3:00 PM prior to the end of the work day. This is useful for users who do not want or are unable to access

the website and/or may want to receive forecasts via mobile devices.

People who receive wind gust forecasts by email do not require Envision user accounts, however RWDI

is not responsible for the use of the system by users that have not signed the EULA. The EULA requires

that RWDI be indemnified and held harmless by the person and/or organization that configures forecast

delivery, against claims from users who receive forecasts by email but have not signed the EULA.



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The Forecast Delivery tab initially lists all current forecast deliveries. Typically, each project will have only

one forecast delivery as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Forecast Delivery List

To edit a specific forecast delivery, click its name from the list. Figure 8 depicts the forecast delivery

configuration options.



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Figure 8: Example Forecast Delivery Configuration

In this example configuration, the current wind gust forecast is sent to „[email protected]‟ at 6 AM

and 3 PM every day of the week. The “subject” line within forecast e-mails will use the configured forecast

delivery name “Bi-Daily Wind Gust Forecast”.



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General Section

There are three options in this section: delivery status, name, and schedule.

Delivery Status: This option should remain enabled. If disabled, the wind gust forecast is not sent

out.

Name: The name of the forecast delivery. This name will be used as the subject line of each

wind gust forecast e-mail. RWDI recommends the users configure the forecast delivery name to

use the project name followed by “Wind Gust Forecast” in order to be descriptive.

Schedule: The days of the week to send forecast. Typically, all days should be checked unless

construction is suspended for a particular day.

Note that the “Save Changes” button needs to be clicked in order to save the changes.

Delivery Times Section

This section lists the time(s) of the day the forecast will be sent. If no times are listed, then the

forecast is not sent out to any contacts.

To add an additional time, enter the desired hour and minute and click the „Add Time‟ button.

Note that the hour needs to be specified in 24-hour time (e.g. 4:00 PM = 16:00, 5:00 PM = 17:00,

etc.). To remove a delivery time, simply click the red “X” beside the time that is to be removed.

To configure the system to send forecasts on multiple schedules and/or to different contacts,

please create a second forecast delivery and configure it as required.

Contacts Section

This section lists all subscribers or “contacts” that are currently set up to receive the forecast.

Note that wind gust forecasts can only be received by e-mail (not to be confused with wind gust

alerts which can be received either by e-mail or SMS).

To subscribe a contact to a forecast, enter the desired e-mail(s) in the text box as instructed on

the page and click the „Add Contact(s)‟ button. To remove a contact, click the red “X” next to the

contact that is to be removed.



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Alerting Tab

The alerting tab is used to configure wind gust alert thresholds, alert delivery types, and email addresses

of the users who should receive the alerts. See Figure 9 below.

Figure 9: Example Alerting Configuration



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General Section

This section configures wind gust alert thresholds for each level in the currently selected project.

If a predicted wind gust speed is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the wind gust alert

is triggered. If left blank, no wind gust alerts will be triggered for the respective level. After editing

alert thresholds, click the „Save Alert‟ button to save changes.

Note that setting an alert threshold to a low value will result in users receiving numerous alert

messages.

Contacts Section

Envision supports two alert types: wind gust (Section 0) and Environment Canada

watches/warnings (Section 0). Each contact can independently subscribe to one or both types of

alerts.

To subscribe a contact to a wind gust alert, enter desired e-mail(s) in the text box as instructed on

the page and click the „Add Contact(s)‟ button. By default, new contacts are automatically

subscribed to wind gust alerts. To unsubscribe a contact, click the red “X” next to the contact that

is to be removed, or uncheck both “Wind Gust Alerts” and “Env. Canada Watches/Warnings”

columns and click the “Save Contacts” button.

Note that both alert types can be sent to mobile devices by SMS messages (also known as

“texts”) via e-mail depending on the telecommunication carrier. Refer to Appendix B for

configuring SMS contacts.

The “Save Changes” button needs to be clicked in order to retain any alert subscription changes

to contacts.

People do not require Envision user accounts to receive alerts as email messages or SMS text

messages; however, RWDI is not responsible for the use of the system by users who have not

signed the EULA. The EULA requires that RWDI be indemnified and held harmless by the person

and/or organization that configures alert delivery against claims from users who receive alerts but

have not signed the EULA.



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3 ALERTS

Envision supports two types of automated alerts for wind gust projects: wind gust and Environment

Canada watches/warnings. Alerts are sent to users by email or SMS text message when the configured

alert threshold is triggered. The history of issued alerts can be viewed on the website.

3.1 Wind Gust Alerts

A wind gust alert is issued by the Envision system when one of the following conditions is triggered in the

upcoming 24-hour time period:

1. Predicted maximum hourly wind gust speed is greater than the pre-configured alert threshold for

one or more respective levels in a project. This alert condition is denoted with a red background

and asterisks (*) on the Current Gust Forecast page (Section Error! Reference source not

found.).

2. Atmospheric conditions are predicted to be favourable for the development of convective weather

events associated with strong winds (e.g. thunderstorms, tornados, etc.). This alert condition is

denoted with a black background and “GUST” values presented on the Current Gust Forecast

page (Section Error! Reference source not found.). More information on convective weather

events is available in Section 4.

Once triggered, a wind gust alert is issued to all subscribing contacts with the following title/subject:

Version Title/Subject

SMS Envision Wind Gust alert IN EFFECT.

E-mail Envision Gust Alert: Start Time of Alert Condition(s)

For contacts who subscribe by e-mail, additional information regarding expected start date and duration

of the alert is provided in the body of the alert e-mail. SMS subscribers will have to access the Envision

website for these details.

Wind gust alerts remain in effect as long as conditions are predicted to remain in alert status. However, if

alert conditions change unexpectedly, an update will be issued with the following title/subject:


SMS Envision Wind Gust alert UPDATED.

E-mail Envision Gust Alert: Updated Time of Alert Condition(s) (Update)

E-mail alert subscribers receive additional information regarding expected start date and duration of the

updated alert. SMS subscribers will have to access the Envision website for these details



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If a wind gust alert has remained IN EFFECT for more than 12 hours, a reminder is issued with the

following title/subject:


SMS Envision Wind Gust alert STILL IN EFFECT.

E-mail Envision Gust Alert: Time of Alert Condition(s) (Reminder)

When there are no longer any alert conditions detected in the upcoming 24 hours a notification that the

wind gust alert has ended is issued with the following title:


SMS Envision Wind Gust alert ENDED.

E-mail Envision Gust Alert: Clear

Table 2 below summarizes and provides a description of the possible alert states.

Table 2: Possible Alert States

Alert Status Description

IN EFFECT Predicted conditions in the upcoming 24 hours have triggered an

alert. Consult your municipality‟s construction safety practices

handbook and your organization‟s health & safety guidelines for

appropriate measures.

UPDATED The starting date of predicted alert conditions has changed.

STILL IN EFFECT A wind gust alert has remained in effect for more than 12 hours.

ENDED Predicted conditions are “all clear” for the upcoming 24 hours and

the alert has been ended.



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3.2 Environment Canada Alerts

Environment Canada issues severe weather alerts for specific geographical areas when it determines

that conditions are favourable for a severe weather event (i.e., a watch) or that a severe weather event is

likely to occur or is occurring (i.e., a warning). Severe weather events include phenomena that threaten

public safety, such as thunderstorms, hailstorms, and so forth.

The Envision system continuously monitors Environment Canada for severe weather alerts. When an

alert is detected, it is e-mailed or sent by SMS to all contacts that have Environment Canada alerts

enabled. Within each e-mail alert, a link is provided to the Environment Canada website where additional

information about the watch/warning is found. Note that this link is not included in SMS alerts due to

message-length restrictions.

The format of an Environment Canada alert usually appears as:

(Event) (WATCH or WARNING) (IN EFFECT or ENDED), Area

For example, users may experience the following sequence of alerts:

1. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT, City of Calgary

2. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IN EFFECT, City of Calgary

3. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ENDED, City of Calgary

In this example, alert 1 indicates a severe thunderstorm watch, which means that conditions are favorable

for a thunderstorm to develop in or around the City of Calgary. Alert 2 indicates that the watch has been

upgraded to a warning, indicating that a thunderstorm is occurring or has a high probability of occurring in

the immediate future. Finally, alert 3 indicates the severe thunderstorm warning has ended.

Note that a warning does not necessarily always follow a watch and that warnings/watches may be

issued multiple times with new information before being ended. Typically, Environment Canada issues

severe weather alerts at-most one to two hours prior to a severe weather event, and in some cases

issues severe weather alerts after the event has already passed over a portion of the region affected.



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4 TECHNICAL INFORMATION ON ENVISION AWFS

The Envision wind gust forecast system is designed to produce short-range forecasts of 3-second wind

gust speeds that are specific to a particular location and height above ground. The system generates

multiple 48-hour forecasts throughout each day and provides an hour-by-hour time-series of wind gust

speed and additional optional meteorological parameters. The design is intended to provide users with 6

to 12 hours warning of upcoming wind gust events and time periods of atmospheric instability where

convective gusts may occur. A new forecast will be computed a minimum of every 3 hours.

The wind gust forecast system assesses three areas in developing its forecasts.

Turbulence;

Building Effects; and,

Convection.

Turbulence

Turbulence is a measure of the fluctuations in wind speed about a mean wind speed and originates from

the generation and decay of eddies as atmospheric wind encounters various surface roughness and

surface obstructions. The statistical behavior of turbulence in response to surface roughness has been

well studied in the civil engineering field through numerous empirical studies. Site and height specific

wind gust forecasts can be developed by examining the surface roughness and topology in a site‟s

upwind fetch and applying the results to site-specific mean wind speed data from numerical weather

forecasts.

The majority of the time the Envision wind gust system will be operating in the turbulence wind gust mode,

whereby forecasted mean wind speeds are used to compute wind gust speeds based on upwind surface

roughness.

Building Effects

Local accelerations of wind can occur due to interactions of wind with a building or between multiple

buildings. Wind gust acceleration factors caused by local building effects can be determined either

rigorously through the use of wind tunnel testing/ CFD modelling or can be approximated using wind

engineering best practices. The Envision wind gust forecast system will not and cannot be expected to

account for every complex local building wind flow (both inside and outside a building and for all stages of

construction) that can occur and cause wind gusts. However, the gust factor calculations attempt to

account for some of these phenomena through established wind engineering best practices.



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Some examples of local wind accelerations are presented below.

Figure 10: Downdraft due to wind striking a broad building face

Figure 11: Acceleration of wind around the corner of a building with a broad face

Figure 12: Venturi causing acceleration of wind between buildings



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Convection

Convection refers to the vertical upward and downward movement of air associated with buoyancy effects

and instability in the atmosphere. Convection can lead to many different meteorological phenomena such

as single cell/ multicell/ supercell thunderstorms, wet and dry microbursts, tornados, and mesoscale

convective systems. The Envision wind gust system is designed to detect time periods that are favorable

for convective phenomena to occur in the region of the project site (within approximately 10 to 15 km of

the site, depending on project configuration), however, convective phenomena are not guaranteed to

occur directly over the project site or occur at the time indicated. Convective phenomena may not form at

all when forecasted by the system. In addition, convective phenomena may not involve visible

precipitation, lightning, or thunder.

As convective phenomena entail complex updrafts, downdrafts, lateral spreading of a cold pool, and

horizontal vorticies at the cold pool outflow boundary, the Envision wind gust system cannot provide

specific wind gust speeds during these time periods, and therefore denotes such hours with the word

GUST.

Additional Meteorological Parameters

In addition to the wind gust forecast, some projects will have extra meteorological parameters available

for viewing. The following are comments about certain parameters:

Mean Wind Speed and Wind Direction are forecasted at 10 m above ground.

Temperature is forecasted at 2 m above ground.

Minimum temperature and maximum temperature indicate the range of temperatures that have

been forecast by the various numerical weather models for a given hour. The difference between

them indicates the confidence in the forecasted temperature. If the minimum and maximum

temperatures are close together, then the confidence is relatively high; if they are spread apart

then the confidence is lower and uncertainty is higher.

Precipitation is presented in millimeters of liquid water. If desired, a user could multiply this

number by 10 to obtain a reasonable estimate of equivalent snowfall, in millimeters.



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5 END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

As mentioned in Section 1.3 above, the Envision End User License Agreement (EULA) is presented below for review and future reference.

END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

(the "License Agreement")

Envision

PLEASE READ THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY. This is a license, not a sale. We, RWDI AIR Inc. ("RWDI"), continue to own the Envision System (the "Software") that you may access, or install should you accept the terms and conditions contained herein. The Software is provided subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the following License Agreement, which states what you may and may not do with the Software and contains limitations on warranties, liability and indemnifications. YOU AGREE THAT THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT IS ENFORCEABLE AGAINST YOU AND ANY LEGAL ENTITY THAT OBTAINED THIS SOFTWARE AND ON WHOSE BEHALF IT IS USED. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THIS SOFTWARE.

RWDI is willing to license this Software to you on the condition that you accept all of the terms and conditions of this License Agreement including your agreement to a limitation of liability and indemnification of RWDI.

The Software uses weather information and weather alerts provided by Environment Canada. By accepting this License Agreement you are bound by the terms and conditions provided by Environment Canada which can be found at the following link:

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/mainmenu/disclaimer_e.html

The Software also uses weather information provided by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). By accepting this License Agreement you are bound by the terms and conditions provided by NCEP which can be found at the following link:

http://www.weather.gov/disclaimer.php

You accept and agree to be bound by this License Agreement by clicking the button that states: "I ACCEPT". If you do not accept all of these terms, click the button that states: "I DON‟T ACCEPT" in which case you will not be permitted to install, access or make use of the Software.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Software and any authorized copies that you make are the intellectual property of, and are exclusively owned by RWDI. The structure, organization and source code of the Software are valuable trade secrets and confidential information of RWDI. The Software is protected by law, including without limitation the copyright laws of Canada and other countries and by international treaty provisions. Except as expressly stated herein, this License Agreement does not grant you any intellectual property rights in the Software and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by RWDI.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/mainmenu/disclaimer_e.html

http://www.weather.gov/disclaimer.php



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PERMITTED USES

We, RWDI, hereby grant to you (the "Client"), a non-exclusive license (the "License") to use the Software, subject to your compliance with the terms and conditions of this License Agreement. Unless the activity is expressly permitted, you cannot do it.

You have been granted, or purchased, a commercial License to use the Software from RWDI. Accordingly, you are permitted to use this Software for your own commercial purposes for assistance in the forecasting of wind in relation to construction sites with the City or Regional Municipality.

You can disseminate site specific weather forecast and alerts generated by the system, either on your own, or through the web interface as long as you accept all risks by doing so and agree to indemnify RWDI under the terms specified in the indemnification section below.

PROHIBITED USES

You may not do anything with the Software that is not expressly permitted. In particular, YOU MAY NOT:

allow third parties to access the functionality of the Software, whether through a service bureau,

outsourcing or otherwise;

distribute or reproduce any copies of the Software;

rent, lease, sub-license, assign or transfer your rights in the Software;

share, install or use the Software concurrently on different computers;

make available any copies of the Software for sale, re-sale, license or sub-license or any other

type of distribution;

decompile, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, or disassemble, modify, or create derivative works

based on the Software in whole or in part, or attempt to discover the source code of the Software;

bypass, modify, defeat or circumvent any of the functions or protections of the Software, or any

mechanisms operatively linked to the Software; or

remove any copyright or other proprietary notices.

NO WARRANTY

You expressly acknowledge and agree that use of the Software is at your sole risk and that you are responsible for installation and the appropriate and accurate use of the Software.

This Software is being delivered to you "AS IS" and RWDI makes no warranties or conditions of any kind as to its use or performance. RWDI does not and cannot warrant the performance or the results you may obtain by using the Software. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RWDI EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, RESULT, ACCURACY,



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RELIABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

The Software servers are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Every effort has been taken to provide the most recent and reliable information available.

The Software is dependent on various third parties and third party systems to operate and as such, RWDI cannot guarantee, nor will be held accountable or liable for the accuracy, reliability or availability of the information that is obtained from these various third parties. In addition, the website, the Software and the third party data may be subject to system outages that are beyond RWDI‟s control. These system outages may result from internet outages, power availability, NCEP forecast data availability, Environment Canada data availability and other issues that may affect the data quality, availability, accuracy or reliability, or access to the Software or the Software website. Although timely and accurate delivery of data and products from this server through the Internet is not guaranteed, RWDI will do its best to anticipate these system outages and will issue notification to you if the system becomes unavailable or if the quality of the Software, or the data, has been compromised. The Software uses broadcast technology such as email and short message service (SMS) messaging to send weather alerts relating to construction sites. These message delivery mechanisms rely on third party contracts between the end user and their Internet Service Provider (ISP) and/or third party contracts between the end user and tier mobile phone/telecommunications provider and are beyond the control of RWDI. These delivery and message delivery mechanisms, including the timeliness thereof, are not guaranteed and RWDI makes no warranty on the accuracy or receipt of delivery of these messages.

RWDI does not maintain information that can be accessed from linked sites and is not responsible for the contents thereof. Any reference to a linked site or any specific third party product or service by name is provided as a mere convenience only and does not constitute or imply its endorsement by RWDI, and you assume all risk with respect to its use.

You are solely responsible for the results obtained from the use and access of the Software.

DAMAGE

RWDI assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any damages to, or viruses that may infect, your computer, your computer equipment or other associated property on account of the installation of the Software, your access to, use of, or browsing on the website, or the downloading of any materials, data, text, images, or video from the website.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

All risks and/or hazards with regard to RWDI‟s ability to predict wind events or inclement weather cannot be eliminated by use of the Software. Use of the Software may help advise you of wind events or other inclement weather. However, you should not rely solely on the Software to predict, anticipate or determine the severity of wind events. RWDI cannot guarantee the accuracy of such predictions as there are an infinite number of unpredictable, meteorological events that may occur.

Use of the Software is not meant to replace independent, thorough and complete investigations by you, the Client.

RWDI makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, oral or written, in fact or by operation of law or otherwise, except as expressly stated herein.



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In no event shall RWDI, its officers, directors, employees, agents, servants and/or its affiliates and assigns, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and servants be liable to you, your officers, directors, employees, agents, servants and/or your affiliates and assigns, or any other third party, for any liability whatsoever, including, without limitation and without limiting the generality or expansiveness of the foregoing: (i) strict liability; (ii) liability for loss or damage due directly or indirectly to occurrences or consequences as a result of using, or relying upon the Software; (iii) any losses or damages, including, without limitation, economic and consequential losses, such as, but not limited to, losses or damages related to or in connection with delay, disruption, loss of equipment, loss of actual or anticipated profits or revenue, loss of use of the Software or other related equipment, non-operation or increased expense of operation of the Software, the cost of capital, or cost of purchase or replacement equipment, systems or power relating to use or installation of the Software; (iv) direct, indirect or incidental liability for loss or damage or otherwise; (v) exemplary and/or punitive damages or claims for contribution and/or indemnification, whether in contract, tort or otherwise; (vi) any other claims or expenses of any kind or howsoever arising, including, without limitation, liability, losses or damages arising or emanating, directly or indirectly, from or in connection with the installation or use of the Software, whether or not installed or used pursuant to the provisions of the Software instructions or this License Agreement or otherwise, or from any error or omission in the Software instructions or this License Agreement or any use or application thereof, or from the failure to provide or make available the instructions for the use and installation of the Software; (vii) liability for loss or damage as a consequence or by reason of any action, omission, negligence, including gross negligence, misrepresentation, misstatement, imprudence, lack of skill or error of judgment of or by RWDI or its officers, directors, employees, agents, servants and/or its affiliates and assigns, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and servants.

Any decision or action implemented by you as a result of this Software is and shall be deemed to be the sole and exclusive decision of you without any involvement of or assistance or guidance provided by RWDI and without any liability on the part of RWDI as hereinbefore provided.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this License Agreement, if RWDI, in spite of the foregoing limitation of liability, is found to be liable to you or otherwise, in any manner whatsoever, you hereby covenant and agree to limit RWDI‟s liability to you, your officers, directors, employees, agents, servants and/or affiliates and assigns, and to any third party, for any losses or damages on account of any error, omission or negligence in any way whatsoever related to or in connection with the installation or use of the Software to the lesser of: (i) the actual losses or damages sustained by you; and (ii) the amount received by RWDI from you, in Canadian Currency, for this License.

Should any limitation of liability provision herein contained be found to be unenforceable by a competent court of law, the parties hereby agree that the provision shall not be found to be void, deleted, or of no force and effect. Instead, the parties hereby agree that such provision(s) shall be amended to be brought into compliance with the laws of the jurisdiction within which the court of law that rendered the decision of unenforceability is located; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall limit or be deemed to expand the provision regarding governing law hereinafter contained.

INDEMNIFICATION

YOU HEREBY AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, DEFEND AND SAVE RWDI HARMLESS OF AND FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, DAMAGES, LOSSES, LIABILITIES, DEMANDS, SUITS, JUDGMENTS, CAUSES OF ACTION, LEGAL PROCEEDINGS, PENALTIES OR OTHER SANCTION AND ANY AND ALL COSTS AND EXPENSES ARISING IN CONNECTION THEREWITH (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LEGAL FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS AND ALL LEGAL FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH ANY AND ALL APPEALS), WHICH MAY IN ANY WAY RESULT FROM OR ARISE OUT OR RELATING TO ANY USE OF, OR RELIANCE UPON THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, ANY INJURY OR DEATH, CLAIM,



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LOSS OR DAMAGE TO YOU, YOUR EMPLOYEES, SUBCONTRACTORS, AGENTS, OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY. IN THIS REGARD, IT IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD THAT RWDI DOES NOT WISH AND IS NOT TO BE INVOLVED IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDINGS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER AND YOUR INDEMNIFICATION IS INTENDED TO FULLY COMPENSATE RWDI FOR ALL COSTS AND EXPENSES WHICH RWDI MAY INCUR SHOULD IT FIND ITSELF INVOLVED IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER, IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AS A RESULT OF THE INSTALLATION AND/OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE.

TERMINATION OF LICENSE

Without prejudice to any of its other rights in this License Agreement, RWDI may terminate this License Agreement at any time and for any reason whatsoever in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, without cause and/or your failure to comply with any of the terms or conditions in this License Agreement. Upon such termination, you must immediately destroy all copies of the Software.

The No Warranty, Limitation of Liability and Indemnification provisions of this License Agreement shall survive the termination of this License Agreement.

INSURANCE

You agree to maintain insurance in such commercially reasonable amounts, such amounts to be approved in advance by RWDI, to ensure that you will be able to comply with the indemnification provisions hereinbefore contained for the duration of this License Agreement or the substantial completion of the project for which the Software is to be used, plus any applicable limitation periods, whichever is greater.

GOVERNING LAW

This License Agreement shall be governed by the laws in force in the Province of Alberta, Canada, excluding the application of its conflict of laws rules. This License Agreement will not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded.

EXPORT AND OTHER REGULATIONS

You agree that the Software will not be shipped, transferred or exported into any country or used in any manner prohibited by the United States Export Administration Act or any other applicable export laws, restrictions or regulations relating to the Software.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

If any part of this License Agreement is found to be void, unenforceable or of no force and effect, it shall not affect the remaining provisions of this License Agreement, which shall remain valid and enforceable according to their terms and conditions, subject to the provision hereinbefore contained regarding amending the Limitation of Liability provisions.

This License Agreement may only be modified in writing signed by a duly authorized officer of RWDI. If you acquired this product in Canada, you agree to the following: The parties hereto have expressly required that the present License Agreement be drawn up in the English language./ Les parties aux présentes ont expressement éxige que la présente convention soient rédigées en langue anglaise.



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This License Agreement is the entire agreement between you and RWDI relating to the license of the Software. This License Agreement supersedes any prior representations, discussions, undertakings, communications or advertisements relating to the license of the Software.

AMENDMENTS

RWDI reserves the right to amend any of the terms and conditions of this License Agreement in its sole discretion at any time by notice on its website, which amendments shall be binding upon you; accordingly, we urge you to visit our website periodically to review the then current and effective terms and conditions for use of the Software, as well as the website and service. You may not revise or amend these terms and conditions without the prior written consent of a duly authorized officer of RWDI. Certain provisions of these terms and conditions may be superseded by expressly designated legal notices or terms located on our website.

NO WAIVER

No delay or failure to take action under these terms and conditions will constitute a waiver by RWDI unless expressly waived in writing by a duly authorized officer of RWDI.

FEEDBACK

RWDI expects and welcomes feedback from you as to the performance and effectiveness of the Software. In any product or service, RWDI shall own any intellectual property rights in such feedback and shall be free to use and modify any such feedback without duty or obligation to you, and to allow others to do the same. Feedback can be provided to [email protected].

ACCEPTANCE

BY CLICKING THE "I AGREE" BUTTON BELOW OR BY INSTALLING OR ACCESSING THE RWDI SOFTWARE ON YOUR COMPUTER, OR BY THE RECEIPT OF ANY ALERT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ ALL THE FOREGOING PROVISIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT, AND ACCEPT THAT IT IS YOUR EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO SATISFY YOURSELF THAT ANY RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE ARE CORRECT, APPROPRIATE AND PRACTICAL. IF YOU DO NOT SO AGREE, YOU MAY CLICK THE "I DON‟T AGREE" BUTTON WITHOUT ANY PENALTY OR OBLIGATION TO RWDI.



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APPENDIX A: RWDI CONTACT INFORMATION

Technical Inquiries:

[email protected]

Technical issues, general questions or requests.

Please allow up to 2 business days for a response.

Project setup or any other inquiries:

Craig Vatcher, CET

Senior Project Manager / Associate

+1 403-232-6771 ext 6243

[email protected]





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Appendix B: Receiving Alerts by SMS (i.e., “Texts”)

Alerts can be sent to mobile devices by SMS messaging (also known as “texts”). Most telecommunication

carriers (e.g. Bell Canada, Telus, etc.) support a method of sending text messages to mobile devices via

e-mail.

For example, a Telus number of 403-555-1234 can receive texts by sending an e-mail to the following

address:

[email protected]

Use the list of telecommunication carriers below to determine your mobile device‟s e-mail address for

receiving texts. You may attempt to send yourself a text using this address as a quick check. However,

please note that

Texts are limited to 140-160 characters each (messages over this limit may be broken into

multiple text messages); and,

You may be charged additional fees under certain service plans.

Major Canadian Carriers

[10-digit phone number]@txt.bell.ca (Bell and Solo)

[10-digit phone number]@pcs.rogers.com

[10-digit phone number]@fido.ca

[10-digit phone number]@msg.telus.com

[10-digit phone number]@vmobile.ca (Virgin Mobile)

[10-digit phone number]@mobiletxt.ca (PC Mobile)

[10-digit phone number]@msg.koodomobile.com

[10-digit phone number]@sms.sasktel.com

[10-digit phone number]@pcs.sasktelmobility.com

[10-digit phone number]@text.mts.net (MTS Allstream Inc./ Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.)

If your telecommunication carrier is not listed, check its website for the appropriate e-mail address or try

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_SMS_gateways.

When adding your SMS e-mail address, ensure that “SMS” is selected as shown below:



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APPENDIX C: WIND DESCRIPTIONS WITH ASSOCIATED WIND SPEEDS AND CONSTRUCTION ITEMS AT RISK OF BECOMING WINDBORNE

Description Miles Per

Hour (mph)

Kilometers Per Hour

(km/h)

Knots Items at Risk of Takeoff

Light Breeze 4 - 7 6 - 12 4 - 6

Ball of Crumpled Paper

Piece of Paper, 8.5 by 11

Piece of Paper, ANSI E; Tarp

Gentle Breeze 8 - 12 13 - 20 7 - 10 Disposable Coffee Cup, Empty

Moderate Breeze 13 - 18 21 - 30 11 - 16 2" Polystyrene Rigid Insulation

Fresh Breeze 19 - 25 31 - 40 17 - 21

R-12 Insulation, single sheet

Steel Stud, 162SSP-25, 8 Ft

Circular Ducting, 6" diameter, 4' length

Strong Breeze 26 - 31 41 - 50 22 - 27

Sheet Metal, Aluminum, 20 gauge

Steel Stud, 600SSP-20, 8 ft

Plastic Pipe/Conduit, 1/2"

Moderate Gale 32 - 38 51 - 61 28 - 33

1/4" Nut, Finished Hex

Swing stage, 5 m long, with netting*

Hard hat, not on head

4' x 4' x 4' Wooden Garbage Container, 1/2" plywood

Rectangular Ducting, .1 by .2 m by 2 m

Rectangular Ducting, .4 m by .8 m by 4 m

Fresh Gale 39 - 46 62 - 74 34 - 40

Disposable Coffee Cup, 1/2 Full

R-12 Insulation, single package

1/4" Bolt, Hex, 1" Length

Sheet Metal, Steel, 20 gauge

Drywall, 3/8"

Q Decking

Strong Gale 47 - 55 75 - 89 41 - 47

1/2" Nut, Finished Hex

Scaffolding, with netting, 36 ft high

Drywall, 5/8", Fire Rated

Plastic Pipe/Conduit, 4"

Whole Gale 56 - 64 90 - 103 48 - 55

Disposable Coffee Cup, Full

R-12 Insulation, pallet

Rebar, 10M

Storm 65 - 74 104 - 119 56 - 63 1" Nut, Finished Hex

Hurricane 75+ 120+ 64+ 2" Nut, Finished Hex

Bolt, Hex, 3" Length

envision website user guide: wind gust forecast projects

Documents