Using GitHub-Sourced Example Data

This page is optional. A normal DSSAT install already ships example experiments inside each crop folder (e.g. C:/DSSAT48/Maize/UFGA8201.MZX), so for most users the Installed DSSAT Setup page is all you need.

Use this page only if you want to run experiments that are not in your DSSAT folder — for example the public example datasets from the DSSAT source repository.

1. Get the example data

Clone (or download) the DSSAT model repository, which contains example data:

git clone https://github.com/DSSAT/dssat-csm-os.git

The crop example files live under that checkout (e.g. a Maize/UFGA8201.MZX).

2. Point the wrapper at it

Keep DSSAT_path pointing at your installed DSSAT (it still provides the executable and genotype files); set project_file to the experiment from your downloaded data. Naming a different model is optional — here we ask for the CERES-IXIM maize model with module_code:

source("R/DSSAT_omniwrapper.R")

result <- DSSAT_omniwrapper(
  model_options = list(
    DSSAT_path   = "C:/DSSAT48",                               # installed DSSAT
    DSSAT_exe    = "DSCSM048.EXE",
    Crop         = "Maize",
    project_file = "C:/path/to/dssat-csm-os/Maize/UFGA8201.MZX",  # downloaded data
    module_code  = "MZIXM048"                                  # optional: force a model
  ),
  situation = "UFGA8201_1",
  var       = "CWAD"
)

3. Validation scripts and the data path

The family-validation script can read example experiments from such a checkout. Tell it where they are with the DSSAT_CSM_DATA environment variable (see Self-Check and Validation). If you do not set it, the scripts look for the data next to the repository, and fall back to your DSSAT install — which, since DSSAT ships its own examples, is usually enough on its own.