Help in setting up VIC

[GauravDumoga]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this platform and have recently installed the Land Information System Framework (LISF). I am currently working on setting up the Variable Infiltration Capacity model within LISF for an Indian river basin.

While going through the LIS configuration files, I noticed that the model requires meteorological forcing inputs, and a predefined list of supported forcing datasets is provided (e.g., NLDAS, ERA5, etc.). However, I would like to use my own forcing data (e.g., IMD (India)), which is not explicitly listed in the configuration options.

I have a few questions regarding this:

1. If I want to use custom forcing data, do I need to reformat it to match one of the existing supported forcing formats in LIS (e.g., treat it like ERA5), or is there an option to specify it as "none" and provide custom input paths?

2. What is the recommended approach in LISF for incorporating external meteorological datasets that are not part of the default supported list?

3. Are there any example datasets or test cases available specifically for VIC that demonstrate how forcing data should be structured?

I understand that LISF setup differs significantly from the standalone VIC model, so any guidance, examples, or best practices would be very helpful.

Thank you in advance!