Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs on SWAN, the weather, and all things irrigation.
Where do the weather forecasts come from?
We purchase our forecasts for Australia from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The BoM ...
Do I need a weather station?
If you already have a reliable weather station on your property, SWAN Systems can use the data fr...
What if the forecast rain doesn’t eventuate?
The SWAN Systems model of your fields will be updated every time new information is received, thi...
How do you know that the SWAN estimate of soil moisture is accurate?
The algorithms used to calculate soil moisture balance have been tested in the field, and refined...
I’m a dryland farmer, can SWAN help me?
We certainly can. SWAN Systems is more than just about scheduling irrigation. The Site Health fea...
Why doesn’t SWAN schedule from actual soil moisture probes?
Soil moisture probes (SMP) are valuable tools to monitor your soil moisture status, however their...
When does the data get into SWAN?
Data is collected from a range of sources and uploaded into SWAN on a regular basis. The frequenc...
I use greenhouses, can SWAN help me?
There is no reason why you cannot use SWAN Systems in a greenhouse but generally greenhouse opera...
What if I don't have a flow meter / weather station on my property?
You don’t need to have a flow meter or weather station set up on your property in order to use SW...
Why should I believe what SWAN recommends?
SWAN Systems operates utilising scientifically proven algorithms backed up by many years farming ...
Do I need to buy new equipment?
No, not at all! SWAN Systems has been designed to work with all common (and some not-so-common) b...
What is Evapotranspiration (ET)? And what is ETo?
We'll quote the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) here, "Evapotranspiration is the term used...
What is NDVI, and how does SWAN use it?
NDVI - Normalised Difference Vegetation Index - is calculated from satellite imagery data and pro...
What is Weatherwise Watering?
Weatherwise Watering is a free weather forecast for Australia, provided by SWAN Systems. It is de...
What is a SWAN Systems Partner and how do I become one?
A SWAN Systems Partner is an individual or company that is at the forefront of Environmental Moni...
Does SWAN Systems work on all internet browsers?
SWAN Systems has been optimised for use on Google Chrome, and also works with the latest version ...
Description of Health Indexes available via SWAN Systems
With the March 2021 release of SWAN Systems came a whole new suite of health indexes to assist ...
How do I access the Knowledgebase from my SWAN Systems account?
Access to the helpsheets in the SWAN Systems knowledgebase is available only to SWAN Systems cust...
How does SWAN Systems schedule irrigation?
This video provides an overview of how SWAN Systems facilitates irrigation scheduling for users.