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Two weeks ago I sent out a request for each
FDS/Smokeview user to send two letters, one to NIST and one to VTT, to give
us a better understanding of who uses the software and why. To date, we
have received 26 responses. 19 from Europe, Canada and
Austrialia/NZ, 7 from the US. Those of you who have responded,
I thank you very much for the effort.
Next week, the Building and Fire Research
Laboratory at NIST is being visited, and evaluated, by an external review panel
sponsored by the National Research Council. I am preparing a presentation
on the impact of FDS/Smokeview. I am to tell them that there are 7
FDS/Smokeview users in the United States.
Seven
If you think that two weeks is too short notice,
consider that we typically respond to user requests/comments/questions within
hours, often minutes, of posting. With just a few people in the US and
Finland, we cover inquiries 7 days a week, and roughly 18 hours per day.
But you cannot spare 10 minutes of time to drop a few simple letters into the
mailbox? Is this too much to ask? The last time I requested feedback
three years ago, people said to me afterwards -- "Oh, I thought someone else
would send that in." or "Oh, I don't really use the model that much" or
"Whoops, I forgot." And then, they tell me about their latest problem with
FDS and ask me how to fix it.
As I write this, the inquiries in the Discussion
Group continue to pop up on my screen. If you think that this is a
valuable resource, then take a few minutes to send the letters. If you
don't think this is valuable, do nothing.
Kevin McGrattan
National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8663 Gaithersburg MD 20899 Phone: 301 975 2712 Fax: 301 975 4052 |