# Basic Tutorial

Although CHIME was initially created for Penn Medicine, the application can be used by anyone in the world. Here is a basic walkthrough of how to start using CHIME for your region.

For a walkthrough of the dash, please watch our [video tutorial](https://youtu.be/A2xI_MVzQaI).&#x20;

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2xI_MVzQaI>" %}
How To Get Started Using Penn-CHIME, the COVID-19 Hospital Capacity Planning Tool
{% endembed %}

### Selecting Data Inputs

First, there are several inputs you **must** modify to customize CHIME for your region:

* Regional Population
* Currently Known Regional Infections
* Currently Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

You'll find these options by scrolling through the left pane:

![Use the left pane to modify inputs for your region and scenario(s).](/files/-M3DN_7yELx0i4ItZ5X0)

Then, modify all other inputs depending on which scenarios you would like to model. See [Data Inputs](/chime/what-is-chime/parameters.md) for detailed definitions of each input.

### Viewing Results

The resulting projections are displayed in the main body. They are automatically refreshed when you hit "Enter" or click the "+" or "-" buttons for each data input.

You can customize the displays to show results as tables, show additional details, and more.

![](/files/-M3DOl1pKqVJ_4cf4aeh)

For complete descriptions of how to read and interpret the figures, see [Interpreting the Results](https://code-for-philly.gitbook.io/chime/what-is-chime/dashboard-outputs-descriptions).

### Advanced Customization

For advanced customization, including changes to the underlying model, you will need to fork the Github repository and host your own version. [See Making your own CHIME app](/chime/open-source/making-your-own-chime-app.md) for instructions.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://code-for-philly.gitbook.io/chime/purpose/basic-tutorial.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
