diff --git a/mapies/viirs.py b/mapies/viirs.py
index c5e8dacd6705527447cd5aec63ccda364e858b36..50b3c180780480fc3fb949d95249daaf34fcda9f 100644
--- a/mapies/viirs.py
+++ b/mapies/viirs.py
@@ -221,15 +221,19 @@ class VIIRS(MAPIES):
         """
         file_patterns = []
         print(f' Date slice = {self.dates_slice}')
-        for date in self.dates_slice:
-            date = datetime.strptime(date, '%Y%m%d%H%M').strftime('%Y%j')
+        if self.indir:
+            for date in self.dates_slice:
+                date = datetime.strptime(date, '%Y%m%d%H%M').strftime('%Y%j')
 
-            filepaths = f'{self.indir}/**/AERDB_L2_VIIRS_NOAA20.A{date}*'
-            file_patterns.append(filepaths) 
-
-        files = sorted(get_file_list(file_patterns))
-        print(f"Total number of files: {len(files)}")
+                filepaths = f'{self.indir}/**/AERDB_L2_VIIRS_NOAA20.A{date}*'
+                file_patterns.append(filepaths) 
 
+            files = sorted(get_file_list(file_patterns))
+            print(f"Total number of files: {len(files)}")
+        else:
+            raise Exception("Please specify an input directory")
+       
+        
         files_filtered = []
         for file in files:
             parts = file.split('.')
diff --git a/run/run_viirs.py b/run/run_viirs.py
index d19c429b721f2a31a763c22a80f49f081140ea2d..d158cf87bb5802aa3c14f47ebe9c36c184cf2921 100644
--- a/run/run_viirs.py
+++ b/run/run_viirs.py
@@ -24,12 +24,14 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
 
     # outdir="/home/cmeikle/Projects/data/"
     # indir="/home/cmeikle/Projects/data/VIIRS/original_files/AERDB_L2_VIIRS_NOAA20"
-    outdir = "/home/tvintimi/Documents/mapies/figures"
-    indir = "/home/tvintimi/esarchive/obs/nasa/viirs_noaa20_aerdb_l2/original_files/VIIRS"
-    #indir = "/home/tvintimi/Documents/mapies/VIIRS"
 
-    filename_obs = 'atarri_obs'
-    filename_num_obs = 'atarri_num_obs'
+    outdir = "/home/cgile/Documents/mapies/figures"
+    # indir = "/home/cgile/bscearth000/esarchive/obs/nasa/viirs_noaa20_aerdb_l2/original_files/VIIRS"
+    # indir = "/home/cgile/Documents/mapies/VIIRS"
+    indir = ''
+    filename_obs = 'carlotta'
+    filename_num_obs = 'carlotta'
+
 
     start_time = time.time()