New Features in the NCDC Java NEXRAD Viewer / Exporter

Version 1.9

Improved handling of the Real-Time National Weather Service server

The file listing has been improved for Custom URLs pointing towards the real-time NWS server ( http://www.nws.noaa.gov/tg/rpccds.html ). Note: The date/time of the file is not present in the NWS server filenames (sn.xxxx, etc...). As a result of this, the timestamp of the file is used in the file list. This timestamp is usually several minutes ahead of the actual product generation time. When the file is displayed, the correct timestamp decoded from the file is displayed.

Bug Fixes
1.9.11 - Removed 'matching Level-III files' search and resulting error for Gateway alphanumeric files.

1.9.10 - fixed bug in caching of NWS Gateway CFC files and listing of local Gateway files.

1.9.9 - added workaround for bug in CFC files.

1.9.8 - fixed category decoding problem that allowed the export of '0' value or 'NoData' areas with colorCode attribute of '0' and value attribute of '.20' or '.30'. This bug was introduced in version 1.9 and is only apparent during data export.

Version 1.8

Improved NEXRAD Level-III Filtering Capabilities

NEXRAD Level-III data can now be filtered by minValues and maxValues. Previously, the category (most Level-III data is categorized) had to be specified. Non-numeric categories (such as 'RF' (range folded)), can be also selected for inclusion/exclusion. In addition, multiple min/max ranges can now be specified. For more information, please refer to the Java NEXRAD Tools Tutorial (Getting Started) at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/radar/jnx/jnxv-basics.php .

Version 1.7

AVI Movie Export

Any animation may now be saved as an AVI file. The uncompressed AVI format is used which provides excellent quality but large file sizes.

Version 1.6

Supplemental Data Access

Any supplemental data present in supported NEXRAD Level-III files can now be viewed in the Java NEXRAD Viewer. Supplemental data is text information produced with some NEXRAD Level-III products such as One/Three/Storm Total Precip (N1P,N3P,NTP). These data include the adaptation parameters used in the algorithms along with general information about the product. To open the supplemental data viewer, select 'Supplemental Data' under the 'View' menu.

Data Export Support for VAD Wind Profile (NVW/48):

The VAD Wind Profile product may now be exported as any Vector output format, including shapefile and WKT. The point features all have the same lat/lon of the radar site, but the different altitudes and corresponding values are present in the attribute table. In addition, the raw supplemental data is exported (see below).

Supplemental Data Export

Any supplemental data present in supported NEXRAD Level-III files are now exported with any export format. These data are saved in a text file with the naming convention of *filename*_sup.txt

Puerto Rico on Base Map

Puerto Rico has been added to the states base map layer available through the 'Overlay Selector'.

Raw NetCDF Output

Level-II and some Level-III files may be saved in a Raw NetCDF file. These NetCDF files are not gridded and represent the raw radial data structure in the data. Most NetCDF visualization tools will only display CF-compliant gridded NetCDF data. This feature is accessible from the 'Format' menu of the Data Exporter. In batch mode, use the format string of 'rnc' to specify Raw NetCDF - 'nc' still means gridded NetCDF.

Version 1.5

Support of Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm product (NMD/141):

The new Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm (MDA) Level-III product (NMD), code 141, is now supported. This product provides information about circulation features generated from the output of the new Mesocyclone Detection Algorithm. This product provides information concerning the past and future positions of each tracked circulation feature and is updated once per volume scan time.

User Interface Windows

The pop-up user interface windows (such as Overlay Selector, View Properties, etc...) are now dialogs that will always remain 'on top' of the main map window.

Raster Export Projection Files

All NEXRAD files exported to the ESRI ASCII Grid or ESRI Binary Grid raster (gridded) formats will now have an accompanying projection (.prj) file, as is currently the case for Shapefiles. This reflects a recent change in ArcGIS 9.2 which allows direct loading (without using ArcToolbox) of ESRI ASCII Grid (.asc) files. ArcGIS 9.2 will also automatically detect the projection (.prj) file, which eliminates the need for the manual projection definition in ArcToolbox. Originally gridded data (DPA, XMRG), is now output with '_native.[asc,hdr,flt]' and '_native.prj' suffixes, to prevent overlap and confusion with Shapefiles.

Version 1.4

Copy Image to Clipboard:

Screenshots may now be copied to the system clipboard. To copy the current image in the viewer to the clipboard, use either the menu option 'File' - 'Copy to Clipboard' or the keyboard shortcut (Control-C). The image may be pasted into applications such as Office, Email, Photo editors, etc...

Support of Archive Status Product (RSL/152):

The Archive Status Product / Radar Status Log (RSL), code 152, is now supported. The Archive Status Product contains an adaptable number of hours of RPG status log messages. The product (by default) is generated every eight hours at 00:00, 08:00, and 16:00 GMT. The product contains all RPG status log messages since the last product was generated.

Copy Alphanumeric and Status Products to Clipboard:

Text content from the 'Supplemental Data' windows of Alphanumeric data along with the status messages (GSM and RSL products) can now be copied to the system clipboard. The text may be pasted into applications such as Office, Email, Photo editors, etc...

Version 1.3

KMZ Animation Export:

Animations may now be saved in the KMZ format used in digital earth software, such as Google Earth, NASA Worldwind and ArcGIS Explorer. The KMZ files are completely self-contained and portable containing all necessary image frames, legends and logos. Similar to regular animations, the exported images use the current view extent of the NEXRAD Viewer along with the current background color. All overlays are turned off, although any WMS Backgrounds will remain visible. To access this feature, open the 'Animation Generator' ( 'Tools' - 'NEXRAD Animation' from menu), select the desired files and press the 'Export KMZ' button.

Version 1.2

New WMS Background Maps: Several new Web Map Services (WMS) are available for use as background maps.

1) Geography Network US Map - replaces the DEMIS US Streets WMS and provides very attractive Country-level to Street-level background maps.

2) ESRI World Map - provides detailed world maps with different layers closer zoom extents.

3) NASA Earth At Night - nighttime satellite product showing population centers

These features are accessible in the 'Overlay Selector' under the 'Web Map Services (WMS)' tab and 'WMS Image 1' dropdown. The Web Map Services are generated from the Geospatial Information Database (GIDB) maintained by the Digital Mapping, charting and Geodesy Analysis Program Team (DMAP) at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). For more information: http://columbo.nrlssc.navy.mil/dmap/idx.jsp

Version 1.1

1. VTK Export Format: This interpolates Level-II data onto a 'data cube' ( x(lon)/y(lat)/z(meters) ) and exports the data in the VTK format. This format can be viewed in 3D using programs such as Paraview ( http://www.paraview.org ). This processing is still in the early testing phase so use at your own risk!

2. GML Export Format: The Geographic Markup Language (GML) can be used to encode vector datasets. GML is a type of XML and is described at: http://www.opengis.net/gml/

3. Raster Cellsize Support: Either the raster number of cells or cellsize can now be defined. Cellsize is defined in degrees.

4. SSH Support: Users may now connect to SSH servers to access data.

5. Level-II Animations: Level-II data may now be animated using the Nexrad Animator tool. If VCPs change between files, the same integer cut number will be used regardless of the actual elevation angle. If the cut number doesn't exist, the last cut in the volume scan will be used.

6. Level-II Export Properties: This window is now embedded in the NexradExporter main window and appears when exporting Level-II data.

Bug Fixes:

1. KCAE Asos location corrected
2. Level-II Export Properties list non-refresh error