Station Data Support
Basic support for Station Time Series data in NetCDF structured according to the Discrete Sampling Geometries definitions in the
CF Conventions. Point, Profile and Trajectory structures are not supported yet.
Command-Line Export Support for the KMZ Export Format
KMZ output is now supported when exporting from the command-line using the batch processing command-line 'wct-export' script.
Please refer to the exportKmlOptions section in the wctBatchConfig.xml file which comes with the distribution.
There is also an example palette file used to color the data. Further documentation and examples
are under development.
Upgrades to supporting libraries
NetCDF for Java API has been upgraded to version 4.3. The naming of GRIB variables has changed
in some cases, which could cause problems with batch export scripts when running from the command-line.
Improvements to KML Isosurface output
Improved isosurface output to cap at 1000 meters above highest recorded value.
Improvements to Radar Constant Altitude (CAPPI)
Interpolation methods (simple linear and inverse distance weighted squared).
General User Interface Improvements
Added Ctrl-Z support to capture images in viewer when Layer Selector is the active window. Helps when creating fade-in/out of snapshots.
AREA Format Support
Allow AREA files to be displayed as GOES filetype when the filenames are custom and do not match the CLASS naming convention. The 'Data Type'
be set to 'GOES_SATELLITE_AREA_FORMAT'.
3.7.1 bugfixes:
1) upgraded to more accurate radar site locations, based on NCDC HOMR project. Only sites with significant changes: KVWX ~(1 km).
2) Fixed error when viewing alphanumeric products from NWS Gateway FTP server.
3) Fixed OPeNDAP connection error created during NetCDF library upgrade.
4) Fixed bug in CAPPI interpolations when Range Folded values are present.
5) Improved Radar display when filtering and smoothing are used in combination.
6) Fixed bug in Station Data display when a station has no records.
Also...
Improved time morphing - markers, kmz output
NEXRAD Dual-Polarization support
Support for the Digital Precipitation Rate product (DPR). Custom radar sites are
now supported via user-supplied metadata, entered when a new site is requested.
Time Morphing
EXPERIMENTAL TOOL: Please use with caution!
The time morphing tool interpolates data between two timesteps. The interpolation
can be either a simple weighted average (fade in/out effect) or motion vectors can
be used to add movement to the interpolation. The motion vectors can be derived from
the NEXRAD Level-III Storm Structure product available in the NOAA/NCDC Severe Weather
Data Inventory, or the Storm Motion variables in the RUC Model available from the NOAA/NCDC NOMADS THREDDS Server.
Simple Math Tool
There is now a simple math tool to perform min/max/sum/avg calculations across
a dimension or multiple files.
Data Selector Improvements
The Data Selector tabs have been renamed to be more descriptive and easier to understand. A 'Favorites'
tab has been added, which automatically saves entries to the user profile of the Toolkit. Custom lists of Favorites
may be loaded and saved as well.
GHCN-D export
'Global Historical Climatology Network - Daily' (GHCN-D) data ordered through the
NCDC Climate Data Online (CDO) ( http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov ), may now be
converted to Shapefile using the specialized tool under the 'Services' menu.
For more info:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/ghcn-daily/
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web
3.6.1 bugfixes:
1) upgrade of NetCDF Java code to fix DPR range bug caused by erroneous elevation angle values in DPR decoder.
3.6.2 bugfixes:
1) fix of unix distro run script to put wct jar first in classpath to override geotools classes if needed.
2) fixed problem with saving animated gifs due to removed library from distribution.
3) enabled decompression tool to handle .tar and .zip archive files.
4) added diff function to Math tool.
5) added support for valid_range CF-convention attribute in Layer Selector.
6) modified CLASS data source in Data Selector to support new subdirectory structure in fulfilled CLASS orders on FTP.
3.6.3 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in cache directory initialization.
3.6.4 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in native copy export progress monitoring.
2) added headers to html and text copy output of alphanumeric attribute tables.
3.6.5 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in Supplemental Data dialogs.
2) added configuration for V07 NEXRAD filenames.
3) better error handling for empty or non-validating customFilenamePatterns.xml file.
4) added all-sweeps point export to Data Export Wizard.
3.6.6 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in legend for NEXRAD Level-3 Clutter Filter product.
3.6.7 bugfixes:
1) upgraded to more accurate radar site locations, based on NCDC HOMR project. Only sites with significant changes: KVWX ~(1 km).
NEXRAD Dual-Polarization support
The Level-2 Dual-Polarization moments and Level-3 Dual-Polarization products are now
supported. For more information on dual-polarization and the new Level-3 NEXRAD
products, please refer to: http://www.wdtb.noaa.gov/courses/dualpol/outreach/
Isosurface KMZ Generation
The generation and export of KMZ isosurfaces for Radial and Gridded Datasets is now supported.
An isosurface is a three-dimensional equivalent of the two-dimensional contour line.
Isosurfaces can be generated from gridded data that have a height dimension or Radial
volume scan data such as Level-2 NEXRAD. The resulting KMZ can be visualized in KMZ viewers
such as Google Earth. The 'Isosurface KML Generator' is located under the 'Tools' menu.
CAPPI for Radial Radar Data
CAPPI (Constant Altitude Plan Position Indicator) - a constant altitude cross-section of Radar data.
To create a CAPPI, select the desired CAPPI altitude from the Radial Properties window after
loading a Radar volume scan data file. Data exports also allow the selection of
a CAPPI altitude instead of a specific elevation angle. CAPPI heights can be set using
the 'Radial Properties' window, which appears after loading Level-II NEXRAD (or generic Radial) data.
3.5.1 bugfixes:
1) fixed styling bug when changing colors of custom local shapefiles added to the map.
2) upgrade of GRIB library now allows reading of certain problematic CFSR model products.
3) fixed bug that prevent 'draping' of images in kmz animation export.
4) fixed bug that caused animation issues when exporting a kmz animation from a reversed-order (newest to oldest) file list.
5) various minor fixes for Java 7 support.
3.5.2 bugfixes:
1) internal refactoring to clean up modules under development.
3.5.3 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug that prevented use of AVI export with JPEG compression.
3.5.4 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug that reset the transparency after a zoom refresh for unsmoothed radar data.
3.5.5 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in libraries for saving of session files in xml format.
3.5.6 bugfixes:
1) added larger NOAA icon for improved appearance in Windows 7 task bar.
2) added link to edit custom filename patterns on the 'View Properties' -> 'Misc.' tab.
3) fixed bug when editing custom site location file for the first time from the 'View Properties' -> 'Misc.' tab.
3.5.7 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug when new users are using the 'browse' button on the local tab of the data selector
3.5.8 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug when in Grid Dataset Properties for Java 7 users
3.5.9 bugfixes:
1) fixed bug in decoding of Level-2 Differential Phase moment
Variable Information Search
The Location Search dialog (tool with the 'abc' icon), has been extended to allow
web searching of the current data type, variable name, variable description or units.
3-D Volume Scan Export from Level-II Radar data
The KMZ export dialog for Radar data now allows processing of multiple sweeps. The
'Sweeps To Include:' option defaults to the current sweep, but can be set to process
the lowest 3, 5 or 7 sweeps in addition to the entire volume scan. When multiple
sweeps exist at the same approximate elevation angle, the first sweep will be used.
Command-Line Utitilties now included
3-D Google Earth Support
Radar imagery can now be visualized in 3-D in both the internal Google Earth viewer and
with exported KMZ files. The Radar image is draped on a 3-D model of the height of
the center of the Radar beam. The elevation exaggeration can be selected in both
the internal viewer and the exported KMZ as well.
Internal Google Earth Features
Images of the Google Earth internal viewer can now be saved to disk and copied to the
clipboard.
Google Location Search
Address, city, landmark and zip code lookups are now supported using the new Location Search
dialog ('abc' icon). Reverse lookups are supported by entering a lat/lon string (such as 32,-94).
Snapshot Layers
Any current view may be saved as a snapshot layer, by using the 'Snapshot Layer' button
in the 'Layer Selector'. IMPORTANT: Snapshot Layers represent a snapshot of a layer
as it has been rendered, which are resampled values for all non lat/lon data (projected grids,
GOES Satellite and Radar data). What this means is that during an 'Identify', the value of
a snapshot layer does not necessarily represent the actual data value at the lat/lon requested.
Rather, it represents the value of the resampled data.
Identify Layer Tool
Grid, Radar, Satellite and 'Snapshot' layers can be queried with the Identify tool. Results
are shown in a text area with copy and save support. Any 'internal' point layers may be
used as well, including cities, airports, asos, crn and user defined marker locations.
Irregular Grid Support (2-D Lat/Lon Coordinate Axes)
CF-compliant Grids with 2-D coordinate axes are now supported. This allows visualization and
export of irregular and non-standard projected grids.
GOES 13 Support
Support and calibrations for GOES 13 data has been added.
Improved Level-II NEXRAD Performance
The processing for Level-II NEXRAD data has been changed to increase performance (faster and
less memory consumption).
Data Export Batch Processing support for Gridded Data
Batch command-line processing (using the 'wct-export' script) now supports Gridded Data.
Currently, the vector export types (Shapefile and WKT), will contain the point centroids
of the grid cells. The XML Configuration file supports the selection of variable, time index
and run time index. For more information, refer to the Batch Processing documentation on:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/wct/batch.php .
New Google Earth View
The integrated Google Earth view (currently only available on Windows), now has a 'split' option offering side-by-side
views of Google Earth and the standard 2-D map. In this view mode, the Google Earth view is in the 'follow-along' mode, where
standard 2-D map is the 'leader'.
32-bit GeoTIFF Export
The GeoTIFF export is now available in 8-bit grayscale and 32-bit real values.
THREDDS Catalog Browser
The THREDDS catalog browser in the Data Selector is vastly improved. For more information on THREDDS:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/projects/THREDDS/ . To try an example catalog, drag the catalog links (TDS = THREDDS Data Server)
from this page: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/wct/data.php
Drag and Drop
Links from web browsers and other application may be dragged and dropped onto the main viewer or data selector window
to list the available data in the Data Selector. In addition, files and/or directories may be dragged and dropped from the File Explorer
window (Windows Explorer, Mac Finder, etc...).
Bugfix release 3.1.1:
Improvements on data filtering.
Bugfix release 3.1.2:
KMZ export bugs.
Bugfix release 3.1.3:
Frame export bug fixed for 'loaded' animations. Rock animation export now works correctly.
Accidental data filtering bug fixed (filtered data less than 0 by default). Added better legend support for 'no data' found.
Bugfix release 3.1.4:
Added better user interface integration of cache controls.
Fixed bug that was y-axis flipping grids with reverse longitude coordinate variables.
Gridded Data Support
All CF-compliant Gridded Data (NetCDF 3/4, GRIB, HDF, GINI, GEMPAK) is now supported. All projections are supported and data is automatically resampled onto
an unprojected lat/lon grid using nearest neighbor. Currently 2-dimensional coordinate variables (such as Swath or irregularly spaced grid) are not supported.
Google Earth Integration (Windows Only):
A fully functional Google Earth browser is now integrated into the Toolkit. The user will prompted to download and install the Google Earth API plugin
the first time the view is used. When this view is enabled, data is rendered directly onto Google Earth. The export of KMZ files is still supported
for snapshots and time animations. Work is being done to provide this support for the Mac, while the Google Earth API is not currently available for Unix/Linux.
'All Files' support:
A checkbox in the Data Selector now controls the recognized file format filtering. If the 'All Files' selection is used, non-recognized files will
be visible in the Data Selector. The Data Type dropdown menu can be used to specify the format of these files when attempting to load.
OPeNDAP support:
Remote gridded files may be accessed using OPeNDAP. This is ideal for very large datasets since only the desired 'slice' (variable, time, height, etc...) is transferred.
Range-Folded Support in Level-II NEXRAD Data:
Range-Folded data is now visible in Level-II NEXRAD displays.
New Animation and Data Export Wizards:
New wizards have replaced the previous animation and data export user interfaces. The wizards are accessible from the 'Data Selector' dialog
and are designed to be more user-friendly and flexible.
New features under development for a future release:
1) Capability for user to add custom WMS resource as a background map.
2) Batch processing for Gridded data.
3) Simple 'Grid Math' functions for analysis on multiple files, or dimensions within a variable.
4) Timed auto-refresh for currently loaded layer.
New NEXRAD Level-III Products
New NEXRAD Level-III Products are supported including N*Q (256 level Reflectivity), N*U (256 level Velocity), DVL (Digital
Vertical Integrated Liquid) and EET (Enhanced Echo Tops).
Bug Fixes:
1) Fixed KMZ export memory consumption bug.
2) Increased precision in ASCII GRID export header
Version 2.5.1 Bugfix release
Fixed minor bugs with Level-II NEXRAD Legends.
Version 2.5.2 Bugfix release
Removed confusing 'classify' option for Level-II NEXRAD data export.
Marker Editor
Markers are now automatically saved as they are created or removed and restored each time the Toolkit's Marker Editor is used.
The markers are stored in the user profile and are not shared between users in an multi-user environment.
Cache Settings:
The cache for data files may now be specified. The default location of the data cache is $(user.home)/.wct-cache/data, which
is unique for each user. A custom shared cache location outside the user's profile may improve performance in a multi-user
environment. To change the cache location, go to the 'Cache' tab on the 'View Properties' dialog ('View'-'View Properties'-'Cache').
Bug Fixes:
1) Fixed KMZ export bug for real-time NWS files (or any file named sn.xxxx).
2) Incorrect unit display in legend for TDWR velocity products.
Bugfix release 2.5.1:
Radial data legend bugfix.
Version 2.4.1 Bugfix Release:
1) Added CLASS backup FTP site, which is checked when data is not found on primary site.
2) Fixed some of the open files issues with the Level-II export.
Version 2.4.2 Bugfix Release:
1) Fixed bug with N*S Level-III NEXRAD files display.
Version 2.4.3 Bugfix Release:
1) Fixed bug in data exporter where selecting All Points Export would set all further exports to be point.
2) Removed 'height' attribute and added 'heightRel' (height relative to radar site) and 'heightASL' (height above sea level) attributes.
3) Fixed bug where time attribute was shown in local user time zone. Set back to UTC and set format to ISO yyyy-MM-dd'T'hh:mm:ss'Z' (ex: 2009-04-01T12:34:02Z)
4) Added new enhancement color table for GOES Water Vapor (BAND_03)
5) Fixed bug in batch mode command-line data exporter that caused shift in extent filter when processing directories and using gridCellResolution setting.
6) Fixed bug in large animation creation / frame export that caused data display problems after processing ~200 frames.
TDWR support
The FAA TDWR (Terminal Doppler Weather Radar) network support has been added. TDWR Level-III products are available from
NCDC and the NWS real-time Gateway server. While many products are identical to NEXRAD Level-III, several 'special' TDWR specific products
exist. For more information, refer to the product list at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/radar/productsdetail.html and the following
documents from the Radar Operations Center:
ftp://ftp.roc.noaa.gov/PUB/TDWR_SPG_INFO/TDWR%20Map.pdf
ftp://ftp.roc.noaa.gov/PUB/TDWR_SPG_INFO/CONUS%20Radar%20Coverage%20AGL%20WSR-88D%20&%20TDWR.ppt
New Level-III Product support
The Level-III products 'Digital Hybrid Reflectivity' (DHR) and 'Digital Storm Total Precipitation' (DSP) are now supported.
Return of the Point Export support
Point export of the range bin or grid cell centroid is now supported for Radar and Satellite data. This feature was removed in
version 2.0 due to significant API changes. The 'All Cuts' option is also supported.
Bookmarks
'Bookmarks' may now be saved which save the current map extent.
These bookmarks are saved to the user profile and will be visible in all subsequent launchs of the Toolkit.
The Bookmark Editor is available from the 'View' menu and the Bookmark button on the Toolbar.
KMZ Launch
The current view may be opened instantly in Google Earth (or whatever program is registered to the '.kmz' extension).
A 'snapshot' KMZ file is written to the user's cache. This 'Launch KMZ' option is convenient for quick looks, while the
'Save KMZ' option may be used to create permanent output.
Additional Map Backgrounds
Additional Map Backgrounds including Base Maps and Imagery from ESRI (http://www.esri.com), Color Shaded Relief and Hydrologic Units.
Updated 'Interstates' Map Layer
The 'Interstates' Map Layer is now 'Major Highways' and includes major 4-lane Highways and Toll Roads.
KMZ Legend Location Changed
The location of the Legends in KMZ (Google Earth) output has changed from the top left to the upper-middle left.
This change was needed because of the new location the new Time Slider in Google Earth version 5.
Version 2.3.2 Bugfix Release:
1) Changed NEXRAD HAS Orders ('NCDC' tab in Data Selector) to use ftp3.ncdc.noaa.gov server.
Version 2.3.1 Bugfix Release:
1) Fixed issue with the 'T' in the TDWR IDs parsed from TDWR files.
GOES AREA file support
GOES AREA files are now supported. These files may be ordered from NOAA's CLASS system ( http://www.class.noaa.gov ).
NOTE: Smoothing and Vector Data Export formats (Shapefile, WKT) are currently not supported.
For a full tutorial on ordering GOES AREA files from CLASS and displaying in the Weather and Climate Toolkit,
please refer to http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/wct/tutorials/
KMZ Export
Single, non-animation, KMZ files may now be produced by selecting 'Save KMZ' from the left side bar or 'File' menu.
Look and Feel
New side bars contain buttons for displaying the Data Selector, Map Selector, Services, Image and KMZ saving options.
The map and legend areas are also separated with a drop shadow border.
Temporary removal of 'Session' saving
Due to several bugs and new features under development, the 'Session' saving option is temporarily disabled.
Switch in datum from WGS84 to NAD83
NAD83 is the NOAA standard geographic coordinate system and part of the NSRS (National Spatial Reference System).
The Weather and Climate Toolkit has switched from
using WGS84 to NAD83 in all maps, calculations and data export. NAD83 and WGS84 are VERY similar and the
differences in the data location is within several meters, which is well within the accuracy range of the
input data sources (Radar, Satellite, etc...).
Adjustment to Level-II Velocity color map
The color map has been extended from: -50 to +50 KT , to: -60 to +60 KT.
NWS Gateway FTP support
NWS Gateway FTP support has returned! For more info on the NWS FTP server, refer to:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/tg/radfiles.html
Bug Fixes
1) Export of XMRG data now allowed.
2) Classification bug in Level-II velocity and spectrum width products is fixed.
3) Bug in NetCDF for Java fixed for reading some V04 NEXRAD Level-II files.
Known Bugs / Limitations
1) 32-bit (floating point value) GeoTIFFs are temporarily disabled due to GeoTIFF encoding issues.
1-byte grayscale GeoTIFFs are provided in the interim. If the real values are needed, the ASCII GRID format is recommended.
2) NEXRAD export to point shapefiles is also temporarily disabled.
3) GOES imagery cannot be saved to Vector (Shapefile, WKT) formats.
Version 2.2.1 Bugfix Release:
1) Level-II NEXRAD legend date formatting for 12:00 - 12:59 files displayed as 00:00 - 00:59
2) Native format transfer was giving an error
3) Data source history was not current source correctly
4) DPA and XMRG export bug fixed
5) NWS Gateway files in cache now correctly cleaned up
6) Added 'None' option to Satellite legend options
7) Added checkbox in 'View Properties' to control the automatic placement of the NOAA logo in saved animations and images
Version 2.2.2 Bugfix Release:
1) ASOS overlay labeling did not work
Version 2.2.5 Bugfix Release:
1) Changed NEXRAD HAS Orders ('NCDC' tab in Data Selector) to use ftp3.ncdc.noaa.gov server.
Full Message 31 (Build-10) Level-II NEXRAD support
The recombined data (V04) structure is now supported.
Improved KMZ support
Altitude values may now be specified for exported KMZ files (Google Earth display). This is for visual effect only,
and does not represent the actual altitude of the data. Surface 'shadows' are created for when an altitude above the
Earth surface is used. Single KMZ files may be exported from the 'Export KMZ' button on the right 'SideBar'.
Move to NetCDF for Java version 4.0 API
The NetCDF for Java version 4.0 API is now used as the framework for data decoding.
The Common Data Model layer is used to deal with data as 'Radial', 'Grid', 'Swath', etc...
This allows users to develop plugin decoders to add custom data formats. Currently, these require
recompilation of the source code to integrate. Eventually, these plugins will be able to be
loaded dynamically.
Transition to the NOAA Weather and Climate Toolkit
The Java NEXRAD Tools is being used as the basis for the new NOAA Weather and Climate Toolkit, with support for Radar, Satellite,
Model and Station Network data. The emphasis for this toolkit will be simple visualization and data export, focusing on
enhancing interoperability with other specialized tools in various scientific communities.
In addition, the Weather and Climate Toolkit will allow direct access to
data available via Web Services. Initial plans include access to the U.S. Drought Monitor, NEXRAD Reflectivity Mosaics,
Station Data services and more. The toolkit is in early development and not all planned features are available.
NEXRAD Super-Resolution Support
NEXRAD Super-Resolution (Message 31) data is now supported. Super-Res. data has 4 times greater range
resolution and 2 times greater azimuth resolution.
Smoothing and Transparency Controls Moved
The Smoothing and Transparency controls for NEXRAD data are now located in the 'Data Layers' tab
of the 'Layer selector' window (formerly the 'Overlay Selector').
New Rasterizer / Improved Performance
Rasterization (converting range bin polygons to a grid) is now done with Java 2D Graphics API.
This eliminates a previous (and rare) bug that showed large rectangular streaks of small data values
at certain zoom extents. In addition, performance in decoding and processing (rasterizing) is
improved.
Missing Features Available in Java NEXRAD Tools version 1.9:
These features are under development and will be included in later releases.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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
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