FSL Needs for Java
FSL has several interactive web-related applications currently
running, and plans for
several more. Here's what I will talk about today:
- Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) Display
- Graphical Forecast Viewer
- ACARS Data Display
- Model Verification System
- Proposals for future work
Index to subsidiary pages:
The Rapid Update Cycle Display
The
RUC Display,
written by Tom Henderson, does the following:
- Provides 2-D images of weather parameters from the RUC model
- Loads relatively rapidly
- Provides clear control of image looping in a separate window
- Makes good use of Java Classes developed elsewhere
The Graphical Forecast Viewer
The
GFV,
written by Corby Bacco and Mike Romberg, provides the following
- 2-D images of weather parameters
- display of data under the cursor
- delivers time series at any x-y point
- can animate images
- has an extensive user manual
The ACARS Data Display
These
cgi
scripts,
developed by Bill Moninger, provide real time access to automated
weather data from commercial aircraft. It is in use at several weather
service offices.
- produces 2-D plots of in situ wind and temperature data
- can zoom around any location
- can generate soundings from flights that are ascending or descending
- is very highly desired by weather service offices,
however...
- all processing must currently be performed on FSL computers
Model Verification System
The RTVS (Real Time Verification System), developed by Judy Henderson
and Jennifer Mahoney
in support of FSL's model verification efforts, provides the following:
- access to statistical intercomparisons among several Numerical
Weather Prediction Models
- access to verification data
- real-time generation of time-series and vertical profile plots
Currently this runs under X-windows. Java would allow this
functionality to be device- and location-independent.
Proposals for future use of java
Motivation: most java development now seems to involve production
of animated images for commercial applications.
NOAA is one of the few agencies that has special
needs in the area of time-varying,
3-dimensional, scientific, data
manipulation and display.
NOAA cannot count on rapid commercial development that will meet these
needs.
These proposals reflect NOAA needs that are unlikely to be met by
commercial providers.
- 2-D image manipulation
- Linked data displays
- 3-D data manipulation
- Client-based production of model-derived variables
- Comparison of multiple data sets
2-D image manipulation
Enhance our ability to manipulate 2-D images, with:
- faster loading times
- better user feedback on status
- zoom capability
- readout of data at cursor
- optional overlays (similar to work at the
University of
Illinois), such as
- contour lines
- political boundaries
- highways
Linked data displays
- add display of underlying observations to images of gridded data
- find observations nearest the cursor point
- (non-trivial for moving or remote sensors!)
- generate time series for the appropriate observations
3-D data manipulation
- generate vertical (line) profiles through the data
- generate 2-D slices at any orientation
- generate linked images
- e.g., vertical and horizontal slices through any point
- animate all of the above
Derived fields from model data
It is infeasible to calculate and store all possible fields of
interest to users. Therefore, we would like to download this task to
users' computers.
- generate variables desired by users from model variables
- provide applet libraries to generate the desired variables
Compare multiple data sets
Forecasters and researchers often desire to compare data from multiple
sources. It would be useful to provide applet libraries that
would allow these comparisons to be performed. The goals would
be to:
- compare models vs. models
- compare observations vs. models
- generate difference fields
- generate statistical fields
This would be a natural outgrowth of FSL's X-based Real Time Model
Verification System