19990707: GOES data conversion.

>From: Jimmy Adegoke <address@hidden>
>Organization: Penn State
>Keywords: 199907072010.OAA01494 Unidata-Wisconsin images

Jimmy,

>I've recently obtained GOES data from the Unidata archive that I want to
>use in McIDAS. Please provide some direction on what I need to do to
>convert the data into the McIDAS format. Thanks. 

The images are already in McIDAS AREA format, but they are not named
so that McIDAS can recognize them.  All you need to do is:

o put them into a directory that can be accessed from your McIDAS session
o make soft links to the files using AREA file naming syntax:

  AREAnnnn  - nnnn is a 4 digit number from 0001 to 9999 inclusive

o make sure that your McIDAS session can see the files by adding file
  REDIRECTions

Example:

o create the directory ~/images
o copy all of the image files you grabbed into that directory; let's assume
  that you have 4 images:

  199601211815.goes8vis
  199601211816.goes8vis
  199601211817.goes8vis
  199601211818.goes8vis

o find out what AREA files you currently have access to in your McIDAS
  session:

  DMAP AREA

o choose a name space that is not already in use; this would probably be
  numbers in the 2000 - 7000 range.  Let's choose the 2000s for sake
  of argument

o make soft links from the name of the file grabbed to one McIDAS likes:

  cd ~/images
  ln -s 199601211815.goes8vis AREA2000
  ln -s 199601211816.goes8vis AREA2001
  ln -s 199601211817.goes8vis AREA2002
  ln -s 199601211818.goes8vis AREA2003

o add a REDIRECTion in your McIDAS session that allows you to see these
  images:

  REDIRECT ADD AREA200* "~/images

o verify that you can see the images now:

  DMAP AREA

And away you go.

>Jimmy Adegoke
>Climate Program
>Geog. Dept. & Earth System Sc.Center
>302 Walker Building
>The Pennsylvania State University
>University Park PA 16802
>e-mail: address@hidden
>Fax: (814) 863-7943; Office Phone: (814) 865-6151

Tom Yoksas