20000615: Upper Air Data Files / GEMPAK

Paul,

The program I created converted the fsl format dump from getraob to the
raw ascii format used by snedit for importing into gempak (getraob give several
output format options). Alternateively the getraob program could be modified 
to store the data directly into gempak files. 

The stuff I created (many years ago) is in my contrib directory:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/gempak/contrib/noaacdrom.README
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/gempak/contrib/noaacdrom.tar.Z

As for snrawd, I have the 5.2.1 source...though with most gempak programs,
the lions share of work is in the gemlib and bridge library routines,
so trying to make snrawd work with a newer gempak distribution would be 
somewhat tricky. I will tar it up and send it to you if you want.

Steve Chiswell
Unidata User Support






>From: "Paul Janish" <address@hidden>
>Organization: Storm Prediction Center
>Keywords: 200006152104.e5FL4eT13436

>
>
>Greetings...
>
>I'm looking for Steve Chiswell, but when I addressed this message to
>"address@hidden", it bounced so hopefully this is the right
>address for someone who can help with a data problem we're having.
>
>My name is Paul Janish, techniques development meteorologist at the
>Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman.  I'm in charge of maintaining
>research data sets for for our forecasters.  Over the past few years, we
>have used the NCDC CD-ROM and the "getraob" program to retrieve ascii
>(TTAA/TTBB) versions of upper air data and then use the program "snrawd"
>from Gempak 5.2.1 to convert the file into Gempak format for use on our
>operational workstations and other applications.  The problem is that
>the version of "snrawd" is no longer available with current versions of
>Gempak and we no longer have any way to convert or display the sounding
>files for research purposes.  I've been searching for alternative
>solutions to this problem and came across a similar request someone had
>made to you earlier this year (via the Unidata help page: 
>http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/glimpse/gempak/3398 .  My question is:
>
>1.  Do you have any idea how to convert standard ascii format upper air
>files (TTAA/TTBB, as in the attached example) to Gempak format?  (I've
>tried to use the dcuair decoder, but you have to add a bunch of control
>characters and WMO headers, etc.)
>
>2.  Do you know of anyone who might have a version of "snrawd" from
>Gempak 5.2.1 which we could access and recompile on our system for use
>at SPC?
>
>3.  Do you have any knowledge of methods to retrieve upper air data in
>Gempak format from any other source which allows the data for each day
>to be saved in a unique file?
>
>We have been saving our Gempak upper air data files daily since 1997
>locally, but unless we find a way to reproduce the capability of the
>"snrawd" to create such files for years previous, we have no way of
>displaying archived upper air data.
>
>Any help you could provide would be appreciated.
>Thanks in advance...
>Paul Janish
>