1999713: 19990713: ACARS Decoders

>From: "Batson, Bryan" <address@hidden>
>Organization: Consolidated Federation of Planets
>Keywords: 199907131456.IAA20337 ACARS decoder ADDE server

Bryan-

>Let me see if I can make some assumptions here without looking stupid..
>
>1.  ACARS data is available from FSL in netCDF format.

Not looking stupid so far. ;-)

>2.  McIDAS 7.6 appears to have an ADDE server for netCDF 'point' data. (see
>ncdfks.c in core).

I know it's there, but I'm not sure how (well) it works.

>3.  An LDM client at JSC can receive ACARS data from FSL in netCDF format.

No stupidity at all in these assumptions.

>If all these are correct, this should not be a huge deal.  If LDM works like
>I think it does, it should be able to kick off PTCOPY commands that would
>create and update MD files, which could then be plotted by PTDISP or some
>other suitable command (modified PIREPS?).

Well, here I would take issue.  Why create an MD file if McIDAS can serve
up data directly from netCDF files?  I thought the idea of a netCDF point 
server was that you could use PTDISP or any other point command to display 
data directly from netCDF files. You could however, have the LDM kick
off some display (or other) process upon reciept of an ACARs netCDF file.
I think you have to create some sort of table that relates the netCDF 
variables to McIDAS variables, but that should not be a big deal.

>For Tim, it might be useful to have a sample of this netCDF data to give the
>ADDE server a try.

I agree.  I'm cc'ing Tom on this in case he wants to comment on how he
plans to handle the ACARs data in McIDAS.  

(Also, it's better to send questions like these to address@hidden
instead of me directly.  My involvement with McIDAS is waning so Tom is 
a better person to ask and we both read the support mailbox anyways).

Don
*************************************************************
Don Murray                               UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                        P.O. Box 3000
(303) 497-8628                              Boulder, CO 80307
*************************************************************
Unidata WWW Server               http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
McIDAS Demonstration Machine  http://mcdemo.unidata.ucar.edu/
*************************************************************

> ----------
> From:         Don Murray[SMTP:address@hidden]
> Sent:         Tuesday, July 13, 1999 9:27 AM
> To:   ORAM, TIM (JSC-ZS)
> Cc:   'Don Murray'; 'Batson, Bryan'; address@hidden
> Subject:      19990713: ACARS Decoders 
> 
> >From: "ORAM, TIM (JSC-ZS)" <address@hidden>
> >Organization: Consolidated Federation of Planets
> >Keywords: 199907131306.HAA17648 
> 
> Tim-
> 
> >According to FSL's web page, UNIDATA has decoders for the ACARS data.
> >Do these decoders only convert from netCDF to GEMPAK, or is a netCDF to
> >McIDAS MD converter available?
> 
> Right now, we only have a netCDF to GEMPAK decoder.  Tom will eventually
> work on a netCDF to McIDAS decoder or an ADDE server for the netCDF files,
> but I don't think that is his highest priority.  We have workshops coming
> up and I think he is going to be full out on that for the next month.
> 
> Don