20000304: NIDS and NOWrad problems

>From: "Karli Lopez (McIDAS)" <address@hidden>
>Organization: University of Puerto Rico
>Keywords: 200002010754.AAA03412 datastreams ROUTE PP BATCH LDM

Karli,

>NIDS problem:
>
>Although everything is pretty much set up, I found out I've been having
>problems with NIDS (Radar) images.  When the Menu calls imagloop with
>the command:
>
>BKGRUN {imagloop.gui NIDS RTNIDS/BREF1 11 11 FIX   AC 230 230 1 1 BREF X
>VER C X X 36 YES VH X OUTLCNTY 5 2 FTG 3 10}
>
>I get a dialgue box that says:
>"No NIDS images found in datset RTNIDS/BREF1."
>No I know that we're getting Radar information since the latest date is
>reflected in the route.k listing.
>
>and the ADDESITE.TXT contents are:
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTGRIDS=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTNIDS=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTNOWRAD=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTPTSRC=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTWXTEXT=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_TOPO=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_BLIZZARD=128.117.140.56
>ADDE_ROUTE_MYDATA=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_RTIMAGES=LOCAL-DATA
>ADDE_ROUTE_PLANET=LOCAL-DATA

Before getting to the NIDS question, may I ask you to change your
DATALOC for the BLIZZARD dataset from 128.117.140.56 to
ADDE.UNIDATA.UCAR.EDU?  128.117.140.56 (zero.unidata.ucar.edu) is
no longer running an ADDE server continuously.

>My guess is that since it may still be using AREA files,

Right.  The Fkey menu assumes that NIDS and NOWrad (tm) products (from
WSI Corporation) are accessed through my ADDE subservers and that the
data files are stored in the same format that they arrive through
the IDD in.  This is what I alluded to in an earlier email.  Changing
from converting the NIDS products to AREA files will:

o save you computing cycles
o save disk space
o allow you to save a lot more NIDS images than you are currently saving
  in the nids2area conversion process

>that section
>may not be completely converted to ADDE.
>I think the problem lies in the NIDS.CFG file.  Since we have things
>(don't ask me why) set up differently, everything's in a different
>directory (this is also an IRIX machine, so it sort of explains it).

You will need to file the NIDS products into their own directories
in the format that they are received in.

>It curently lists:
>
>DIRMASK=/var/data/ldm/nexrad/\TYPE/*
>
>the problem is that we don't have the ldm data under the /var
>partition.  Instead we have it under /user2... However there is not
>subdirectory named nexrad, so I have no idea where the files are kept.

How you store files is defined in the LDM's pqact.conf file.

>I also have a similar "problem" with NOWrad since they point to:
>/export/data/ldm/gempak/nexrad/USRAD/2km/NOW
>which I don't beleive is even being received in the system, so it may
>not be an issue after all.

It is most likely that you are not getting NOWrad data.  These images are
fairly expensive, so the great majority of sites have not purchased them
from WSI.  This situation will change next fall when the NWS begins sending
the NIDS data through NOAAPORT (we relay NOAAPORT through the ID)
free-of-charge.  They will also be sending out a national radar composite
that is significantly better than the the MDR images in the Unidata-Wisconsin
datastream.

>I just want to be certain.  So where could I
>find these references?  I will do a search later on for files ending in
>.wsi later on...

You will need to look in your ~ldm/etc/pqact.conf file.  The FILE actions
for NIDS and NOWrad data will look something like:

WSI     ^NEX/(.*)/(.*)/([1-2][0-9])([0-9][0-9])([0-1][0-9])([0-3][0-9])([0-2][0-
9])([0-6][0-9])
        FILE    data/nexrad/NIDS/\1/\2/\2_\3\4\5\6_\7\8
WSI     ^(NOW)/USRAD/([1-2][0-9])([0-9][0-9])([0-1][0-9])([0-3][0-9])([0-2][0-9]
)([0-6][0-9])
        FILE    data/nexrad/USRAD/8km/\1/\1_\2\3\4\5_\6\7
WSI     ^(NOW)/MASTER/([1-2][0-9])([0-9][0-9])([0-1][0-9])([0-3][0-9])([0-2][0-9
])([0-6][0-9])
        FILE    data/nexrad/USRAD/2km/\1/\1_\2\3\4\5_\6\7

Be careful about white space that needs to be tabs!!!!!!!

>Where again can I find the steps for transitioning NIDS NLDN, and NOWRad
>to ADDE?

First, get your LDM filing the NIDS products in the manner listed in the
example above.  Next, edit ~mcidas/workdata/NIDS.CFG and set the DIRMASK
to match the directory in which the products are being filed.

You say that you have LDM under /usr2.  Where exactly is ~ldm/data?  This
directory is usually a link to some other file system.  Let's assume
that /usr2/ldm/data is actually /data.  The NIDS.CFG DIRMASK and
FILEMASK entries would then be:

DIRMASK=/data/nexrad/NIDS/\ID/\TYPE/*
FILEMASK=\TYPE_*

>I guess that you guys would want to convert totally to ADDE in
>the next few releases, so I might as well do the change now...

Yes, exactly!

>Thanks,
>Karli Lopez

Please let me know if you need additional help on setting up your ADDE
access to your NIDS data.

Tom