20000711: McIDAS AREA file format help

>From: Daniel Blanco <address@hidden>
>Organization: Center for Remote Sensing/Boston University
>Keywords: 200007111714.e6BHEOT29089 McIDAS-X

Daniel,

>I am very interested in reading your McIDAS data
>which might turn very helpful in terms of giving
>me ideas for my thesis proposal.
>
>However, I am just a Geography student at Boston University,
>and I do not think the University here is registered to use
>your software McIDAS.

You are correct.  Boston University is not licensed for use of Unidata
McIDAS-X.

>It seems to me that it might be
>complicated for me to try to do such a thing.

The procedure to get licensed is quite simple (and free).

>Please, could you tell me procedures so I can import these
>data into a GIS or a Image Processing System (ENVI, IDL,
>Arc/Info, Imagine, PCI) ? Or at least into an image without
>loosing resolution ?

I am sorry that I don't know enough about the various packages to help
you import McIDAS AREA files.  I can, however, point you to documentation
about the AREA file format that might help you.

The AREA file format is documented extensively in a couple of files
(area.doc and area2.doc) that can be FTPed from the pub/mcidas
directory of anonymous FTP on ftp.unidata.ucar.edu.  These describe the
area directory entries that are needed to figure out where other
directories/codicils are located.

The AREA file format is also described in the McIDAS-X Programmer's
Reference Manual in the page concerning the AREA file format.  Please
refer to:

McIDAS Programmer's Manual
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mug/prog_man/prog_man.html

Chapter 7 - Format of the Data Files
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mug/prog_man/Current/progman-116.HTML#11044

>I would appreciate your help a lot. Thank you,

I hope that this helped.

>Daniel Blanco
>Research Assistant
>Center for Remote Sensing
>Boston University

Tom Yoksas