20010316: Help with McIDAS class assignment

>From: Edward Hindman <address@hidden>
>Organization: CCNY
>Keywords: 200103162320.f2GNK2L07189 McIDAS-X ADDE

Ward,

>Here's and exercise I need to work through the afternoon of 20 March with 
>my students.  I've put in (  ) comments where McIDAS commands used last 
>spring failed and I need your help learn the correct McIDAS commands.

OK.  My annotations will be the lines that do not begin with an '>'.
Also, I have run the replacement commands I recommend while pointing
at halo to verify that everything works.

>Data collection using McIDAS :
>
>McIDAS is software developed by the University of Wisconsin to analyze 
                                    ^ Space Science and Engineering Center
                              at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

>weather data and satellite images. Here are the steps to collect 
                              ^__ imagery

>meteorological data which is saved in Halo (word that appear in "  " are 
>entries you are to type in the McIDAS command window):
>
>1. Activate McIDAS on a PC by clicking on the McIDAS-X icon (you may have 
>to click again after Exceed loads)
>
>2. Get into McIDAS command prompt: click and drag on command-window

3a. Make sure that your McIDAS session will access the imagery in the
dataset RTIMAGES from halo:

DATALOC ADD RTIMAGES HALO.SCI.CCNY.CUNY.EDU

3b.  Find out what kind of imagery is contained in the RTIMAGES dataset:

DSINFO IMAGE RTIMAGES

>3. Type "LA 140 149", this lists all the current east coast visible 
>satellite image files (area files). The AREA file number is listed (xxx) 
>and the year (yy), Julian date (ddd) and hours-minutes-seconds (hhmmss) 
>are listed plus band number (band 1 or sensor channel 1). Similarly, "LA 
>150 159" lists all the current east coast IR images (band 4) and "LA 210 
>219" lists all the current east coast WV images (band 3). Write down the 
>AREA (xxx) number for most current IR image.

Type: IMGLIST RTIMAGES/GE-VIS.ALL, this lists all the current GOES-East
visible satellite images in the RTIMAGES dataset.  The position in the
dataset, sensor source, Julian date (DD MMM YYJJJ), and image time
(HH:MM:SS) are listed plus band number (band 1 or sensor channel 1).

Similarly, "IMGLIST RTIMAGES/GE-IR.ALL" lists all the current GOES-East
IR images (band 4) and "IMGLIST RTIMAGES/GE-WV.ALL" lists all the
current GOES-East WV images (band 3).  Write down the dataset position
number for the most current GOES-East IR image.

>(Tom, in spring 2000 the LA command worked.  Now, on our McIDAS V7.7000 
>it doesn't work.  The LA command is listed in the HELP file though)

It should still work, but you should migrate away from using it.  If it
does not work, one of two things might be wrong:

o your session does not have a file REDIRECTion that points to the
  image files

o image files might not even be accessible from the machine(s) that
  you are running your McIDAS session from

In either case, you should use the DATALOC command to "point" at halo
for the RTIMAGES data, and IMGLIST to list the contents of the
dataset.

>4. Call up the image by typing 
>
>"DF xxxx 1 EC NYC EU=IMAGE.ET"
>
>This command loads your image (xxxx) in frame 1, centered on NYC and 
>applies the image enhancement (type "HELP DF" for details). 

4. Load the most current IR image in frame 1:

"IMGDISP RTIMAGES/GE-IR.xx 1 STA=KNYC EU=IMAGE"

>(Tom, again, the DF command worked in spring 2000 and fall of 2000 but not 
>now.  Again, the DF command is listed in the help file.  I did not go 
>further in the exercise because the first two necessary commands did not work.
>Could you please read on and write down the correct commands))

The DF command is most likely not working for the exact same reason
that the LA command is not working.  Again, I recommend that you move
away from using non-ADDE commands like LA, DF, etc. and use ADDE
commands instead.

>5. Type "SF 1" to display the image if it does not appear automatically.
>
>6. Type "MAP H 12" to put a map on the image
>
>7. Identify a region where you wish to map the temperatures. Pick a 
>region with a large temperature gradient (large change in temperature 
>over a small distance). Adjust the cursor to produce a field of data that 
>can fit easily on one sheet of 8 x 11 paper by typing:
>
>       "CUR 13 13"
>       (type "HELP CUR" to get details)
>       
>DO NOT MOVE CUSOR AFTER PLACING IT ON THE REGION OF STUDY
>
>To locate the center of the cursor hit the Alt and E keys and the 
>latitude and longitude are displayed. To relocate the cursor at that 
>point, type "PC E lat lon" where lat and lon are, respectively, the 
>latitude and longitude of the point. To determine the temperature at the 
>center of the cursor hit the Alt and D keys.
>
>8. Type "TFILE OPEN "filename.xyz", this creates a file in Halo to capture 
>you data. Type "HELP TFILE" to get details.
>
>9. Type "OD L T", this makes a text file of temperatures (K) in the box 
>defined by the cursor (eg. 2740 = 274.0K). Type "HELP OD" to get details.

9. Type "IMGPROBE LIST BOX TEMP MODE=N" this makes a text file of
temperatures (K) in the box defined by the cursor.  Type "HELP
IMGPROBE" to get details.

IMGPROBE can be run interactively.  To try this out, run the following:

IMGPROBE LIST BOX TEMP

When directed to by the program, move your mouse cursor to interesting
areas in the display and press the right mouse button to list out the
temperatures within the cursor.  When you are finished, press the left
and right mouse buttons simultaneously, or type ALT-Q in the McIDAS
Text and Command window.

>10. Type "TFILE CLOSE", this writes on Halo what is displayed on the 
>screen resulting from the command in step 8 and closes the file.

Please let me know if these don't work for you, or if there are things
about accessing imagery data via ADDE that don't make sense.

Tom

>From address@hidden Sat Mar 17 20:59:07 2001

Tom:

Thank you for your help!  It all makes sense.  I'll test all early Monday 
morning and get back to you with what I learned.

Sincerely,

Ward Hindman
CCNY