20010319: [mfd] Unidata FRONT and FRNTDISP commands

>From:  Pepo Juega <address@hidden>
>Organization:  INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE METEOROLOGIA
>Keywords:  200103191035.f2JAZRL01429 McIDAS FRONT FRNTDISP ASUS FSUS

Pepo,

>I am interested in adapting the FRONT commando (from XRD) to our
>site. We do not use XCD, but ingest our own MDs straight off our
>WMO-GTS links.

Unidata has another, more up to date, routine called FRNTDISP that you
may want to consider investigating.  The most current Unidata versions
of FRONT (front.pgm) and FRNTDISP (frntdisp.pgm) can be found in the
pub/mcidas/src directory of anonymous FTP on the Unidata FTP server,
ftp.unidata.ucar.edu.

>In particular, I would like to obtain samples for the ASUS/FSUS
>reports to evaluate a possible substitution here.

I put ASUS and FSUS bulletins for two days (2001075 and 2001076) in
the files ASUS1075, ASUS1076, FSUS2075, and FSUS2076.  These can be
found in the pub/mcidas/data directory on our anonymous FTP server.

>As long as we are at it, anybody knows of/uses any general purpose
>drawing tool alongside McIDAS to do this kind of graphic manipulation
>like drawing fronts, weather symbols, re-arrange isolines... ??
>(...What meteorologists call a significative map)

Sorry, I don't know of any graphic drawing tools like this that work
with McIDAS.  If the McIDAS image window were recast as a Tk canvas,
however, the ability to draw on top of the  window would fall out
easily.  The job of recasting the image window, would be considerable,
AND it is not known well how things like looping would work.  I throw
this out to the developers forum for anyone who has some spare time (:-)
and wants what looks to be a fun project.

Tom
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* Tom Yoksas                                             UCAR Unidata Program *
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