20011024: conversion in AREA files

>From: "Jason J. Levit" <address@hidden>
>Organization: Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms, University of Okla
homa
>Keywords: 200110241902.f9OJ2n113278 McIDAS IMGCOPY

Jason,

>I'm attempting to process McIDAS AREA satellite imagery files that
>contain data in the "RAW GVAR" format, and I'm trying to convert the
>data to "VISR BRIT" AREA format.  Is there an easy way to do this in
>McIDAS?

Yes.  The command you should be looking at is IMGCOPY.  You basically
"copy" the "RAW GVAR" data (which should be 2-byte) into a new dataset
specifying STYPE=VISR.  Here are some snippits from the online help
for IMGCOPY:

IMGCOPY -- Copies image data from a server
   IMGCOPY sdataset ddataset <keywords>
Parameters:
   sdataset | source ADDE dataset name and position; specify as
              alias.position or group/descriptor.position; to use default
              position, either enter "0" or omit .position portion
              (no def for alias or group/descriptor, def=0 for position)
   ddataset | destination ADDE dataset name and position; specify as
              alias.position or group/descriptor.position; only positive
              integers (absolute positions) or the default are valid for
              the position number; to use the default position, omit the
              .position portion (no def for alias or group/descriptor, for
              position def=the position following the most recent image)
Keywords:
 
 ...

*********************  Output Keywords  **********************************
   BANd=    | image band number to copy (def=existing band if image is
              single-band; no def if image is multi-band)
       =ALL | copies all bands; not valid with STYPE=VISR
   DOC=YES  | include the image documentation when copying the
              sdataset image data (def=NO)
   GAUge= | outputs text messages that indicate the percentage of the
            copy that has been completed; specify as a percentage between
            0 and 50; for example, if GAUGE=20, text messages are output
            when the copy is 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% complete
   MAG=lmag emag | line and element magnification of the data
                   (lmag def=1, emag def=lmag)
   OVERride=NO  | does not copy image if most recent image in ddataset
                  contains same date, time and band (def)
           =YES | copies image to ddataset position following the most
                  recent image even if the date, time and band are same;
                  this keyword is ignored if a position number is
                  specified in ddataset
   SIZe=line ele | number of lines and elements of the sdataset image to
                   copy (def=480 640 unless using POES data and specifying
                   C option in TIME keyword; see TIME keyword)
       =ALL | copies entire sdataset image including all bands and
              documentation; if sdataset image has multiple bands with
              different sizes and resolutions (e.g., Stretched Data Format
              files on SDI servers), all bands are copied at the lowest
              resolution and smallest size; the only other keywords valid
              with SIZE=ALL are DAY, RTIME, TIME, ALL, REPEAT and CYCLE
       =SAME  | retains the original sdataset image size; can be used to
                copy a single band from a multi-band image
   STYpe=VISR | reduces 2-byte data to 1-byte brightness data; not valid
                with BAND=ALL or SIZE=ALL
   UNIT= | calibration unit for output image file; use this keyword with
           NCDF-format destination datasets; to determine available units,
           display the source image and run the D command (def=primary
           calibration unit in source image)

 ...

>I checked out the "SU" command, but I wasn't sure if it would
>get me there, and thought I might be missing something easy.

SU is not the command you are looking for.

>Basically, the code we have to read the AREA format data and convert
>it for use in our NWP system expects the data to be in VISR BRIT
>format.  So, I need an AREA file which conforms to that file structure,
>if it's possible.

IMGCOPY is the routine for you!

>Thanks for any assistance!

You are welcome.

>ps: this is a separate issue from converting GINI data to McIDAS AREA,
>though I'm working closely with Kevin Thomas (CAPS) on that issue as
>well.  Thanks for all of your help with this!

I understand.  I sent Kevin a reply to the GINI issue a few minutes ago
(but I see that he has already responded to that one :-)

Tom