20040423: reading non-McIDAS files into McIDAS (cont.)

>From: Paul Ruscher <address@hidden>
>Organization: FSU
>Keywords: 200404191934.i3JJYZCT009529 McIDAS ADDE GVAR

Hi Paul,

Do you have any documentation for the "raw" GVAR files that your
Quorum ingest system is producing?  I have been looking through
the McIDAS GVAR server code and am getting a feel for it, but I 
need to know how the data it serves -- raw data from an SSEC
GVAR ingestor -- compares to your data.

Thanks in advance...

>Hi, Tom - thanks for the comments - of course I can wait, since this  
>project has been going on for 5 years now with little to show for it  
>(maybe it's not even a project then?).  We have a GVAR system from  
>Quorum Communications.  The data are ingested directly by a hardware  
>board and software system (proprietary) that they designed and built  
>(www.qcom.com) - their display software was ok for monitoring but not  
>for product generation, so we later bought an analysis and display  
>package from DirectMet (which is now part of IPS GlobalStar, I think),  
>and it is no longer supported.  However it still carves out nice  
>sectors for us to use with our schools and web imagery.

DirectMet works with the raw data ingested by the Quorum system?

>What I've always wanted to do was take the raw GVAR data files ingested  
>by the computer and redirect them to McIDAS which could handle them.   

Me too.

>Denise L. at SSEC mentioned to me years ago that she thought this might  
>be possible, without knowing the details of how our file system handles  
>images.

Yes, it may well be possible.  Some information on the format of the
raw data ingested by the Quorum system would be most useful at this moment.

>Both Quorum and DirectMet "file" images with type .gvr but of course I  
>have no idea if we have any "raw" GVAR images anywhere on our system.   

Joe says yes.

>That is where Joe has come in - I had a small window of opportunity  
>finally to commit some financial resource to the project, and a  
>programmer/former Met major interested.  So Joe is working with me to  
>try to get into the system.  I think that we could talk to Quorum at  
>some point, too, and perhaps find out if there is a way to "intercept"  
>the raw files as they come in from GOES 12, too.

And get some documentation on the data.  If the gvar file that Joe
provided is really raw, then the data that the McIDAS GVAR server
works on is not really raw, or at least not totally raw.

>Now of course the tricky part is I was thinking out loud here, trying  
>to see if I could provide some service - and if indeed it comes to  
>fruition that we can deliver the RSO and SRSO data to the community,  
>that would be great.

I was thinking about FSU being willing to operate an ADDE server
that would be open to the community.

>As you know, we have a very cautious (probably  
>rightfully so) systems administration group here, so I don't know how  
>far I can take this - but at least we could make it open to Unidata and  
>you guys could distribute the data, even if only in backup mode.

Accessing satellite imagery is not like MP3 files. The geek factor
is significantly higher ;-)

>The Quorum folks are great to work with, in my experience, they have  
>provided us with almost all of the 250+ systems we have purchased since  
>1992 for schools, including our HRPT and GVAR imagery.  Perhaps we  
>could work on HRPT next?

One thing at a time...

>They are also going to provide us with a free  
>upgrade to get the Chinese HRPT imagery from the Fengyun 1D spacecraft.  

Very cool!

>  They could probably tell us right away if this is feasible, come to  
>think of it.  I have to call them on another matter and I will ask - as  
>I'm sure that will help - but I really wanted to get to a point where I  
>really could understand the data processing chain, too, which is why  
>I've been having Joe work on this stuff.

OK.  Did you call?  If yes, did you learn anything?

>He also got McIDAS running in my lab, and the department is finally  
>moving toward making it available again after a 5 year hiatus, too, so  
>that was my other motivation, from an instructional standpoint - to  
>offer students multiple packages again!  Now I have to get up to speed  
>on IDV!  Paul

Having an ADDE server for the data would fit IDV nicely as well.

Cheers,

Tom
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