[Support #PWI-972918]: McIDAS Inquiry

Hi Moonie,

re:
> We are involved in a project concerning weather prediction and forecast. The
> main target is to be able to centralize all existing stand alone systems to
> access a centralized database of which Oracle 10g will be the database
> platform.

This sounds like an interesting project.

> My questions are as follows:
> 
> 1. Can McIDAS-X access the Oracle database for both queries and
>    updates?

Not in its current implementation.  One can write new ADDE servers to support
different types of data and/or data storage formats for data.

> 2. Can McIDAS-X be used just to query the data from the oracle
>    database, 

Again the answer is no.  McIDAS uses its own, homegrown database for storage
of POINT data types (e.g., surface, upper air, ship/buoy, synoptic, profiler,
lightning, etc.).

>    or is it also required to read and interpret the data in which it
>    would have to be the medium for uploading or updating the Oracle database?

I am not sure I understand this portion of the question.  Perhaps knowing that
McIDAS does not (currently) have built-in support for Oracle databases is
sufficient to answer the question?

> 3. Is the implementation of McIDAS-X complex or simple?

I would say that McIDAS is straightforward.  Since I have been supporting
and developing the system for the past 18 years, it is no longer easy
for me to judge if its implementation is simple or complex.  The good
news is that it is distributed as full source and there is a decent Programmer's
Reference Manual.

> 4.    Are there any local resources in the Philippines who are experienced
> or have the capability in implementing such a solution?

I am sorry to say that I don't know the answer to this question.  I can
say, however, that Unidata has no McIDAS sites in the Philippines.

> Thank you for your assistance.

No worries.

Since you work for a non-educational institution, you would be required
to get McIDAS directly from its primary developer, the Space Science
and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
You can contact the helpdesk of the McIDAS Users Group (MUG) at SSEC
for further information on licensing the package:

address@hidden


Cheers,

Tom
****************************************************************************
Unidata User Support                                    UCAR Unidata Program
(303) 497-8642                                                 P.O. Box 3000
address@hidden                                   Boulder, CO 80307
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unidata HomePage                       http://www.unidata.ucar.edu
****************************************************************************


Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: PWI-972918
Department: Support
Priority: Normal
Status: Closed