 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                          December 5, 1990

















                      L'Weather  M A P P E R  User's Guide

                                       A

                         Weather Data Plotting Program

                                      for

                                The COMPUTER Age
























                              L'Softworks Limited
                           803 12th Avenue Northwest
                         New Brighton, Minnesota  55112
                                 (612) 636-5538

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                          December 5, 1990



                      L'Weather  M A P P E R  User's Guide

                               Table of Contents
                               ----- -- --------

          Chapter            Description                          Page
          ------- ----------------------------------------------- ----

            i.  L'Softworks Limited Legal Stuff....................i-1

            1.  Introduction.......................................1-1

            2.  Files & Installation...............................2-1

            3.  Program Usage......................................3-1
                    Introduction & MAPPER OPTIONS SCREEN
                    Getting to the Graphics MAP Displays

                How is the MAPPER Program Used?....................3-2
                    Displaying A MAP and DATA information

                MAP & DATA Display : The Recommended Steps.........3-3

                Data Display Format................................3-7

                Quick User's Guide.................................3-8

                                    APPENDIX
                                    --------

               DATA FILES..........................................A-1
                    File Format of WXR Files
                    File Format of WXB Files
                    File Format of USER Data Files

               MAP FILES...........................................A-3

               SIL (Station Identification & Location) FILES.......A-4

               Future Plans for L'Weather MAPPER...................A-5

               L'WEATHER Order Form................................O-1

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                    Page i-1










                        L'Softworks Limited Legal Stuff
                        ----------- ------- ----- -----

  L'Softworks Limited warrants the diskette on which the software is furnished
  to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a
  period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery to you. Your copy of the
  sales receipt (or the date of my invoice to you) is your evidence as to when
  your copy of the software was purchased. L'Softworks Limited does NOT warrant
  that the software will meet your requirements or that the operation of the
  software will be uninterrupted and error free. You are solely responsible for
  the selection of the software to achieve your intended results as well as the
  results actually obtained.

  This product is copyrighted.  All rights reserved worldwide.  No part of this
  product may be reproduced, transmitted, or transcribed except under the terms
  of this agreement.

  This agreement constitutes the complete agreement between you and L'Softworks
  Limited.  Any additions or modifications must be approved in writing by both
  parties.  The terms of this agreement shall supersede the terms of any
  purchase order or other instrument you may issue for the software product
  provided under this agreement.





 ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
  All L'Softworks Limited products are trademarks or registered trademarks of
                              L'Softworks Limited.
                Other brand and product names are trademarks or
               registered trademarks of their respective holders.

                      Copyright 1990 L'Softworks Limited.
 ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 1-1

                                1.  Introduction

 The L'Softworks Limited L'WEATHER Programs consist of a growing set of
 applications that assist the weather observer in collecting, viewing,
 modifying and analyzing weather data.

 The L'Weather MAPPER Program is just one of these applications.

 Other products currently include the original L'Softworks Limited LWEATHER
 History & Log Data Database Manager, the L'Weather DAILY Database Manager, the
 L'Weather HISTORY Database Manager, and the L'Weather LOGGER Database Manager.
 Along with the database manager programs, L'Softworks Limited also offers a
 growing line of Weather Related Software which now includes the L'Weather
 ALMANAC Program.

 See the L'Softworks Limited Product Catalog for a general description of each
 of these L'Weather Applications.


                          1.1  MAPPER Product Description

 The L'Softworks Limited L'Weather MAPPER application is provided to give you a
 new view of your weather data information.  With the L'Weather MAPPER, you
 first prepare (or download from a weather data service) a data file that is
 formatted according to the specifications described in the Appendix of this
 document.  Then you run the L'Weather MAPPER program and select the MAP area
 you wish to view (usually this corresponds to the locations of the stations in
 your data file).  Also, you may select from a number of Station Identification
 and Location files (SIL files) which allow you to display the station
 identification on the selected map.  The final file (or set of files) you
 select is the weather data.  (Optionally, you may create the weather data file
 within the MAPPER program.  More about this later!).

 What you get to see as a result of using this application is a MAP display of
 the selected area along with the data information for the stations that exist
 in the map area.

 The current version of the L'Weather MAPPER is limited to displaying only the
 Current Air Temperature, Dew Point Temperature, and Barometric Pressure for
 each station.  Future versions of this product will have expanded data display
 capabilities that will include Wind Direction and Velocity information,
 Visibility information, and Precipitation Totals.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 2-1


                        2.  Files and Installation

 The L'Weather MAPPER Application consists of the executable program along with
 the User's Guide and Station Identification & Location files, the MAP files,
 and some example Weather Data Files.  An installation program is provided that
 unpacks and loads these files for you.  You install the L'Weather MAPPER
 program by using the INSTALL procedure as follows:

                              A:INSTALL A: C:

 Where, in this case, the L'Weather MAPPER Distribution Diskette is in disk
 drive A: and you wish to install the L'Weather MAPPER application onto your
 disk drive C:.  You may change the source and destination as required to do
 your installation.

 After you have installed the program, a subdirectory called LW is created on
 your destination disk.  This subdirectory should include the following
 L'Weather MAPPER files:

             LWMAPPER.EXE - The L'Weather MAPPER Executable Program
             LWMAPPER.HLP - The L'Weather MAPPER User's Guide
             *.MAP        - MAP Files used by L'Weather MAPPER
             *.SIL        - Station Identification & Location Files
             *.WXR        - An example Weather Data File (WXPLOT format)
             *.WXB        - Example Weather Data File(s) (WXBrief format)
                            (Also, this format is followed when L'Weather
                             MAPPER creates a data file from your keyboard
                             input.)

 If you have any of the other L'Weather Products, the LW subdirectory also will
 contain the files that came with those applications.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-1

                             3.  Program Usage

                    Introduction & MAPPER OPTIONS SCREEN

 Using the program is easy, just type LWMAPPER at the DOS prompt when you are
 in the subdirectory LW.  At the introduction screen, a calendar appears that
 has the current date highlighted and the time shows in the upper right of the
 screen.  If these are incorrect, press the Escape key [Esc] to return to DOS
 and enter the correct Date and Time for your computer.

 A program identification block shows the current version of the L'Weather
 MAPPER application.  Under the identification block, the current date is fully
 specified in Day of Week, Month, Day and Year format.  The L'Softworks Limited
 credits block appears under this date and is replaced with the MAPPER OPTIONS
 menu after a short amount of time.

 From the main screen you can access the features of the L'Weather MAPPER
 program.  The main screen looks like this:

╒════════════════════════ L ' W E A T H E R ■ MAPPER ══════════════════════════╕
│                                                                 4:20:13 p.m. │
│  ╒══════════════════════╕     ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ Day   November   Left│     │ Welcome to                   Version  N.nn │ │
│  │ 311     1990      54 │     │             L ' W E A T H E R              │ │
│  │ ──────────────────── │     │                   MAPPER                   │ │
│  │ SU MO TU WE TH FR SA │     └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│  │              1  2  3 │               Wednesday November 5, 1990           │
│  │  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 │     ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │ 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 │     │                                            │ │
│  │ 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 │     │           >PLOT the MAP & DATA  <          │ │
│  │ 25 26 27 28 29 30    │     │            MAP File Selection              │ │
│  │                      │     │            SIL File Selection              │ │
│  ╘══════════════════════╛     │            DATA File Selections            │ │
│     Current Selections        │            INPUT Keyboard Data             │ │
│   MAP            NAMERICA     │            OPTIONS for Plotting            │ │
│   Station IDs    NAMERICA     │            HELP                            │ │
│   Data File 1    WX_PLOT1     │            Exit                            │ │
│   Data File 2    WX_BRIEF     │                                            │ │
│   Data File 3    WX_USER1     └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│   Smooth Count   4                                                           │
│   Contour Loops  50                                                          │
│   Contour Color  Rainbow [One Color]                                         │
╘════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════Esc-EXIT══╛

 The currently selected (or default) MAP, SIL file and DATA file selections are
 listed under the calendar display.

 You can move the menu pointers that surround the current selected menu item
 ( > menu item < ) by using the arrow keys.  The Right Arrow or the Down Arrow
 selects the next item down in the list or wraps to the top of the list.  The
 Left Arrow or the Up Arrow goes up in the menu or wraps to the bottom of the
 list.  To select a menu item, press the [Enter] key when the item is
 highlighted.  You can also press the first letter (highlighted in a different
 color on color systems) in the menu list to go immediately to the function
 associated with that menu item.  (I.E.  Press M to select the MAP file
 selection menu item, etc.).

 You can leave the L'Weather MAPPER program by either pressing the Escape key
 [Esc] or by selecting the Exit menu item.

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-2


                             3.  Program Usage

                       How is the MAPPER Program Used?

 The L'Weather MAPPER program is used to display a map of a selected area along
 with the weather data information for a selected set of stations within that
 area.  Three categories of files are used in each display session:  a MAP
 file, a SIL (Station Identification and Location) file, and Data files.

 Before running the MAPPER application, you need to either create the data
 files or download the information from a weather information service.  The
 L'Weather MAPPER program can display data contained in up to three data files
 onto a single map.  The example files contained with the MAPPER program
 contain the information in the format expected by the L'Weather MAPPER.  They
 are:  WX_PLOT1.WXR, WX_BRIEF.WXB, and WX_USER1.WXB.  See the Appendix for a
 full description of the format required in these files.


                   Displaying A MAP and DATA information

 As mentioned before, the main menu interface to the MAPPER Program allows you
 to select the options that you wish to perform.

 The steps you normally would take are:

                           o Select the MAP file

 The map files provided represent a general set of locations across the United
 States and portions of Central and South America.  A very detailed map file
 exists in the file LWUS48.MAP.  This file can be broken into a smaller group
 of states which will plot much faster.  (Plotting then entire LWUS48.MAP can
 take a long time, depending on the speed of your computer.)   Several regional
 maps have been produced by L'Softworks Limited using the LWUS48.MAP as the
 base map. L'Softworks Limited is developing a MAPMAKER application that will
 read the LWUS48.MAP file and create 'Regional MAP Files' from a group of
 states that you select.  This program will be made available to all L'Weather
 MAPPER customers when it is completed.  Until then, simply use an editor
 capable of editing a large file, and export the states you wish to group into
 a REGION.MAP file to produce your own regional maps. The first line in the
 regional map file must specify the window area you want to display.  To
 calculate this, L'Softworks Limited loads the regional map into a spreadsheet
 program and determines the minimum and maximum latitude and longitudes
 included in the regional map.  Then round down and up to set the respective
 lowest and highest window boundaries for the MAP file.  For example, the
 Minnesota MAP file (MN.MAP) showed the values 43.5 89.50144 as the minimums
 and 49.38469 97.2379 as the maximums.

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-3


                             3.  Program Usage

                       o Select the MAP file (continued)

                     The header for this MAP file becomes:

                          NOTE : (Using Rounded Values)

                     Minimum Latitude  Minimum Longitude
           Maximum Latitude──────┐  │  │  ┌────Maximum Longitude
                                 │  │  │  │
                                 50,43,89,98,NW
           Color Selection────── 0,7
           State Header Line──── 0 1 "MN",497
                                 43.50000,91.21767
                                 ...
                                 remaining points in the file

 Other map files provided by L'Softworks Limited (for example NAMERICA.MAP) do
 not include the level of detail contained in LWUS48.MAP, and can be plotted
 more quickly when they are selected.

 To select a MAP file, position to the option > Select the MAP file < and press
 the [Enter] key.  Similarly, position to the MAP file that you want to use and
 again press the [Enter] key to pick that map.


         o Select the SIL file (Station Identification & Location file)

 The Station Identification & Location (SIL) file is used by the L'Weather
 MAPPER for two purposes:  1) for display purposes when you want to see the
 three character identifiers for the stations within a display map; 2) to limit
 the search for weather data to specific stations.  These files can be used
 like the MAP files to restrict the range of stations that are searched when
 reading the weather data files.  (The default Station Identification and
 Location file is NAMERICA.SIL, which includes more than 300 stations located
 in North American).  You might want to create your own set of station files
 for a group of weather stations that exist within the regional maps of your
 areas.  See the Appendix for details regarding the format of these files.

 To select a SIL file, position to the option > Select the SIL file < and press
 the [Enter] key.  Similarly, position to the SIL file that you want to use and
 again press the [Enter] key to pick that file.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-4


                             3.  Program Usage

    o Input keyboard data (if you want to create the WX_USER1.WXB file now)

 NOTE: Refer to the Appendix to find out the format of the Weather Data files.

 When you select this menu choice, you are presented with an on screen input
 form requesting the Weather information by prompting for Temperature, Dew
 Point, and Barometric Pressure :

            ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
            │ SID      Temp.  DewPoint  Bar.(nn.nn)                   │
            │ ===      ===============================                │
            │ IWD       58    45             29.90                    │
            │ P59       60    44             29.92                    │
            │ CMX       62    45             29.93                    │
            │ MQT       65    38             29.94                    │
            │ SAW       71    41             29.94                    │
            │ IMT       77    38             29.95                    │
            │ MNM       70    52             30.02                    │
            │ ........................................                │
            │ Enter Information ... Press Esc-Key to End              │
            └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

       The data information you input is converted to SA format and saved in
       the file WX_USER1.WXB.  (See Appendix and Reference Source for full
                                 details about SA Coding Format)
       ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

    Pressure in Mbars─┐   ┌──Air Temperature (Degrees F)
           Time──┐    │   │  ┌───Dew Point (Degrees F)
 Station ID──┐   │    │   │  │   ┌──Wind Direction (E=Estimated, Direction
             │   │    │   │  │   │                  divide by 10
             │   │    │   │  │   │                  17 = 170 degrees)
             │   │    │   │  │   │ ┌───Wind Speed (05 Gust to 17)
             │   │    │   │  │   │ │     ┌──Barometric Pressure
             │   │    │   │  │   │ │     │     (Drop first digit
             │   │    │   │  │   │ │     │      994 = 29.94" Hg.)
             SAW 0055 139/71/41/E1705G17/994
             IMT 0045 77/38/2405/995    (NOTE : Started with Air Temperature)
             MNM 2245 250 -BKN 15 70/52/1510/002
                      │    │   │
        Cloud Level───┘    │   │
              Cloud Type───┘   └────Visibility (15 miles)


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-5


                             3.  Program Usage

                       o Input keyboard data (continued)


 You enter the information on screen and press the return key after entering
 each station's information.  Currently, up to 40 characters of information can
 be entered.  The list scrolls upward after you enter 8 stations and you can
 continue entering additional weather information.  When you have completed
 entering the data, press the [Escape] key instead of entering information for
 another station.  Everything you entered is placed into the file WX_USER1.WXB.
 If the file had already existed, you have the choice of either Overwriting the
 old information, or Adding the new Weather Data to the exising file.  Note:
 When the weather data is displayed on your map, any new information replaces
 previous older information for that station. If you want to keep the weather
 data files, when you leave the L'Weather MAPPER application, rename the file
 WX_USER1.WXB to something else; for example SA901107.WXB could represent the
 weather data that you created on November 7, 1990.


                            o Select the DATA files

 By selecting this menu choice you can change from the WX_PLOT1 (WXR file
 extension files), WX_BRIEF (WXB extension files), and WX_USER1.(WXB extension
 is again used) weather data file defaults to any set of weather data files you
 have either created with an editor or downloaded.

 To select your DATA files, position to the option > Select the DATA files <
 and press the [Enter] key.  Similarly, position to the file that you want to
 use and again press the [Enter] key to pick that file. You first choose from a
 list of WXR files.  (These correspond to files that are created in the Weather
 Plot format - see the Appendix for a detailed file description.)   A second
 directory display appears showing all of the WXB files that you have in the
 current directory. Again, you position to a file and pick it just as you did
 for the MAP, SIL, and previous DATA files.


                           o Plot the MAP & DATA

 Once you have selected all of the files you want at the MAPPER OPTIONS menu
 (MAP file, SIL file, and DATA files), you can select PLOT the MAP & DATA to
 begin your graphics mapping session.

 The system goes into graphics mode for the display adapter/screen combination
 that it detects and a display of the MAP begins.  While the MAP is being
 plotted a short status message appears at the bottom of the screen:
 '...PLOTTING...'.  This status message is replaced by a function key menu when
 the plotting and station file reading is completed.

           F1-HELP  F2-DATA  F3-SILs        F5-ZOOM     Esc-EXIT

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-6

                               3.  Program Usage

                MAP & DATA Display : The Recommended Steps.

 This menu is your gateway into putting weather data information onto the
 displayed MAP.

           F1-HELP  F2-DATA  F3-SILs        F5-ZOOM     Esc-EXIT

 Press the Function Key that corresponds to the operation you want to perform.

 First, select ZOOM if you want to change to a specific area on the map you
 have displayed.  (Do the ZOOM first, because if you display SILs or DATA
 first, that information gets erased when the screen is cleared and the ZOOM
 redisplays your newly selected area).  So, with this in mind, press the
 function key to select ZOOM.  A box appears on your screen highlighting a
 default zoom area.  Use the prompts displayed at the bottom of the screen to
 MOVE and RESIZE that display area to select what you want to display.
 (WARNING:  This feature allows you to keep zooming until the box
 disappears...Don't do that because your system will hang!!  This problem will
 be fixed in a later release of the L'Weather MAPPER.)  The arrow keys move
 up/down or left/right.  Use the [+] key and [PgUp] to increase the size of the
 box. Use the [-] key and the [PgDn] key to decrease the size of the ZOOM box.
 Press the [End] key or the [Enter] key to display the ZOOM box area full
 screen on your display.  Pressing the [Esc] key redraws the original map
 (erasing everything you displayed in the process.)

 After you have zoomed in on the map areas that you want, (or if you have
 selected a regional map that already shows exactly the area you wanted to see)
 you can elect to display either the DATA or the SILs (Station Identifications
 & Locations) that apply to the displayed area.

 NOTE:  When the SILs option is selected, all stations in the file are read and
 displayed - even if they do not appear within the screen area you have
 selected.  So if the data file or the SIL file is quite large, you may need to
 wait a few moments before everything is displayed.

 Selecting SILs, displays the stations with a small circle located at the
 latitude and longitude defined for the station, along with the Station ID
 located to the upper right of the location circle.

 Pressing the DATA option brings up a second sub-menu:

   F1-Help  F2-WXPlot  F3-WXBrief  F4-WXUser  F5-Contour        Esc-EXIT

 from which you can select from any or all of the three Data file described
 earlier (and in greater detail in the Appendix).  In the example files, the
 WX_PLOT1.WXR data file is quite large, so it takes a while to completely
 display.  Reselect the DATA option and pick each of the data files until you
 have seen everything that you expected to see.

 You may not always want to display the SILs; however, when you do select that
 option, the three character ID for all of the stations within the window you
 have displayed will appear on the screen.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-7


                               3.  Program Usage

                              Data Display Format


 The current format of the DATA display is:

                       Air Temp   Station ID
                 DewPt Temp     o
                            Barometric Pressure

 (Color screens should see the station location circle in red, the Air
 Temperature in red, the Dew Point Temperature in green, and the Barometric
 Pressure in white.  These colors are the defaults and you may change them.)

 Depending on how many stations are present on the MAP and how much data is
 available for those stations, you might end up with a fairly cluttered screen.
 For that reason, you might need to reselect the ZOOM area and redisplay the
 selected information again with some of the stations removed.

 The Contour Option allows you to do some additional display processing of the
 weather information.  Pressing the function key for Contour shows:

      F1-HELP  F2-Temp  F3-DewPt  F4-BarPress  F5-Redraw MAP      Esc-EXIT

 Each of the data items shown can have Contour Lines drawn that correspond to
 the data values for the stations you have displayed.   The default settings
 that are used in contouring were shown on the MAPPER Main Screen.  They can be
 adjusted to provide you with the level of detail that you want to show in your
 on-screen display.  Increasing the Smooth Count parameter will result in the
 data being adjusted so that there is a less steep variation between adjacent
 points.  Since the original data may not supply enough points to provide a
 realistic contouring curve, those areas on your map that do not contain any
 data are initially given the mean value of the total data set.  As each
 smoothing loop is performed (as requested by the Smooth Count) the numbers are
 readjusted toward that mean value.  A second adjustment that you can make to
 provide more or less detail in contouring is the setting used in the Contour
 Count variable.  Increasing the Contour Count parameter results in more
 contour lines being drawn.  Please be aware that using a very large number for
 either of these variables will result in more time being required to do the
 smoothing calculations and the drawing of the contour lines.  If your system
 appears to have gone asleep when you select the Contour Option, check the
 values that you have selected to see if they are too large!

 In may cases, you may want to contour on just one item and then do a screen
 print of the resulting graphics screen (if your system has the capability of
 printing the graphics screen displayed...this is up to your system and not an
 integrated feature in the MAPPER program).

 The Redraw MAP option can be used to redraw the map lines into the display
 after you have used the contour option.

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page 3-8


                               3.  Program Usage

                      L'Weather MAPPER Quick User's Guide

                 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
                 │                                            │
                 │           >PLOT the MAP & DATA  <          │
                 │            MAP File Selection              │
                 │            SIL File Selection              │
                 │            DATA File Selections            │
                 │            INPUT Keyboard Data             │
                 │            OPTIONS for Plotting            │
                 │            HELP                            │
                 │            Exit                            │
                 │                                            │
                 └────────────────────────────────────────────┘



      ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │                                                                    │
      │     1.  Select MAP, SIL and DATA Files at the MAPPER main screen   │
      │                                                                    │
      │         * Set the OPTIONS for Plotting to adjust the look of the   │
      │           Contoured data display                                   │
      │         * Select INPUT Keyboard data to enter your own SA data     │
      │                                                                    │
      │     2.  Select PLOT the MAP & DATA to display your map             │
      │                                                                    │
      │     3.  At the Graphics Submenus                                   │
      │          * ZOOM (if necessary)                                     │
      │          * Display DATA and SILs onto the map                      │
      │          * Select the Contour Option and Contour the Data Item(s)  │
      │            you want                                                │
      │                                                                    │
      └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘


 Select the HELP option to access the L'Weather MAPPER User's Guide while using
 the MAPPER application.

 The [Esc] Escape Key returns you to the previous Graphics Submenu or to the
 MAPPER OPTIONS Screen.  At that point you can select other options (new MAP,
 SIL, or DATA files) or Exit the L'Weather MAPPER application.  When you select
 Exit, you are returned back to where you started. (Usually back to DOS).


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page A-1


                               A.  Appendix


                                 DATA FILES

          File Format of WXR Files (See WX_PLOT1.WXR sample file)

 The WXR files follow the format of the Weather Plot Program file. (WXPLOT,
 Copyright 1990 : Bryan Lambeth, PE, Hurricane Research Service, P.O. Box
 181032, Austin, TX  78718).  This file was created by downloading weather wire
 information.  L'Softworks Limited does not know the details of how to obtain
 this file, but if you contact the Hurricane Research Service, Bryan Lambeth
 can probably help you with those details.  The L'Weather MAPPER application
 was written to read the sample file included. The file is decoded whenever the
 string 'SA' in found in either column positions 5 and 6 or column positions 6
 and 7 of the WXR file.  After finding the 'SA' keyword, the station
 identification is cross referenced against the list read from the Station
 Identification & Location file you have selected for this map display.  When
 matching stations are found in the WXR file, the data information is displayed
 at the site location on the map whenever the site is visible in the display
 area you have selected.

                            Portion of WX_PLOT1.WXR
026 
SAMX1 MMMX 041500
TCG SI 1445 -X E30NUB 3HK 165/18/13 0000/263/HK3 CB 1 CDTE ALGS AC
           /927/50009
OAX SA 1445-XE25NUB 5HK 118/23/14 2106/237/HK2 /961/20001
VER RS 1445 -X E15NUB80NUB 5HK 119/29/24 0610/137/HK1/940/23091
CVA SA 1445 E50CDO6 28/M 0000/155 /HK2 CLCDO/5XXX9
PXM SA 1445 70MNUE100CDO7+ 28/22 0406/150 /BMSO CLCDO/07X90
ACA SA 1445 /MNU 7 107/29/24 0000/119/BMSO ALGS CI/00190
HUX SA 1445 25MNU120MNU/NUB 7+ 30/23 0000/122/BMSO/13699
...
864 
SAUS80 KWBC 081624
CLL SP 1615 E10 OVC 7 1805/996/ BINOVC
DLH SP 1620 -X M2 OVC 11/4F 1603/969/F3
FCA SA 1550 3 SCT 15 SCT E60 BKN 85 OVC 30  M/39/36/0000/008/
    SWU OMTNS W/DSNT SE CLDS OBSCG MTNS NW-S
HMS SA 1550 E100 BKN 15 209/52/31/3206/014/ RSNK 43/2303
IAH SP 1618 7 SCT M43 BKN 85 OVC 6R-F 0705/996
LCH SP 1614 E20 BKN 140 OVC 1RF 0810/999
LGA SP 1623 CLR 9 1713/004/HAZY WSHFT 20
SJN SA 1550 150 SCT 50 68/28/2223G33/997/NOSPL
...

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page A-2


            File Format of WXB Files (See WX_BRIEF sample file)

 The WXB files follow the format of the example WeatherBrief Program file.
 (WeatherBrief is copyrighted by WeatherBank, Incorporated, 1989, 1990). This
 file was created by editing the supplied WeatherBrief data file to eliminate
 the pre-data information. This should be done to remove the connect
 information from the beginning of the data set. The decoding of this file is
 similar to that done when decoding the WXR file. Basically, the 'SA' string is
 located and from that the station identification information is again matched
 against the SIL file selected for the current MAP display.



            File Format of USER Data Files (use a WXB extension)

 The third data file that the L'Weather MAPPER program can read and decode is
 really quite similar to the WeatherBrief file.  It is automatically created by
 the MAPPER program when you select the > INPUT Keyboard Data < option from the
 MAPPER OPTIONS menu.  After selecting that option you may enter data
 information for up to 8 stations.  This data information is entered at the
 keyboard in the 'SA' format.  Simply start the input with the Station
 Identification for the station that you want to enter data.  Follow the
 station id with a blank and the TIME of the observation.  Follow the TIME with
 a blank and then start entering the observation information beginning with the
 visibility followed by the standard 'SA' format altimeter, temperature,
 dewpoint, wind, and barometric pressure data.  In this version of MAPPER, only
 the temperature, dew point, wind information, and barometric pressure are
 decoded and displayed; therefore, you do not necessarily need to enter any
 visibility data.  Future versions of the L'Weather MAPPER will allow entry of
 more information and decode the entire SA observation string.


                            Portion of WX_BRIEF.WXB

DY-HR     TOWN      RAW OBSERVATION
====== ============ ===============
01-01A Ironwood     IWD SA 0054 200 -BKN 10 73/33/2208/989
01-01A Copper Harbo P59 SA 0048 RAMOS/65/24/0303/M PK WND 09///000 RNO
...
01-01A Manistee     MBL SA 0047 200 -SCT 15 64/46/2303/006

DY-HR     TOWN      RAW OBSERVATION
====== ============ ===============
01-01A Spencer      3SE SA 0050 E20 OVC 6H 66/54/1609/990/NOSPL
...
01-01A Estherville  EST SA 0050 E60 OVC 12 68/49/1714G22/990/LAST
                    LAST


 For more information about the format of the SA observations, see the
 publication "AVIATION WEATHER SERVICES" (Publication Number AC 00-45C which is
 available from the US Government Printing Office.  Call L'Softworks Limited
 for address information if you need this publication.)

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page A-3


                                 MAP FILES

 The MAP files used by the L'Weather MAPPER program follow a format originally
 derived from the Weather Plot Program MAP files.

                            Portion of NAMERICA.MAP

55,5,60,130,NW { Was,50,22,64,129 }
0,7
0,3
1,1
50,130             <--- Grid Display
50,60
...
0,1 { West Coast Line Central America to US }
7,77.7
7.3,78
8,78.3
8.3,78.1
8.3,78.4
9,79.1
...

 The first line of the file contains the limits of the MAP window that will be
 displayed.  This is followed by background and line drawing color commands and
 the latitudes and longitudes of points that make up the map and its
 appropriate grid display.

 L'Softworks Limited has modified and merged these original MAP files to create
 a new set of MAP files for the North American Continent area (not much of
 Canada at this time, sorry).  Other regional and state map areas can be
 created by subdividing the main file (NAMERICA.MAP) into smaller divisions.
 (NOTE--Additional editing and clean-up of this MAP file is planned.  The
 current version of the MAP has a number of inconsistent and non-registered
 borders that will be fixed as a more precise point file is created.)

 Some of the original Weather Plot MAP files are included in the pre-release
 version of L'Weather MAPPER.  These will probably be replaced by a custom set
 of maps in a future release of the L'Weather MAPPER.  In particular,
 L'Softworks Limited is in the process of dividing the United States into
 regional groups that correspond to the National Weather Service regional
 forecast areas. Along with the MAP file changes, custom Station Identification
 & Location files will be created that include just the SILs for the stations
 involved in the region.  This will save time when displaying the maps as only
 stations within the map area will be read instead of the entire NAMERICA.SIL
 file.

 The Weather Plot MAP files can be display using the L'Weather MAPPER program.
 However, do note that some of these files may cause strange background and
 line colors to be displayed along with some out-of-place lines.

 You may generate your own set of maps by following the format of the sample
 MAP files.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page A-4


               SIL (Station Identification & Location) FILES

 The Station Identification & Location (SIL) file is used by the L'Weather
 MAPPER to limit the search for data to specific stations.  Again, the original
 SIL files were adapted from SIL files included with the Weather Plot Program.
 These files can be used and selected as you input files. However, L'Softworks
 Limited has created an entirely new SIL file called NAMERICA.SIL which
 includes many more stations, and expanded information about the stations.

                            Portion of NAMERICA.SIL

X13,78325,2310,8221,50 Cuba Station
CUL,76412,2449,10724,171 Culiacan,MX
...
OLY,12345,4658,12254,00190 Olympia,WA
YKM,12345,46.60133,120.50283,0000 Yakima,WA
ELO,12345,4756,09146,01340 Ely,MN
...
UIL,12345,0000,00000,0000 Quillayute,WA

 Although still incomplete, this file is an attempt to provide a full list of
 station identifiers and locations for stations within the NAMERICA.MAP area.

 The file consists of the Station ID, followed by a station number (when
 known), the latitude and longitude of the station, the station elevation, and
 finally an alphabetic station city and state.

 This file may be modified as you add additional stations of your own. Also,
 you can selectively export stations from this file to create region or state
 specific SIL files.  L'Softworks Limited will be creating SIL files that
 correspond to regional MAP files in the near future.  By using smaller files,
 less time is taken during the ...PLOTTING... period of the MAP display
 session.

 The way that this file is used is that it is selected at the SIL File
 Selection option on the MAPPER OPTIONS menu.  Then, when you select PLOT the
 MAP & DATA, the file is read during the plotting process.  When the plot of
 the map you selected is complete, a menu appears at the bottom of the screen.
 At this menu, you may select SIL from the options displayed. The station
 locations and 3 character IDs are displayed at that time.


 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page A-5


                       Future Plans for L'Weather MAPPER

 Although approaching 'state-of-the-art'! the L'Weather MAPPER is an evolving
 program and the following general areas are under development.

 o  Wind Direction and Velocity Display

 o  Shade center of station location circle to indicate visibility

 o  Contouring options for:
    - Temperatures
    - Dew Point
    - Pressure
    - User entered data information

 o  Custom User Data Interface module to allow the creation of such things as
    rainfall maps and other custom data contour displays

 o  Linkage with other L'Weather Products to preserve the SA data information
    into selected database files.  (Historical, Log Data  and Daily Database
    interface).

 o  Saving of screen images (especially contours) to allow 'slide-show' style
    replaying of those screens.

 o  Customer Suggestions are always appreciated and often implemented in later
    versions of the L'Weather Products.

 ═════════════════════ L'WEATHER  M A P P E R  User's Guide ═══════════════════
 L'Softworks Limited                                           December 5, 1990
                                                                       Page O-1
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