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Text File | 1993-10-21 | 45KB | 986 lines

W e a t h e r V i e w Version 2.5b (c) Copyright 1993 Jim Haywood NOTICE TO REGISTERED USERS: BE SURE THAT THE FILE 'WXVIEW.KEY' FOUND ON YOUR REGISTRATION DISK IS LOCATED ON YOUR WORKING DIRECTORY FOR ALL UPDATES. OTHERWISE WXVIEW WILL ASSUME THIS IS A DEMONSTRATION VERSION AND HAVE LIMITED GRAPHICS (OTHER THAN THE DEMO DATA SET). NOTICE TO ALL USERS: UPGRADE FROM VERSION 2.5a TO 2.5b INCLUDES: · COMMAND LINE ENTRY OF RAW DATA FILE TO AUTOMATICALLY REFORMAT RAW DATA AND GRID PRESSURE · RETAINS LAST ZOOM BOX SIZE AND LOCATION WHEN RE-STARTING WXVIEW · REMEMBERS CURRENT DISPLAY PARAMETER BETWEEN ZOOM UP AND DOWN · PROVIDE STATION ID WITH DATA IN ZOOM DISPLAY 1.0 WHAT IS WEATHERVIEW? WeatherView was written to provide anyone with a MS-DOS based personal computer and a modem the ability to view and analyze real-time National Weather Service (NWS) hourly data. WeatherView is offered as a shareware program therefore registration cost is held to a minimum. This program rivals or beats expensive commercial programs and other shareware programs designed for non-technical weather surface depiction. Without the coded 'key' file provided to registered users, the program will be a demonstration version and allow any user to 'kick the tires' before expending any hard earned cash. The demo version will work 100% with the supplied demo data set but have limited graphics with user supplied NWS data. Minimum computer hardware required to operate WeatherView: MS-DOS Environment 512K or more available memory EGA video (minimum) 80286 Processor Minimum (80386 or better recommended) Math Coprocessor not necessary but highly recommended Running WeatherView is as easy as 1,2,3: 1) Download NWS data 2) Reformat NWS data to column oriented format 3) Graphically display weather or search station data by event Specific capabilities of the WeatherView program include: o Format raw NWS surface airways (SA) data and digital radar (SD) data to a column oriented format; o Graphically display the following data in national or zoom mode: - Current observations - Cloud cover and base height - Visibility in statute miles - Pressure (with optional isobar plot) - Temperature - Dew point - Wind direction and speed flags - Digital radar map - Available NWS cities - Relative humidity - Wind chill - Apparent temperature (heat index) o NWS data can be searched and displayed in common, understandable text by the following criteria: - Search by city name or NWS code - Search by state - Search for extremes in data set - Search by following precipitation types: Rain Drizzle Snow Thunderstorm Ice Freezing precipitation Hail - Search for temperatures greater than - Search for temperature less than User configuration allows user to search U.S. data only or search both U.S. and Canadian data. o Program can be user configured with the following options: - Define parameter to overlay pressure isobar - User choice for map parameter colors - Include or exclude Canadian data in searches - Specify isobar smoothing passes (minimum of 1, maximum of 3) - Specify isobar spacing in zoom window (minimum of 1, maximum of 4) - Toggle on/off 3-D shadowing - Define time zone - Define text editor to correct faulty data (public domain editor provided with WeatherView) o Ability to archive and retrieve data sets Each of these options will be detailed in following sections along with typical benchmark time tests from various machines. THE CATCH: The user has to provide his/her own NWS data. In this modern age of data at your fingertips, this is not a problem unless you don't have a modem. The three cheapest sources of NWS hourly data I've found and used are: - Compuserve ($8.95 per month for basic service) - Weathermation (free locally if available) - GTE Contel DUAT (free 800 number) 2.0 THE HISTORY OF WEATHERVIEW As a Penn State graduate (Meteorology 1979) and professional meteorologist working in the field of industrial air pollution, I have missed working with forecasting and observation (the first love of all meteorologists). As such, WeatherView was born in 1986 as a BASIC program which reformatted NWS surface airways (SA) data and plotted the basic parameters on rough regional maps. With the desire to expand capabilities and increase speed, the BASIC program was scrapped and re- written in a combination of Microsoft Quick C and Microsoft Assembler. Originally intended for my own self-gratification as a meteorological hobby, I shared it with friends in the NWS and various state Departments of Natural Resources with whom I associate. Through their encouragement and the fact that there are few comparable shareware programs, it is now released as a low cost program to hobbyist who also love having up-to-the-minute weather access. 3.0 RETRIEVING THE NWS DATA SET I am assuming that the user has a modem and is familiar with the fine art of telecommunications and text data capture. If this is a false assumption, the user must learn telecommunications before this program will be of any use. There are many sources of NWS and Canadian weather data. As mentioned in Section 1.0, the three cheapest sources of data I know are: o Compuserve - The basic service price of $8.95 per month allows unlimited access to NWS hourly surface airways data (SA) and digital radar data (SD). From within Compuserve, type GO AWX to get to the aviation weather menu. This is the service I use most frequently. o Weathermation - This is a free dial-in service provided by many state's Bureau of Aviation for pilots. All SA and SD data for U.S. and Canada are available. o GTE Contel DUAT - This is provided by a toll free number (1- 800-767-9989). Although all SA and SD data are available, data must be retrieved on a state-by-state basis. This pilot service is also free but the most time consuming service. After getting into your NWS data source, turn on the text capture ability of your communications program. By entering a SA or SD command, hourly data will be displayed and captured to a file on your local disk. For example, SA MN,IA,WI will display surface data for Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin while entering SD MN,IA,WI will display digital radar for Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Within the Compuserve database, entering SA US will display data for the entire U.S. Entering SA @ALL will trigger all data for all North America. Entering SD US will display all digital radar data readings from the U.S. I have macros set up within my telecommunications program to specify the 48 continental states, Canadian border provinces, and U.S. digital radar. Use of macros makes data retrieval very easy and quick. The NWS takes SA hourly readings at approximately 5 to 10 minutes before each hour. The accumulation of all SA data gives a 'snapshot' of the weather at that moment in time. Typically, the SA data is available for download at 10 to 15 minutes after the hour. Canadian data usually is available around half past the hour. The data retrieved in the SA format is interpreted from its raw format in the following manner. Weather & Visibility Codes Prefixes Suffixes ------------------------- --------- -------- hAil drizzLe Blowing shoWers Dust saNd freeZing + heavy Fog Rain - light Ground Fog Snow ++ very heavy Haze Snow Grains Ice Crystals Snow Pellets Ice Fog Thunderstorms Ice Pellets spraY smoKe freeZing Rain shoWer Cloud Abbreviations Ceiling Prefixes ------------------------------------- ---------------- CLR CLEAR: <10% sky cover E-Estimated SCT SCATTERED: 10-50% sky cover M-Measured BKN BROKEN: 60-90% sky cover W-Indefinite OVC OVERCAST: >90% sky cover V-Variable - THIN (prefix) X OBSCURATION: sky obscured -X PARTIAL OBSCURATION: sky partially obscured SA data Example: LGA SA 1352 15 SCT M25 OVC 1R-F 132/58/56/1815G21/993/R28LVR20 LGA = LaGuardia SA=regular hourly Surface observAtion [SP=special] 1352 = time of observation 13:52 UCT [EDT+5; EST+4] 15 SCT = scattered clouds 1500' above ground(airport) elevation M25 OVC = overcast clouds measured at 2,500 AGL 1R-F = visibility 1 statute mile, with restriction to visibility identified as light rain and fog 132 = barometric pressure in millibars=1013.2 58/56 = temperature / dew point in F 1815G21 = wind from 180 degrees magnetic at 15 knots; peak gust 21 R28LRV20 = runway 28 left visual range 2000 feet The data retrieved in the raw SD format is decoded in the following manner. Format: Station ID/time/location intensity azimuth and range/movement/ tops/precipitation type-intensity trend/remarks/end Example: NYC 1930 AREA 2 TRW++/+ 297/130 152/115 160W C2620 MT 300 AT 254/39 HAIL REPORTED THIS CELL NYC RADAR 1930 UCT; AREA OF ECHOES 2/10 COVERAGE, VERY HVY THUNDERSTORMS FROM 297 DEGREES/130 NM TO 152 DEGREES/115 NM; AREA IS 160NM WIDE;MAX TOP 30,000' AT 245 DEG/39NM; RMKS PLAIN LANGUAGE; Intensity Decoder Level Echo Intensity Precip Intsy Rainfall Rate ----- -------------- ------------- ------------- 1 Weak None or light <.1-.2 2 Moderate Moderate .1-1.1 3 Strong Heavy .5-2.2 4 Very Strong Very Heavy 2.2-4.5* 5 Intense Intense 4.5-7.1* 6 Extreme Extreme >7.1 in/hr *= only in convective situations 8 Unknown but associated with severe wx 9 Unknown Abbreviations ------------- HOOK - signature "tail" usually associated with tornadoes HAIL - radar indicated hail LINE - echoes are in a line LEWP - Line Echo Wave Pattern - wavy line FNLN - FiNe LiNe; narrow non-precipitation echo pattern BWER - Bounded Weak Echo Region - echo free vault within a cell ALFT - precipitation ALoFT MALF - Mostly ALoFt precipitation PALF - Partly ALoFt precipitation MLVL - Melting LeVeL; radar detection of melting of frozen precip PCLL - Persistent CeLLs SLD - SoLiD areas of 80% or more PPINE - equipment normal; No Echoes OM - inOp or out of service for Maintenance NA - observation Not Available NS - equipment normal; No Significant echoes ROBEPS Radar Operating BElow Performance Standards ARNO - Azimuth Range indicator iNOperative RHINO - Radar Height Indicator iNOperative Note: above SA and SD decoding information was taken from the Compuserve file WXDECO.TXT. The NWS radar stations take the SD digital radar reading at approximately 25 minutes past the hour. It is usually available for download at 45 minutes after the hour. The provided file 'DEMO.DAT' is a demonstration file of a Compuserve data download session which captured the 48 continental states, Canadian border provinces, and U.S digital radar. THE PROVIDED DEMONSTRATION DATA FILE 'DATA.DAT' IS ENCODED TO WORK 100% WITH WEATHERVIEW V2.5b. DATA DOWNLOADED BY THE USER WILL HAVE GRAPHIC CAPABILITIES LIMITED TO 50% OF USER THE SUPPLIED DATA WITH NO ZOOM OR PRESSURE ISOBARS. 4.0 RUNNING WEATHERVIEW Simply enter the command "WXVIEW" (or WXVIEW 'raw filename') to begin the program. Entering the raw data file on the command line will automatically reformat the raw data then grids the pressure data after 10 seconds or after the user presses a key. The following files must be present in the local directory for WeatherView to run properly: WXVIEW.EXE - Executable program file WXVIEW.FIG - Configuration file (Demo version) WXCITY.NAM - Available station names and NWS codes WXNATL.CRD - Station coordinates for national map WXNATL.BIN - National map file (binary format) WXZOOM.CRD - Station coordinates for zoom map WXZOOM.BIN - Zoom map file (binary format) WXRADAR.CRD - Station coordinates for digital radar WXVIEW.SA - Current formatted SA surface data set WXVIEW.SD - Current formatted SD radar data set Other files included but not critical to the program operation are: WXVIEW.PRS - Current isobar grid array WXVIEW.DOC - Documentation file (what you are reading) TED3.COM - Public domain text editor. May be substituted for user's choice editor in program configuration option. DEMO.DAT - Demonstration raw data which is encoded to be 100% operational for demonstration purposes. WXVIEW.SA, WXVIEW.SD and WXVIEW.PRS bundled with the program were generated by formatting this demo data set. User supplied data will have limited use in the graphic display section. REGISTER.TXT - Registration information. READ.ME - Any upgrade information. ZOOMBOX.POS - Last size and location of the zoom box. STATION.EXE - Stand-alone utility program for adding or deleting stations from graphic display maps. STATION.DOC - Documentation for STATION.EXE Provided to Registered Users only... WXVIEW.KEY - Encoded key file which unlocks WeatherView for 100% usage. This file must be present in the working directory otherwise, WeatherView assumes you are a demo user and will have limited graphics other than provided by the demo data. This way, upgrades can be quickly and easily provided to registered users on Compuserve and other BBS's while other users will have a new demo to test. This file must not be modify or corrupted in any way. After entering the WXVIEW command, the WeatherView program will present a title screen while loading configuration. During configuration loading, the program loads all city names, coordinates, and user configuration data into memory. Time to load varies with the type of computer used. Typical loading times are as follows: 8Mhz 286 w/coprocessor 25 Mhz 386 wo/coprocessor 25 Mhz 486 7 sec 2 sec 1 sec Use the cursor keys to highlight the desired choice and then press enter key. 4.1 Reformatting NWS data set THIS OPTION MUST BE PERFORMED BEFORE WXVIEW CAN GRAPHICALLY VIEW OR SEARCH ANY USER PROVIDED NWS DATA. To analyze or display the NWS data in the fastest, most efficient method, the rough format of the SA and SD raw data is formatted to a column oriented format. This format is easily readable by the WeatherView program and any other database management program requiring column oriented text data. The data is formatted into the following format: Parameter Start column Stop column NWS city code 1 3 Greenwich mean time 5 8 Current weather 10 17 Visibility (Statute miles) 18 21 Abbreviated pressure (millibars) 24 26 Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit) 28 30 Dew Point (Degrees Fahrenheit) 32 34 Wind direction/Wind speed (Deg/Knots) 37 40 Abbreviated altimeter (inches) 42 44 Cloud cover 47 80 This option reads ALL valid NWS/Canadian SA/SP/RS data, formats it and stores the results in a temporary file. An on-screen counter informs the user of how many observations are being formatted. During the formatting step, WeatherView determines which hour has the most observations. The temporary file is re-read and ONLY observations for that hour are written to the final file (WXVIEW.SA). An on-screen counter keeps track of how many observations are written to the final file. If several observations are reported for a single station during the same hour, WeatherView accepts the first observation in the raw NWS data file and ignores the rest. A vigorous error screening protocol is applied to the final WXVIEW.SA data set. If WeatherView suspects an error in a station observation for the valid hour, that observation is rejected and written to an alternate file named BAD.OUT. The user may wish to review this file and apply corrections if desired. The user is prompted to press a key after the SA data set is processed. A similar process to format the SD digital radar set follows. The internal computer system date is used to date stamp the formatted WXVIEW.SA file. The observation date and Greenwich mean time make up the first line of WXVIEW.SA and WXVIEW.SD. Formatting a NWS data set need not be repeated until a NEW data set is downloaded. Typical times to reformat SA and SD data from the 48 states and 9 Canadian border provinces are: 8Mhz 286 w/coprocessor 25 Mhz 386 wo/coprocessor 25 Mhz 486 1 min 34 sec 20 sec 15 sec The user is recommended to download both the SA and SD data into the same file. However, if the user wishes to download just the SA or just the SD data, WeatherView will preserve the last formatted session of the non-downloaded parameter. Please note that temperature and dew point in the downloaded Canadian weather data are in degrees Celsius. These data are converted into degrees Fahrenheit in all WeatherView displays and text searches. Also note that ALL NWS/Canadian wind speeds are in knots. All wind speeds are converted to miles per hour (mph) for graphic wind staff displays and text searches. 4.2 View the Graphic Data Set For demo users, the WeatherView program works 100% with the provided demo data set. HOWEVER, FOR USER SUPPLIED DATA, GRAPHIC DISPLAY OPTIONS ARE LIMITED TO 50% OF USER SUPPLIED DATA WITH NO ZOOM OR PRESSURE ISOBAR CAPABILITY. This is the only limitation between the demo version and the registered version. Only registered users receive the 'WXVIEW.KEY' file which unlocks the fully functional program. When chosen, this option graphically displays the last formatted or retrieved data set. WeatherView will take a few seconds (depending on machine speed) to load applicable station data into memory. Expected times to load the national data set are as follows: 8Mhz 286 w/coprocessor 25 Mhz 386 wo/coprocessor 25 Mhz 486 20 sec 4 sec 2 sec The national data array is loaded into memory only once per session unless the current data set is edited or a new data set is loaded. If this is a NEW data set or an EDITED data set, WeatherView will attempt to grid pressure data for isobar plotting. The grid array contains 31 x 26 grid points. Depending on the type of machine used and whether or not a math coprocessor is used, this can be a time consuming ordeal. Expected times are as follows: 8Mhz 286 w/coprocessor 25 Mhz 386 wo/coprocessor 25 Mhz 486 1 min 57 sec 1 min 31 sec 10 sec The isobar plotting option can be aborted by pressing the escape (ESC) key. Smoothing passes to 'iron out' the rough edges of the isobar plots are determined in the user configuration section. Gridding needs to be done only once per data set unless the user edits the formatted data file. If reviewing previously gridded data, isobar gridding will not be redone. Note: if there is less than 100 stations in the SA data array, WeatherView will NOT grid data or plot isobars due to insufficient data. After the pressure gridding routine is completed, aborted, or skipped (if previously gridded), WeatherView displays the national weather map with current observations and the first menu bar. The two menu bars are toggled by the (up) and (down) cursor keys. Any menu option can be chosen by moving the cursor and pressing enter or instantly chosen by pressing the displayed 'hot key' for that option. Menu Bar 1 options: OBS - Current weather in the same code as provided in the raw NWS data set. SKY - Cloud cover. Clear circle indicates clear skies. Blue in upper right quadrant indicates scattered cloud cover. Orange covering 2/3 of circle indicates broken cloud cover. Dull white in all or part of circle indicates overcast. Combinations of cloud covers can occur. Number appearing below circle for broken and/or overcast skies is cloud base in hundreds of feet (i.e. 250 implies cloud base at 25,000 ft). Circle with an 'X' indicate obscured sky. VIS - Visibility in statute miles. Fractional distances are interpreted in the following manner: 11/2 indicates 1 and 1/2 statute miles. PRESS - Pressure in millibars. If pressure gridding was completed for a data set, isobars are drawn. National map isobars are spaced four millibars apart (ranging from 952 to 1056). The user can change the isobar spacing in the zoom display window via the configuration menu. The default pressure screen overlay is numeric pressure in millibars but can be temporarily changed in the configuration option. Highs and lows are calculated from the pressure grid and displayed. Positioning of the highs and lows are approximate due to grid spacing. The best way to identify the EXACT position of a low pressure system is to check the wind field. If the isobar gridding option was aborted, only numeric pressure in millibars is displayed. When displaying the isobar plot on the national map, isobars are 'flashed' off the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mexican areas. No stations are plotted for these areas so isobar gridding is erratic and unrepresentative. TEMP - Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Color of temperature display changes every 10 degrees to provide quick color overview of the temperature pattern. DEW - Dew point in degrees Fahrenheit. Color of dew point display changes every 10 degrees to provide quick color overview of the dew point pattern. WIND - Wind direction and wind speed are graphically displayed as wind flags similar to those found on NWS maps. The flags can be thought of as arrows pointing in the direction the wind is blowing toward. Each full barb on the wind flag represents 10 mph of wind speed (there is a conversion in the wind data from knots to mph, 1 knot equals 1.15 mph). With limited pressure grid spacing, the wind field is the best way to locate the center of a low pressure system. A strong low, in a field of wind flags, can resemble water going down the drain. At the center of the swirl is the low. RADAR - Digital radar. Color indicates precipitation intensity as shown on top of screen bar. User will need to press any key after viewing to return to primary menu bar. Digital radar data can overlap if reporting radar stations are in close proximity to each other. Since SD radar readings occur approximately 30 minutes after the SA surface observation, radar and current weather may not always agree. CITY - Display all available NWS and Canadian stations available for graphic display. EXIT - Return to previous menu. Menu Bar 2 options: ZOOM - Available from national map only. Zoom box appears in center of U.S. map. Move box in straight line or diagonally with cursor keys to desired zooming location. Press enter key. WeatherView will take a few seconds (about the same time it takes to load the national map) to load data from the zoom area stations into memory. All available NWS and Canadian stations are displayed in the zoom mode to provide better resolution of the mesoscale/microscale weather picture. The first zoom box shown is the maximum size of the zoom window. By pressing the keypad minus key (-) or the keypad plus key (+), the zoom window size can be adjusted. GROUP - Available from the zoom map only. This option is for those who want it all on one screen. All reported parameters in the SA data set are reported on one screen. The format of the layout for each station is as follows: (temp) (pressure (abbreviated)) (current weather) (sky) (visibility (miles)) (dew pt) (cloud base (hundreds of ft)) RELATIVE HUMIDITY- Relative Humidity in percent. Color of percentage changes every 10 degrees to provide quick color overview of the relative humidity pattern. WIND CHILL - Wind chill temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Color of wind chill temperature changes every 10 degrees to provide quick color overview the wind chill temperature pattern. Wind chill is NOT calculated if wind speed is 3 mph or less. Wind chill is also NOT calculated when ambient temperature is 60 degrees or greater. Algorithms to calculate the relative humidity and wind chill were gratefully received from Mr. Dan Noah of the Madison, WI National Weather Service. APPARENT TEMP. - Apparent temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The NWS has adopted the apparent temperature index (heat index) as a summertime measure of sultriness. Color of apparent temperature changes every 10 degrees to provide quick color overview the apparent temperature pattern. Apparent temperatures are NOT calculated when ambient temperature is less than 60 degrees. The algorithm for the apparent temperature calculation was obtained from the August 1985 Weatherwise magazine. Pressing the escape (ESC) key or pressing the 'E' key will return the user to the previous menu. GRAPHIC SCREEN DUMPS TO PRINTER AFTER USING <F1> KEY COLOR TOGGLE: Since many screen dump utilities are readily available from MS-DOS or other third-party softwares, WeatherView does not provide a print routine. Third-party programs of this type can usually be found on your local BBS. These programs work best when graphics are shown in black and white. The user can toggle graphic colors on/off with the <F1> key to serve this purpose. For version 2.5b, set screen type to EGA. Use the DOS graphics screen print utility of check your local BBS for screen dump utility programs. 4.3 WEATHER EVENT SEARCH This section of the WeatherView program allows the user to search the weather data by several criteria and receive an expanded version of station data in easy to read text. Matches to the search criteria are displayed in half screen segments while prompting the user to press a key to continue. When the next search match is found, the top screen information is scrolled down to the bottom half screen. The user can only search forward through the data (i.e. you can not back up and review data which have already scrolled of the screen). The user can break away at any time between search matches by pressing the escape (ESC) key or the 'E' key. The various search criteria are detailed in the following subsections. 4.3.1 Search by City of NWS Code The user is prompted for an entry. For example, if the user wishes to review the weather for Nashville, TN (NWS code is BNA), the user can type either BNA or an abbreviated part of the name 'Nashville' (i.e. Nash). If the user is typing an abbreviated portion of the city name, it must be the beginning portion of the name. WeatherView does not perform imbedded text searches. User entry can be in either upper or lower case. All matches fitting the entry will be displayed until no more matches are found or the user aborts the search. If no match is found in the city/code database, the user is notified. If an entry match is found in the city/code database but no data is found in the current weather file, the user is also notified. This option includes data search for Alaska and Hawaii stations. If the user has chosen to allow Canadian data to also be searched (in the configuration section), Canadian city/code matches will also be displayed. 4.3.2 Search by State The user is prompted for a 2 letter state abbreviation. Entering TN will display all matches for the state of Tennessee. If the user has chosen to allow Canadian data to also be searched, entering a 2 letter Canadian province will allow the provinces data to be displayed (i.e. MB for Manitoba). User entry can be in either upper or lower case. 4.3.3 Search by Extremes This option will search the entire database (including or excluding Canadian data depending on user configuration) for weather extremes and list them on a single screen display. Parameters searched and displayed are: highest temperature, lowest temperature, highest wind speed, highest pressure, and lowest pressure. Also displayed are any stations listing heavy precipitation. If more than one station reports the same extreme or heavy precipitation, the additional stations are also listed (up to six stations). 4.3.4 Search by Precipitation The user can search the data for stations reporting specific precipitation. The precipitation choices available for search are: Rain, Snow, Drizzle, Thunderstorm, Ice, Freezing precipitation, and Hail. If no stations report the searched event, the user is returned to the precipitation menu. 4.3.5 Search for Temperatures Greater Than WeatherView will search and display all stations reporting a temperature greater than or equal to the value entered by the user. 4.3.6 Search for Temperatures Less Than WeatherView will search and display all stations reporting a temperature less than the value entered by the user. 4.4 SAVE/REVIEW WEATHER DATA Occasionally, a viewed map is special because of some significant weather event. The user has the option to save the current map and retrieve it for later viewing. The user is prompted to enter 'S' to save the current file, or 'R' to retrieve an archived file. If 'S' is chosen, the user is prompted to enter a filename (without any extension). The files saved to disk will be: filename.SA - Saved SA data filename.SD - Saved SD digital radar filename.PRS - Saved isobar grid (if grid was created) Do not use the name WeatherView to archive because these are reserved filenames. If retrieving an archived file using the 'R' option, the user is prompted to enter a filename (without any extension). If the files do not exist, the user is notified. WeatherView does not provide any means to delete archived files or do a directory search. The user can easily delete unwanted archive files from the DOS prompt by entering 'DEL filename.*' (using the correct filename, of course). 4.5 EDIT CURRENT DATA SET Occasionally bad data gets through the screening routine during the formatting of raw NWS data. One of the most frequent I've seen is faulty pressure data which can result in bizarre isobar plotting. If the faulty station can be identified, the user can use this editing option to correct or delete the faulty data. A public domain text editor has been included with WeatherView to serve this purpose. This editor (TED3 for tiny editor version 3.0) is limited to files less than 64K in size. To work, the formatted SA data file, WXVIEW.SA, must be less than 64K. If you have downloaded just the 48 states and border provinces of Canada, the formatted WXVIEW.SA should be less than 64K. If you have downloaded the entire North American database (i.e. entered SA @ALL in Compuserve), the formatted file may be larger than 64K. After exiting the text editor, the user is prompted whether or not to re-grid the pressure data when attempting to graphically display data. If pressure data has not been changed, there is no need to repeat the gridding process. WeatherView will assume some data has been changed and will re-load the national data array before displaying any maps. The user can opt to substitute his/her own favorite text editor in the user configuration section. If there is not enough remaining memory to load the text editor or the WXVIEW.SA is larger than 64K (using the TED3 editor), editing is aborted and the user is immediately returned to the menu. CAUTION: Do not edit the demonstration file 'DEMO.DAT'. This file has been encoded to allow for 100% use in the demonstration version of WeatherView. Editing may disrupt the encoding. 4.6 CONFIGURE PROGRAM WeatherView has several user configurable options as detailed in the following subsections. 4.6.1 Change U.S. Isobar Overlay Option The default isobar overlay parameter at the beginning of each WeatherView session is the numeric pressure in millibars. At times it is interesting to overlay a different parameter on the isobar field. Available overlay parameters are: Wind direction/speed flags, cloud cover, temperature, current weather, and digital radar. 4.6.2 Change Graphic Display Colors - Change Numeric Data Colors: Color changes for each 10 increments. The user can change colors by choosing numeric increment with menu bar and pressing enter. User is prompted for new color. Pick new color from choices provided at the top of the menu. Gray is not allowed because of conflict with the map gray background. - Change Observation Data Colors: Color changes for each weather observation. The user can change colors by choosing observation with menu bar and pressing enter. User is prompted for new color. Pick new color from choices provided at the top of the menu. Gray is not allowed because of conflict with the map gray background. - Change Pressure Symbol Colors: Color changes for isobars and High/Low pressure symbols. The user can change colors by choosing the correct choice with menu bar and pressing enter. User is prompted for new color. Pick new color from choices provided at the top of the menu. Gray is not allowed because of conflict with the map gray background. - Change Radar Intensity Colors: Color changes for each intensity increments. The user can change colors by choosing intensity increment with menu bar and pressing enter. User is prompted for new color. Pick new color from choices provided at the top of the menu. Gray is not allowed because of conflict with the map gray background. 4.6.3 Weather Event Search on US/Canadian Data The user can choose to include or exclude Canadian data in the weather search option. For example, Canadian data almost always generates the low temperature reading during the extremes search. If you don't want to see this, you can switch off Canadian data search by toggling this menu option. Pressing enter when this option is highlighted will toggle the choices. 4.6.4 Isobar Grid Screening Passes The pressure isobar gridding usually produces a rough isobar plot. By sending the pressure grid through a 'smoothing' routine, the contours can be somewhat smoothed for a more realistic appearing isobar plot. The user can specify a minimum of one (1) to a maximum of three (3) smoothing passes. If this option is chosen, then WeatherView will attempt to re-grid the pressure data when the graphic display option is again chosen. 4.6.5 Isobar Spacing in Zoom Window Pressure isobar resolution can be increased in the zoom displays by decreasing isobar spacing (maximum 4 millibars down to 1 millibar). 4.6.6 Toggle 3-D Shadow The user has the option to view graphically displayed data in a simulated 3-D effect. The 3-D effect appears to have the data raised off the screen leaving a shadow. If this effect is not desired, it can be toggled on/off with this option. Pressing enter when this option is highlighted will toggle the choices. 4.6.7 Include City ID With Zoom Data The user has the option to include the NWS city code with graphically displayed data in the zoom window. If this effect is not desired, it can be toggled on/off with this option. Pressing enter when this option is highlighted will toggle the choices. 4.6.8 Change Time Zone The graphic maps and search display screen list the local time of observation. The user can change the displayed time zone to match the local time zone. Preprogrammed zones are EST, EDT, CST, CDT, MST, MDT, PST, and PDT. Any other option will result in a prompt to enter the number of hours to offset from Greenwich mean time. 4.6.9 Select Text Editor A public domain text editor has been included with WeatherView to serve this purpose. This editor (TED3 for tiny editor version 3.0) is limited to files less than 64K in size. To work, the formatted SA data file, WXVIEW.SA, must be less than 64K. If you have downloaded just the 48 states and border provinces of Canada, the formatted WXVIEW.SA should be less than 64K. If you have downloaded the entire North American database (i.e. entered SA @ALL in Compuserve), the formatted file may be larger than 64K. The user can, through this configuration option, choose a different text editor other than the TED3 public domain editor included with this software. The user must choose a text editor such as QEDIT and not a word processor such as WordPerfect. 4.7 EXIT Every program should have a challenge, therefore, I'll leave this one for everyone to figure out on their own. 5.0 DISCLAIMER As dictated by current social protocol, I am not responsible for any of my actions. Therefore, you (the user) must assume all responsibility for using this program. In other words, if you fly your airplane into the side of a mountain, please don't blame me. What you see is what you get with this program. My personal intent with this program is to have fun and satisfy my need to keep up with the current weather. Your end use with this program is your business. 6.0 OBTAINING A REGISTERED COPY If you a new user testing this as a demo, you are encouraged to share this demonstration version with your friends and other BBS's. So as not to violate the first law of thermodynamics (there is no such thing as a free lunch), there is a one time registration cost associated with this program. All users MUST register if you plan to use this demonstration program beyond 30 days. With registration comes the fully functional version of WeatherView (remember, the demo version has limited graphic use with user supplied data). You will also be registered for all future upgrades found on CompuServe. In the true sense of shareware ideology, registration cost are held at a minimum to encourage wide use of this program. To achieve this objective, documentation is provided ON DISK rather than a printed copy. I will assume that if you have a modem, you probably splurged and bought a printer or, at least, have access to one. After reviewing the demo version, I am sure you will agree that this is a bargain. I have not found any similar software (even with less capabilities) for less. If you agree and wish to receive a registered copy, please remit the following: Cost $25.00 WeatherView version 2.5b with registered key file $4.95 Shipping and handling ------ $29.95 Total (U.S.) (Michigan residents please include 4% sales tax for total for $31.15) Please send check or money order (no cash, credit card numbers, or trading stamps) to: Jim Haywood 2157 Forest Hill SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 PLEASE NOTE IN YOUR ORDER WHERE YOU OBTAINED YOUR DEMO VERSION OF WEATHERVIEW!!!! This information is important for future upgrades. I will send your disk out via the U.S. mail within two days of receiving your order. Unless specified to the contrary, all orders will be provided on a 5.25" diskette. I will follow up with a Compuserve notice (if available) to inform you that your disk has been mailed. Since you will have a chance to completely review all of WeatherView capabilities with the demo data, you know what you are getting and there will be NO refunds. If you are a registered user of WeatherView software, THE REGISTERED VERSION OF WEATHERVIEW FILES ARE NOT TO BE SHARED OR DISTRIBUTED. I will trust your conscience and honesty not to share or distribute your registered copy. Both registered and demo user should feel free to contact me with any suggestions or comments through CompuServe, 72247,2072, or the above address. 7.0 FUTURE PLANS AFTER VERSION 2.5b Future upgrades to WeatherView as suggested by users at this time will include: o Add Alaska and Canada maps (priority winter release) o Add 4 letter radar site capability o Additional digital radar (SD) information (max heights, speed, direction, etc) for graphics and data search (priority spring release) o Increase video resolution option to VGA and SVGA o European version of WeatherView o Upper air module for FDHI/LO data