Real-time
and Model Data Access Using McIDAS
Introduction
Basics Frame
Looping
HELP LOGON LS
1-4
Displays help for LOGON command Sets frames 1 through 4 to be looped
LOGON <alt-?> Alt-L
Displays short
help for LOGON command Toggles
frame looping on/off.
LOGON initials
project# SF 3
Required logon
for tracking data usage Shows
frame 3
& and ^ Alt–A and Alt–B
Scroll
backward and forward through command history. Step
forward and backward through frames.
Setting
Up Real-time Datasets (only need to run these commands once)
DATALOC ADD INFO
INFO.SSEC.WISC.EDU
Points
group INFO at server location INFO.SSEC.WISC.EDU.
READ INFO/RTSERVER DEV=T
RTSERVER.BAT
Creates
batch file RTSERVER.BAT in $HOME/mcidas/data.
BATCH RTSERVER.BAT
Runs DATALOC
commands to look at the Data Center’s real-time servers.
Listing
Available Servers and Datasets
DATALOC LIST - Lists all dataset groups currently available on your
machine.
DSINFO I - Lists all of the Image datasets
Adding
Local Datasets
DSSERVE ADD A/A AREA 1 9999
Adds local
dataset A/A to point to local areas 1 – 9999.
Satellite Data - GOES (East, West, and Pacific), METEOSAT (European), MODIS
and Polar-orbiting.
List
information
IMGLIST EASTL/CONUS FORM=BAND
Lists date,
time, resolution and channel wavelengths of the most current image from
GOES-East.
IMGLIST MET/FD.-2
Lists date,
time and center lat/lon for the last 3 METEOSAT images.
Display Imagery
IMGDISP EASTL/CONUS BAND=4 STATION=KMSN
Displays the most recent 11um
image from GOES-East, centered on Madison, WI to the frame being viewed.
MAP X 1 LALO 2
Plots a map in magenta and
lat/lon lines in cyan over the current image.
SFCPLOT T
Plots current
hour temperatures over satellite image.
Find cities in
surrounding area
Alt–S - Lists surface, synoptic, and RAOB reporting stations within
the cursor.
TOWNS - Starts interactive process listing 20 closest cities to the
cursor (USA only).
Display
a loop of imagery
CCODE ITALY
Determines WMO
country code for Italy.
STNLIST CO=IT MATCH=BOLOGNA
Lists station
information for Bologna, Italy.
ERASE F 1 5
Erases frames
1 through 5.
IMGDISP MET/FD ALL=1 5 BAND=8 LATLON=44.5 –11.25
Displays 5
most recent 11um images from METEOSAT, centered near Bologna, Italy.
PC L LIPE
Places cursor
on Bologna, Italy.
Listing
Image Pixel Data
Alt–D
Lists physical
quantities at the cursor location. For
IR images, temperature radiance and brightness values are displayed. For visible images, a brightness value and
possibly an albedo are listed.
IMGPROBE HIST LINE
Starts
interactive process to plot a histogram of the brightness values along a
line.
Quick
Image Display Commands
SF 4;GEO KMSN
Finds and
displays the latest geostationary satellite image centered over Madison, Wisconsin.
SF 5;LEO EUR
Finds and
displays the latest polar orbiting satellite image over Europe.
Image
Enhancements
EU MAKE 160 190 BLUE GREEN
Color enhances
the image pixel brightness values between 160 to 190 from blue to green.
EB
Starts
interactive process that stretches the brightness values of an image to create
a black & white enhancement.
Remapping
POES data
SF 1;MAP WORL
Draws a map of
the world on frame 1.
NAVDISP WALLOPS/N17GAC TYPE=I
Displays the
polar orbiter track for the most recent NOAA-17 GAC image.
IMGDISP WALLOPS/N17GAC 2 SF=YES BAND=4 LAT=<ctrl-left mouse button in image
window>
Displays the
most recent NOAA-17 GAC image centered over the point clicked on by the user.
IMGREMAP WALLOPS/N17GAC A/A.4000 BAND=4 PRO=PS
RES=10 LAT=<ctrl-left mouse button>
Remaps the
most recent NOAA-17 GAC image to a polar stereographic projection with a
resolution of 10 km.
IMGDISP A/A.4000 3 SF=YES;MAP X X LALO
Displays the
remapped image and plots a map over the image.
NEXRAD Data
Listing
IMGLIST NEXRAD/BREF1 ID=LIST
Lists the most
recent NEXRAD data available for each NEXRAD station.
Displaying
IMGDISP MKX_BREF1 ID=ARX ALL=1 5
Displays a
loop of LaCrosse NEXRAD data on frames 1-5 with map, legend, and base
reflectivity enhancement.
Surface upper Air Observations
Listing
PTLIST RTPTSRC/SFCHOURLY SEL=’ID KMSN;TIME 12’
Lists the 12Z
temperature report from Madison, WI in the raw MD file format.
SFCLIST KMSN 3
Lists the last
3 hourly METAR observations (decoded) from Madison, WI in a tabular format.
SFCLIST CO=GB DATASET=RTPTSRC/SYNOPTIC TIME=12
Lists current hour synoptic
observations from all stations in the United Kingdom (only available every 3
hours)
UALIST KGRB
Lists decoded upper-air (RAOB)
data from Green Bay, WI.
Plotting
SFCPLOT WXS USA
Plots the
current weather symbols on a map of the United States.
SFCPLOT T-TD MID
Plots dewpoint
depression for stations in the Midwest.
RAOBPLOT T 500 USA
Plots 500mb
temperatures (C) for stations in the US.
Contouring
SFCCON PMSL MID
Contours
current hour pressure (adjusted to mean sea-level) for stations in the Midwest.
SFCCON TADV MID DASH=NEG
Contours
temperature advection for stations in the Midwest, with negative values being
dashed.
RAOBCON Z 500-1000 USA
Contours 500mb-1000mb height
differences (thickness) over the US.
Diagrams
UAPLOT KRAP 0
Plots skew-T diagram for 0Z RAOB
data from Rapid City, SD.
SFCMG KORD
Plots time series of weather
conditions at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for past 24 hours.
Text Data
Listing
WXTLIST DIR - Lists text products that can be
displayed.
WXTLIST ZONE_FCST WSTN=KMKX - Lists latest
zone forecast sent from Sullivan, WI.
FOUSRPT PIR - Lists the latest FOUS forecast for Pierre, SD.
WWLIST WI - Lists active watches, warnings
and advisories for Wisconsin.
Displaying
WWDISP USA TIME=0 #H DAY=#Y
Displays watches, warnings and
advisories across the US active from 0Z to the current time.
Model Output
GRDLIST RTGRIDS/ETA-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y NUM=ALL
Lists all parameters available
for today’s 12Z ETA model run valid for 0Z tomorrow (+12 hours past run time).
GRDDISP RTGRIDS/ETA-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y PARAM=T LEV=500
MAP=MID
Contours temperatures at 500mb
for today’s 12Z ETA model run valid for 0Z tomorrow.
PANEL 2 2
Divides current frame into 4
equal parts.
GRDDISP RTGRIDS/ETA-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y PARAM=T LEV=500
MAP=MID
PAN=1
GRDDISP RTGRIDS/GFS-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y PARAM=T LEV=500
MAP=MID
PAN=2
GRDDISP RTGRIDS/NGM-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y PARAM=T LEV=500
MAP=MID
PAN=3
GRDDISP RTGRIDS/RUC-USLC FHOUR=12 TIME=12 DAY=#Y PARAM=T LEV=500
MAP=MID
PAN=4
Contours 500mb temps from the
U.S. Lambert Conformal grids of today’s 12Z ETA, GFS, NGM and RUC models.