Table of Contents

• The Web and the Classroom: NSF Initiates Geoscience Education Minigrants
• Proposal for Geoscience Education Minigrants (GEMs)
• Importing NWS Hydrologic Data into McIDAS-OS2
• Keeping Up with Data Stream Changes: It's a Community Effort
• Preparing the Next Proposal
• What's New on the Web
• Call for Proposals: Geoscience Education Minigrants
• The Unidata Program Center Announces a Summer Workshop
• Comings and Goings

The Web and the Classroom: NSF Initiates Geoscience Education Minigrants

The Internet has leapt into American consciousness with astounding rapidity and far-reaching effects, thanks largely to the World Wide Web technology. In turn, the Internet's popularity has underscored the fact that computer literacy in the U.S. ranges from novice users struggling with applications on stand-alone computers to networked users comfortable with e-mail and Internet browsing to journeymen capable of stretching the limits of the new technology.

Happily, atmospheric scientists generally have been well-positioned to make use of the Internet: meteorology has long been dependent on computing for data analysis and numerical modeling. And fostering the widespread use of computing and networking technology has long been a mission of the Unidata Program. Over 130 colleges and universities now use Unidata systems and the Internet to bring weather data onto their campuses and into their classrooms. There students and professors use Unidata-supported applications for data analysis. As a result of this familiarity with the enabling technologies, the Unidata community moved with relative ease into the Internet world; while many in our community may bemoan the demands of administering PC networks or blanche at the thought of UNIX administration, everyone is literate in computer basics, and everyone uses networks tools such as e-mail and the Web.

The Web and Education

In one important respect, however, the explosive growth of the Web has left even the Unidata community scrambling. Even the most dedicated computerphiles are struggling with such basic questions as what makes an effective Web page, what technology is best for providing access to which kind of data, or even how to find and organize the information they need. The traditional staples of academic life--textbooks, classroom lectures, computer labs, professional journals, libraries (and librarians)-- were well understood by everyone participating in the academic enterprise. Now, in three brief years (barely long enough to be reflected in a university department's funding cycle), all of these areas have been thrown into turmoil by the Web. The "paradigm shift" that the Web represents renders us all, computerphobe and computerphile alike, immigrants in a new land.

The crux of the problem is that we simply don't understand the effects of the technology. In the centuries since Gutenberg, we have come to understand how the reader reacts to print on a paper page; how to organize the contents of books for various effects; how to catalogue and index books and journals (and collections of these in real space) for the fast retrieval of information; and how to combine the use of printed matter with lectures and (more recently) movies and videos in the classroom. (While there have been experiments with taped and televised lectures for delayed or "distance" education, these have not gained widespread use.) The knowledge gleaned in the age of Gutenberg, however, is not transferable to the screen and cyberspace, nor does it help us understand how to maximize the potential of the mix of various media that the new technology permits.

In many respects, this situation is reminiscent of Unidata's formative years, when computers themselves were transforming the pursuit and teaching of atmospheric science. Unidata was formed not only to provide the university community with access to data, but to facilitate, through sharing, the use of computing technology in atmospheric science departments. Under the Unidata banner, the software expertise that already existed within the atmospheric sciences community was identified, distributed, and supported so that any department willing to purchase the required hardware could participate in the unfolding computer revolution.

A similar effort may be relevant today in facilitating the use of Internet technologies in education. I think we all sense that these technologies have the potential to transform the education process. But what techniques are most effective? What mix of sound/stills/video/text/lecture will work for which concepts? When should learning be self-paced, or interactive, or passive? And, perhaps most important, how can we participate in this grand new experiment if we aren't programmers or don't have access to people who are?

As in the past, expertise is growing within the community. Individuals throughout academia are beginning to experiment with using the Internet to develop new ways of presenting data and concepts, of interacting with students. Surfing through the list of Web servers at Unidata sites reveals the range of these experiments, from simple Web-based syllabi and class notes to complex Java interfaces to weather analysis tools. Some examples:

At the University of British Columbia, the geography department has developed an on-line, interactive, self-paced course on Numerical Techniques for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science.

At Florida State University, the meteorology department's Florida Explores! program has developed Web pages that include student activities directed at providing a basic introduction to meteorology.

At the University of Illinois: The CoVis Project is a collaborative effort involving the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, The Exploratorium in San Francisco, Bellcore, and a range of K-12 schools around the country. To quote from the project's overview, its purpose is to "explore issues of scaling, diversity, and sustainability as they relate to the use of networking technologies to enable high school students to work in collaboration with remote students, teachers, and scientists. An important outcome of this work will be the construction of distributed electronic communities dedicated to science learning." CoVis is experimenting with online textbooks (some of which have multimedia components), and a "weather visualizer" (a weather display application with a Java interface).

The Daily Planet is the atmospheric sciences department's general access point to meteorological, CoVis, and departmental information, including a "Guide to Weather Maps and Images," which contains explanations of surface maps; satellite and radar images; and the symbols used to annotate them.

At Iowa State University: Web pages for Eugene Takle's global-change course provide students with a syllabus; pre- and post-lecture activities; lecture notes (including copies of the images used); links to a range of additional information; electronic discussion capabilities; electronic paper submission capabilities; and course evaluations. Takle has also used conferencing software; for example, in spring of 1995, Unidata provided the CUSeeMe facilities that enabled NCAR scientist Michael Glantz to lecture in Takle's course without leaving Boulder.

Douglas Yarger is developing Web-based resources for his introductory meteorology course. Current resources include lecture materials and exercises in forecasting and in the physical development of clouds. Yarger hopes to collaborate with colleagues in the education and computing departments to develop more elaborate resources, such as case studies and simulations.

At the University of Michigan, home of the Weather Underground and Blue-Skies, there is a K-12 guide on how to make weather observations.

The University of Oklahoma's Earthstorm project (for K-12) provides an online weather glossary.

At Penn State, Alistair Fraser has designed an online quiz on the elements of meteorology and Paul Knight has designed one on weather trivia.

Plymouth State College offers a "cloud boutique" to explain and provide access to images of basic cloud forms.

At Texas A&M University, the Laboratory for the Exploration of Atmospheric Processes uses the Internet as an integral part of its design, which includes locally developed Web-based interfaces to a weather-display application.

This is an eclectic list meant only to illustrate the efforts already underway at Unidata sites. What's currently accessible is undoubtedly only the tip of the iceberg--many, many teachers are experimenting within the privacy of personal or password-protected pages.

Aware of the dispersed attempts to use the Web in education, and in response to the clear potential of the Web, the Unidata Users Committee last year asked the National Science Foundation to initiate a new program to promote the development and dissemination of education-enhancing materials for atmospheric science that involve the Internet. (The text of this request appears as a sidebar here.) As the request makes clear, the Users Committee hopes that the program will result in the growth of a shared repository of information that everyone in the Unidata community will use and contribute to. They envisioned small grants that would allow a professor to fund a graduate student, for example, to convert favorite activities or lab exercises from print to online, where they could be shared with others in the community. This is a hope that other disciplines have as well; while exploring links for this article, I discovered The Virtual Geography Department.

The Division of Atmospheric Sciences, which funds Unidata, found merit in the request and has identified a pool of funds to initiate the program. The announcement of this new program (Geoscience Education Minigrants [GEMs]) appears on page 7 of this issue. Unidata will provide a central Web page, accessible from our home page, to organize and link to the products of the program. As with other Unidata endeavors, however, the success of this program will rest with you.

Proposal for Geoscience Education Minigrants (GEMs)

1. Purpose of the program

Over the short term, to develop instructional materials (to be made freely accessible via the World Wide Web) that use Unidata (and COMET) technology and related network-based resources to enhance university education in the atmospheric and geosciences. Over the longer term, to encourage the use within the academic community of a distributed, cooperative virtual teaching environment where knowledge resources are shared regularly and easily regardless of geographical location or academic affiliation.

2. Objectives

Short term: to develop a core of tutorials, descriptions, or activities on using meteorological data in the classroom. This could include detailed descriptions of hardware or software (purchased, obtained as freeware, scripted, or some combination) used to bring data into a classroom; the creation of classroom activities based on data; the creation of case studies usable with Unidata-supported applications packages; or the creation of comprehensive links to available data sets (Web pages devoted to resources on specific topics, such as global change data sets, for example). It could also include the creation of decoders to bring new data streams into the classroom. Over the short term, funded activities would focus on specific campus solutions to specific problems.

Longer term: Using evolving distributed computing resources, to begin developing shared knowledge resources such as virtual textbooks and courses. Projects might include the cooperative creation of topical modules (on precipitation processes or mesoscale weather systems, for example) where authors contribute different segments (illustrations, animations, text sections) or class segments, or where different authors contribute lectures, case studies, animations, illustrations, etc. In this phase, funded activities would foster cooperation among multiple authors at different institutions.

Importing NWS Hydrologic Data into McIDAS-OS2

Objective

During the fall 1995 semester, we set out to import data for our geographic area from the NWS hydrologic bulletin into a McIDAS MD file. The McIDAS command TXT2MD is ideal for this task; it reads an ASCII text file and places data into a new or existing MD file. To use TXT2MD, the user must first create a schema and arrange the ASCII data in an acceptable format.

Create a Schema

A schema is a set of definitions for a particular data set. Information such as the number of stations, the number of variables, and the number of observations (or time period) helps organize the MD file. Other information provides variable names, units, and orders of magnitude.

McIDAS already has several schema, one for each data set that is stored in MD file format. We used the ISFC schema (for surface observations) as a guide when creating our schema because the data sets have similar structures--each having just one vertical level. Specific information on creating schema can be found in the McIDAS Applications Programming Manual.

Create the ASCII Data File

We use a Fortran program to decode each NWS bulletin, which is then written to an ASCII text file to be read by TXT2MD. In this data stream, each station is identified by a long name with no map coordinates given. To facilitate plotting, the decoder replaces the full name of each station with a three-letter ID and the station's latitude, longitude, and elevation. (These supplemental data were obtained from Scott Whittier, NWS, Burlington, Vermont, and are stored in another file.) The decoder also converts below-zero temperatures that are represented with the letter "B" to negative numbers and fixes other problems such as erroneous column alignment.

The McIDAS-OS2 Users Guide documents TXT2MD fairly well and even provides a few examples. The idea is to list observed values for each variable in columns below the variable name or "key." One of the rules for TXT2MD is that the first DATA key in the file schema must have a valid value (i.e. not a MISSing data value). In our data set, most stations will have one or more missing values, so our first entry is a 'dummy' station with fictitious values. On subsequent lines we use a missing value code where needed.

Create a Plotting Utility

We plot data on a map with the aid of a McIDAS BATCH file, which is an ASCII text file containing sequential McIDAS commands. Plotting commands such as SP and SPC are written for the ISFC schema and will not work with custom schema such as ours. The MDX command (which is called by plotting commands like SP) can be used directly, but it is difficult to work with; plotting one parameter is relatively easy, but station models like ours are more challenging.

Automate the Process

Finally, after creating each of the pieces of the puzzle, the entire process can be automated. We use Unidata's LDM software to process the data stream. When the LDM detects the SRUS25 KBTV bulletin header, it stores the bulletin and uses the PIPE action to pass a copy on to the Fortran decoder.

The decoder is actually run from a UNIX script which performs several tasks. It saves debugging information and the day and time that the decoder is run. It also places the decoder's output file and a special McIDAS-OS2 BATCH file in a network directory for further processing by one of our McIDAS-OS2 machines. The McIDAS-OS2 command XQTR is used to run the BATCH file automatically. To do this, XQTR needs to be run when McIDAS is initialized. This can be done by adding XQTR to the STARTUP.SYS file.

Our BATCH program contains a TXT2MD command, which reads the decoder-output file and stores the data in the proper MD file. Our McIDAS plot utility plots the data on a local map. Then an SVGIF command converts the graphic to a GIF file, which is saved back on a UNIX machine that is accessible on the Web.

We invite you to visit our Web site to see the latest plot of Vermont hydrologic data. Send any questions or comments to fingerhutb@queen.lsc.vsc.edu.

Keeping Up with Data Stream Changes: It's a Community Effort

by Linda Miller, External Liason at the Unidata Program Center

As the National Weather Service's modernization effort continues, its streams of real-time data are undergoing continuous change. The UPC and the developers of McIDAS, GEMPAK, and WXP make adjustments to the applications to accommodate these data-stream changes, but the user community is best suited to determine how these changes affect their individual sites. This problem was a topic of discussion at last fall's Users Committee meeting, and it was agreed that keeping up with changes should be a community effort.

To inform Unidata users of known changes, the UPC set up the nws-changes mailing list used exclusively for prompt updates of data stream changes passing through the NWSTG. To ensure that each site receives timely information on data changes, w encourage all users to subscribe to the list via our Web-based mailing list subscription form.

The NWS has also been using the Web to add and update information on many data streams and on general modernization efforts. The National Weather Service Telecommunication Gateway (NWSTG) , for example, makes text files available that include WMO abbreviated headers. (As the NWSTG notes, the products included in any particular data stream may change from week to week.)

The UPC also provides application-specific updates via the mail lists and the "What's New" Web link for each application. We encourage Unidata users to use the mailing lists to share data related solutions or information that could be useful to others in the community.

For general information, please direct inquiries to Unidata support at support@unidata.ucar.edu.

Preparing the Next Proposal

by Sally Bates, Newsletter Editor at the Unidata Program Center

The Unidata Program Center is beginning to draft a five-year funding proposal, to be submitted to the National Science Foundation next spring. The Policy, Users, and Advanced Technical Advisory Committees are helping define the program's accomplishments and goals, but information from you, our users, would be invaluable. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

• Are you collaborating with scientists in other (non-atmospheric) disciplines and are you using Unidata systems in this effort?
• Are Unidata systems being used in projects funded by agencies other than the National Science Foundation?
• What impact has the Unidata Program had on your department/institution?
• How could Unidata actively engage other geoscience disciplines?
• Are you engaged in reaching out to K-12 schools in your area, and if so, what does this involve?
• Where should the Unidata Program focus its resources in the next several years?

Any information you can provide us would be appreciated. Please feel free to e-mail us or call Linda Miller at (303)497-8646.

What's New on the Web

by Jennifer Philion, Student Assistant at the Unidata Program Center

In case you haven't stopped in lately, a new Unidata homepage debuted on August 1. We decided that our old design (or lack thereof) was too cluttered, so we created a page that we hope will make it easier for you to find information.

With the new design came a restructuring of our links, so it may take a couple of visits to get used to. We ask that you take a trip through our server and give us some feedback on the organization and accessibility of information.

Other changes on our server include a new section for Unidata McIDAS-XCD for OS2.

Also, the old K-12-outreach pages have become the Educational Projects section and now contain links to online resources for higher education.

Call for Proposals: Geoscience Education Minigrants

NSF will accept proposals for developing tutorials, activities, or software that uses or enables the use of meteorological data or Internet-based information in the classroom or laboratory. Interdisciplinary instructional material is encouraged, but not required. Involvement of the educators and/or education departments in the development of course material and/or evaluation methodologies would be benifical.

Proposals could include (but are not limited to) detailed solutions (hardware and software--scripts or freeware) for bringing data into a classroom; the creation of classroom activities based on data, case studies usable with Unidata-supported applications, or scripts for interactive data display; the development of novel displays or simulations that enhance the understanding of atmospheric science principles; the creation of decoders to bring new data streams into use with Unidata systems; or the creation of comprehensive Web pages devoted to resources on a specific topic (such as global change).

Awards are limited to $5,000-7,000. To be considered for funding in FY 1997, proposals should be submitted by Nov. 29, 1996.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Contribution to education. Evidence that the proposed activity enhances atmospheric science education (i.e., that it has been proven locally in the classroom and that it addresses appropriate learning strategies).
• System capabilities. Presence of a local Web server and adequacy of the institutional commitment to assist in managing and maintaining the server and any files resulting from the proposed activity for a two-year period.
• Contribution to Unidata community capability. Potential for the proposed activity to contribute to distributed educational archives of instructional materials that use Unidata (or related) technology and related network-based resources to enhance university education in the atmospheric and geosciences.

GEMs will provide funds only for developing curriculum materials; they will not provide funds for equipment purchases. The institution is expected to provide the Internet infrastructure and computing platforms necessary to access and use the curricular materials. Those wishing to undertake more extensive projects should refer to NSF publication 96-10 Division of Undergraduate Education Program Announcement and Guidelines available from the NSF Web server.1

Submission of Unidata Proposals

Proposals should be clearly identified for consideration under Unidata. They should describe

• the relationship of the proposed activity to current instructional techniques within the department or institution, including any prior activities similar to the proposed
• potential use of the proposed activity by others in the atmospheric sciences
• the current Internet and Web facilities available to the principal investigator
• the department's two-year commitment to maintaining its Web facilities and any files generated from the proposal.

Send ten copies to

Division of Atmospheric Sciences
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd
Room 775
Arlington, VA 22230

Proposals should follow the guidelines specified in Grants for Research and Education in Science and Engineering, NSF 95-27.

For further information, contact:

Bernard Grant
Ph.: (703) 306-1521
FAX: (703) 306-0377
E-mail: bgrant@nsf.gov

The Unidata Program Center Announces a Summer Workshop: Using Satellite Data and Computing Technologies for Research and Education in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Description

A five-day conference is being planned on the use of satellite remote-sensing data as an information source for atmospheric and related scientific research and education. The primary focus is to demonstrate and discuss creative uses of both real-time and archived satellite data to study meteorological and environmental processes. Approximately 20 speakers will present current research and teaching activities which utilize satellite imagery/sounding data, particularly in conjunction with radar data, point observations, and numerical models, for atmospheric analysis. A second focus of the workshop will be to describe information resources and instructional technologies which are available for both real-time and retrospective data applications. This workshop will follow a COMET Faculty Course on Satellite Meteorology, to be held in Boulder during June 9-20.

Organization

The workshop committee, co-chaired by Melanie Wetzel (Desert Research Institute) and Jennie Moody (University of Virginia) is composed of members of the Unidata Users Committee and representatives of COMET and Unidata. The workshop is being offered by the UCAR Unidata and COMET Programs in Boulder, Colorado at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (Foothills Laboratory). Lodging accommodations will be in Kittredge Hall on the University of Colorado campus.

Participants and Support

Any college or university faculty member with an interest in satellite meteorology is invited to attend. Attendance will be limited to 100; thus only one or two faculty members per institution may be accepted. Attendees must provide and arrange for their own travel to and from the conference, but lodging and meals will be available without charge at the University of Colorado and UCAR locations. A small honorarium ($100 or less) may be granted to participants if funding permits.

Application Procedure

Applications should include a statement of why you are interested in the workshop topic and a description of your prior use of Unidata systems or other satellite information sources or software. Please also include a 2-page vitae. Send the application to

Sandra Nilsson
Unidata Program Center
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
P.O. Box 3000 Boulder, CO 80307-3000
E-mail: snilsson@unidata.ucar.edu
Phone: 303 497-8651
Fax: 303 497-8690
Modem Fax: 303 497-8690

Applications must be received by 15 January 1997. Please distribute this announcement to your colleagues. Applicants will be notified of their selection by 15 March 1997.

Program Committee Members:

Unidata Users Committee: Mohan Ramamurthy, Gregory Cox, Dave Dempsey, Denise Stephenson-Hawk, David Knight, Steve Koch, Jennie Moody, Michael Morgan, Steve Mullen, Charles Murphy, Paul Ruscher, Melanie Wetzel, Doug Yarger
Unidata: David Fulker, Sandra Nilsson, Linda Miller
COMET: Greg Byrd, Vickie Johnson, Ron Alberty

Comings and Goings

June of this year saw Unidata's front-office staff return to full strength with the arrival of administrative assistant Heather Gallien. A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Heather enjoys going downhill on snow and singing. She has classical voice training which she put to good use singing in alternative rock bands during her college days at the University of Indiana. She says she'd "like to find some gigs and do some jazz singing"--maybe the next Policy Committee meeting will have a $3.00 cover.

Heather was drawn to the Rocky Mountains three years ago and enjoyed a spell as a "snowboard bum" in Silverthorne, CO, where she was the business and promotions manager for a small snowboard company. She comes to us after a stint with a Boulder digital imaging company where she developed sales and marketing materials in addition to performing administrative tasks. We're glad to have her on board.

Unidata also welcomes Ethan Davis to the ranks of Unidata employees. Ethan, who spent his formative years in Anchorage, Alaska, has been a Boulder resident for the past five years, most of them spent working with National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) putting Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and solar/terrestrial data on the Web.

("I love Boulder," he noted "but it doesn't have enough snow." Given his origins, he can be forgiven such sentiments; even the winters in New Hampshire, where he took a Masters in mechanical engineering, he found "mild.")

Ethan's work is being funded by a Unidata grant from the National Weather Service (NWS). The goal of the effort is to make COMET case studies easily accessible to NWS Scientific Operations Officers and the Unidata university community using the CODIAC1 system developed by UCAR's Joint Office for Science Support (JOSS; that's the new name for a group formerly know as Office for Field Project Support).

CODIAC is a Web-based data management system which offers scientists access to research and operational atmospheric data. "The Web is a fascinating technology with great potential for communicating information and data in an organized and interactive manner," Ethan said. "I'm excited to be working on such a challenging problem."

Ethan is Unidata's first almost-virtual employee: although a Unidata employee, he'll be working with COMET data but with his office in JOSS--clearly a man of the times.

In the same week that Ethan arrived, Unidata bid adieu to Harvey Davies, who'd been visiting us from Australia. In his 7 months with Unidata, Harvey helped Unidata's development staff completely redesign and rewrite the netCDF libraries. "I came to work on a packing problem and ended up participating in a revolution," Harvey noted. Some work remains to be done before the new version of netCDF can be released; having done his part, Harvey will soon be back in his beachhouse near Melbourne, preparing for his third summer this year.