Decoder/Data Entries for LDM pqact.conf
Sample decoder/data entries for LDM are provided in the GEMPAK distribution under the
$NAWIPS/ldm/etc directory using a set of templates which will automatically create
pqact.conf lines based on your $GEMTBL and $GEMPAK environmental variable settings.
Ensure your GEMPAK environmental variables are set (source the Gemenviron file
if not already set), then run the template script
$NAWIPS/ldm/etc/gen_pqact.csh
The template script will produce a pqact.gempak file your current directory
that you can edit and append to your pqact.conf file (or, you can have a separate pqact running
from ldmd.conf just for the pqact.gempak file).
Typically, the GEMDATA environmental variable set in the $NAWIPS/Gemenviron
script will point to the data/gempak directory which resides under the LDM distribution.
The environmental variables can be redefined to point to case studies or archive
directories without any reconfiguration if the same directory structure as the
real-time data is followed.
Create your data and log directories that LDM will expect under the ~ldm/data/gempak
tree. The FILE actions from the LDM will create their own directory paths, however
decoders which receive their data via PIPE should have their directory
created first (decoders from NCEP do not automatically create their paths,
most written at Unidata do create their output paths).
Displaying Satellite and NIDS data in NMAP, NSAT and Garp
Imagery is stored into a three tier tree structure which enables the Graphical User
Interfaces to provide a hierachy of data menues. NIDS data can be directly filed
from the LDM into this structure. Additionally, satellite imagery transmitted on the
Unidata/Wisconsin IDD feedtype in AREA file format can be directly filed into
the data hierarchy using the ldm-mcidas program pnga2area. Pattern-action examples
for storing these products are available in the pqact.conf examples above.
Configuring the LDM to store files for NALARM
Nalarm is a desktop GUI that automatically notifies you when a
bulletin you are interested in arrives, and provides a text window for browsing the
content of the product. Each user can have their own set of files to be viewed in
Nalarm.
To configure Nalarm for your system,
- Decide where alarm bulletins from the LDM will be written.
This directory will be defined using the AFOS_ALARMS environmental
valiable defined in the Gemenviron file. Typically, AFOS_ALARMS
is defined as $GEMDATA/alarms.
- Create pqact.conf entries to file desired bulletins into
user directories under $GEMDATA/alarms. For example, if the user
"frodo" wants to be notified of all tornado warnings issued,
the following pqact.conf entry could be used:
WMO ^(......) (....) ([0-3][0-9])([0-2][0-9])([0-6][0-9]).*/p(TOR.*)
FILE data/gempak/alarms/frodo/(\3:yyyy)(\3:mm)\3\4\5_\6.\1_\2
- The LDM will automatically create the data/gempak/alarms/frodo directory
when a product arrives if it does not already exist. You should give the
user "frodo" write access to that directory as well so that he can
delete bulletins after he reads them. It is useful to automaticall scour these
directories to several days accumulation (such as with the scour.conf
configuration for "ldmadmin scour") to keep these directories from accumulating
too many messages if the user is deleting them himself.
- Nalarm will look for files for the current user under $AFOS_ALARMS/"~user_id".
- In order for Frodo to be notified when bulletins arrive, he should launch
Nalarm ( available from the NTL bar, or the command line), A small window
will be created which can be placed in a convenient area of the desktop.
- When a new file appears in the user's alarm directory, the "New Product"
panel of the Nalarm window will flash red. Clicking on the "New Product"
icon will launch a browser showing available products in the top window.
Clicking on a product name will display the text in the bottom of the window.
- The bulletin can be printed or deleted from the browser.
- Clicking "Exit" closes the browser down, the allarm button will remain on
the desktop until the Nalarm window is exited.
- If a $AFOS_ALARMS/"~user_id" directory does not exist, the GUI will attempt to
look in $AFOS_ALARMS/nawips if it exists.
Keeping up to date with NOAAPORT changes
Realtime data stream users can keep informed about NOAAPORT data stream
changes through the nws-changes email list, as well as through the administrative
messages broadcast on NOAAPORT. Here is a sample pqact.conf entry
to mail these messages automatically from your LDM:
WMO ^(ADMN[0-68]. ....|ADMN9[^9] ....|ADMN7[^5] ....|NOXX.. ....|NOUS[^46789]. ....|NOUS[4678]. (KWNO|KWBC|KNCF)|NOUS9[^7] ....)
PIPE -strip -close /usr/bin/mailx -s "ADMIN NOTICE \1" joe.user@foo.bar
Generating Nmeta files for NTRANS
The Ntrans program utilizes an environmental variable in Gemenviron
called $NTRANS_META which specifies the top of your metafile tree.
Ntrans will create selection buttons withing the "select model"
widget for each subdirectory it finds in $NTRANS_META.
Clicking on a button within "select model" will present
all the file names located in that directory.
For example, if you generate meta files for the ETA model,
and store these in the directory $NTRANS_META/eta,
selecting the ETA button will display the names of your meta files in that
directory. For more information see
Ntrans in the tutorial.
Configuring the Garp_defaults file
Garp uses the file $GARPHOME/config/Garp_defaults to define
the names and locations of the various gempak data sets
it can plot. These defaults are currently set to use
the file suffixes demonstrated in the decoders examples
for pqact.conf. Additionally, the directories are compatible
with those defined in Gemenviron ($MODEL for gridded data sets,
$SAT for the AREA, $RAD for Nids image tree, $GEMDATA/surface
for METAR, $GEMDATA/syn for land synoptic, $GEMDATA/ship for ship synoptic, $GEMDATA/upperair
for radiosonde data, $GEMDATA/profiler for profiler data).
The grid functions which may be defined for quick access
are defined in files called FDFs. You may add additional FDF
functions or categories. If you add a new subdirectory
for a separate category, you must add this directory
to the Garp_defaults file. FDF files contain parameters
similar to those you typically specify in the GD programs
within GEMPAK.
For further information, see the UPC
GARP tutorial.
Go to the GEMPAK Package information pages.
