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20000925: gempak question

>From: "Mark A. Shirey" <address@hidden>
>Organization: UCAR/Unidata
>Keywords: 200009251355.e8PDteb05327

>Hello
>
>I have been using GEMPAK to plot some experimental forecasts.  I have
>been creating my own data sets with sfcfil and sfedit, then plotting
>them with sfmap.  My question is, is there any way to plot character
>data.  For example, I would like to plot some cloud forecasts using the
>characters clr and ovc.  From what I have read, it looks like all
>parameters in my ascii input file must be numbers.  Is there any way
>around this?
>
>Thanks
>
>Mark
>

Mark,

Yes, text data is stored in a surface file as an integer (typically the 
st_itoc routine is used). In general, the SKYC symbol is plotted in sfmap,
where SKYC is computed from the number stored in CFRT or the CLCx
(CLCL, CLCM, CLCH) cloud cover (or CHCx). So, instead of trying to
store OVC, you can use the cloud variables and store the numeric values.
However, this is used to plot a cloud symbol or cloud cover symbol, and not 
the letters OVC for example. See Appendix A of the user guide for more 
information. For plotting text on a map, you could create a station table type
of file and use the STID field to represent the OVC, BKN etc strings, then
use the STNPLT parameter in sfmap or gpmap etc. to plot the STIDs ar
the station locations.

Steve Chiswell