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20050808: Help needed with GARP map backgrounds and topo

Nicholas,

You can use locowo.gsf which does not show any borders such as you
mentioned.

To do a color filled area, you could use GPMAP with:

BND      = bg/24+world_bnds/8
$MAPFIL  = locowo.gsf
map      = 31/1/2
garea    = saudi
proj     = def

GEMPAK does not have the capability to reproject images, for the
existing topographic AREA files.

For higher resolution topography , you could create a topographic
grid file using gdtopo (and the 30 second topography file which you can
download from our web site...as described in gdtopo's phelp).

The GEMPAK map files can be edited from the ascii versions and recreated
into GEMPAK format using gsfssf and ssfgsf, though the locowo.gsf should
make that unnecessary.

Steve Chiswell
Unidata User SUpport




On Sun, 2005-08-07 at 00:49, Nicholas Petro wrote:
> Steve,
> 
> I'm working on an international project with the Presidency of 
> Meteorology and Environment, Saudi Arabia's gov't meteorology 
> services.   This project involves training them to run the Workstation 
> ETA model.  We have successfully set up and run the WsEta, and we are 
> using NAWIPS/GEMPAK 5.7 to access and view and the model output. 
> 
> One of their main concerns involves map backgrounds.  When we plot and 
> display the data (such as when using GARP), because of political 
> concerns, they require that the Saudi maps do not have any political 
> borders.  To see what I'm referring to, check out the Saudi map on the 
> following web page:  http://www.pme.gov.sa/Today.asp   I believe the map 
> on this page was created using Grads display software. 
> 
> Initially I thought that the easiest way to remove the borders was to 
> use the HICOWO.CIA (high res coastline world) mapfile.  At first I 
> thought that this map file solved this problem, however, upon using this 
> map and zooming in on Saudi, we noticed that the border with Qatar and 
> the western border with UAE was still on this map. 
> 
> My second attempt at resolving this was to use a topographic map 
> background, such as the one under GARP menu option "options/topographic 
> maps/northern hemisphere" (northern hemisphere .area file).  This topo 
> map doesn't have any borders on it, however, it displays upside down for 
> Saudi purposes.
> 
> My questions are:
> 1)  Is there any way to alter or edit the HICOWO.CIA map file to remove 
> those borders so that we can use that mapfile?
> 2)  Are there any other map files available like the HICOWO.CIA map, but 
> with all the borders removed?
> 3)  Is there any way to "flip" the northern hemisphere area topo file so 
> that Saudi Arabia would display "right side up"?  Since this topo file 
> doens't have any borders, this would be a good alternative to the HICOWO 
> map background. 
> 4)  If the answer to 3 is no, then is there any way I create a new topo 
> area file centered on Saudi Arabia?
> 
> Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Nick Petro
> Sr. Forecaster,
> NWS Tampa Bay - Ruskin, FL