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Re: 20050808: Help needed with GARP map backgrounds and topo

Nicholas,

The $GEMMAPS/hicowo.cia is a binary file and not text. This is the file
that the plotting programs will be using.

The ascii version is located under $GEMMAPS/ascii/aschicowo.cia
after editing the ascii version, the file must be converted to the
gempak format file with ssfgsf.

I do not include the ascii tree in the Unidata GEMPAK distribution since
those files would add another 200MB to the tar file, and can be created
by running gsfssf on the binary file to create the ascii version.

If you have a text readable file, its not what GEMPAK is using, so that
would be a source of confusion about what you are seeing after making
changes.

Steve Chiswell
Unidata User Support

On Mon, 2005-08-08 at 17:31, address@hidden wrote:
> Steve,
> 
> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> Unfortunately, the locowo.gsf map is too low resolution, such that its 
> missing a few islands (or Kingdoms as the Saudis call them).  Our 
> guests from Saudi indicate to me that although all borders are removed 
> in the locowo.gsf mapfile, they do need to be able to display all the 
> islands in that region as well. 
> 
> Since the locowo.gsf file didn't quite solve my problem, I will try to 
> edit the hicowo.cia map file using the method you described below 
> (using gsfssf and ssfgsf).  When I try to view the mapfiles, such as 
> the hicowo.cia file, it displays text.  Will using gsfssf allow me to 
> make better sense of the file and allow me to edit and remove those 
> extra borders in that mapfile? 
> 
> Thanks again for all your help with this!
> Nick 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Steve Chiswell <address@hidden>
> Date: Monday, August 8, 2005 2:00 pm
> Subject: 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 
> > recreatedinto 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
> >