>From: Mike Trexler <address@hidden>
>Organization: NCSU
>Keywords: 200009250008.e8P084b11689 ldm-mcidas
Mike,
>Questions about mcidas images...
>
>my mcidas images suddenly stopped coming over the ldm last week.
Broadcast of delta-encoded images was terminated at 18Z on Friday,
September 15. Dual broadcast of the delta-encoded images and the
PNG compressed replacements was carried out from the end of July
to September 15. The change to the datastream was announced three
times since June 20 to members of the ldm-users, gembud, and mcidas-x
email lists.
>We had not upgraded to the mcidas-x with the new ldm decoders.
>I didn't think that it was yet required.
This sounds like you did not get the personal email that I sent to you
on September 11. Is this true? I did not see a bounce. The address
I used was: address@hidden This is the address we show
for you as the NCSU Unidata site contact. If it is in error, please
let us know so we can update our records.
>My question is...is it required
>now and is that why I've stopped receiving these images or could
>it be something else?
Yes, installation and configuration of the ldm-mcidas decoder, pnga2area,
is required to decode the images. We moved to PNG compression since it
is vastly superior to the delta encoded method that had been used for
years.
>I get all my other data fine.
A notifyme shows that you are receiving the data:
notifyme -vxl- -f MCIDAS -o 3600 meaculpa.nrrc.ncsu.edu
Sep 25 00:23:51 notifyme[8989]: Starting Up: meaculpa.nrrc.ncsu.edu:
20000924232351.886 TS_ENDT {{MCIDAS, ".*"}}
NOTIFYME(meaculpa.nrrc.ncsu.edu) returns OK
Sep 25 00:23:52 notifyme[8989]: NOTIFYME(meaculpa.nrrc.ncsu.edu): OK
Sep 25 00:24:00 notifyme[8989]: 580d3827d78fdb49f5cd0853c90169e0 337232
20000924233137.361 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UA 163 GOES-8_IMG 0.65um 1km
20000924 2315
Sep 25 00:24:01 notifyme[8989]: 8e0cd439122d64adf4f4e12babc84cf8 328483
20000924233357.217 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UC 63 GOES-8_IMG 0.65um 1km
20000924 2315
Sep 25 00:24:01 notifyme[8989]: 284045ab3289b8b3ecc008bdb5483189 178129
20000924233625.112 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UW 213 GOES-8_IMG 6.8um 8km
20000924 2315
Sep 25 00:24:01 notifyme[8989]: 83b57e32946626c1a232afe53998d427 1531534
20000924233649.825 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UV 143 GOES-8_IMG 0.65um 4km
20000924 2315
Sep 25 00:24:01 notifyme[8989]: de290d3b66137ac8e2d3146c7305b671 1074909
20000924233652.187 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UI 153 GOES-8_IMG 10.7um 4km
20000924 2315
Sep 25 00:24:04 notifyme[8989]: 401ccd8bff505017bb2bed88c11c6c57 41099
20000924235040.597 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q0 CF 1150 GOES-10_SND UNKBAND 20km
20000924 2300
Sep 25 00:24:08 notifyme[8989]: c01ac43d9e206e885bbba534cab495fa 6809
20000925000549.499 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 U3 205 GRAPHICS UNKBAND 5km
20000924 2259
Sep 25 00:24:09 notifyme[8989]: 2a09bb2fd95017267ff2d2392073ae9e 131239
20000925001026.650 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 U1 191 GOES-9_IMG UNKBAND 20km
20000924 2100
Sep 25 00:24:12 notifyme[8989]: 81b00fa60cc6fedf4483bbc3d03725b6 159477
20000925001616.315 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 UB 170 GOES-10_IMG 6.8um 8km
20000925 0000
Sep 25 00:24:12 notifyme[8989]: 9051827399d52077d64028363b7fedbc 1596675
20000925001642.024 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 U9 120 GOES-10_IMG 0.65um 4km
20000925 0000
Sep 25 00:24:12 notifyme[8989]: 4f8468254eea776b82bd8c8bdd174cdb 956980
20000925001706.374 MCIDAS 000 pnga2area Q1 U5 130 GOES-10_IMG 10.7um 4km
20000925 0000
You just need to install the new ldm-mcidas decoder to decode the data.
I am including the email I sent to you previously. Please let me know if
there is anything I can do on this end to get you going again.
From address@hidden Mon Sep 11 18:49:38 2000
by unidata.ucar.edu (UCAR/Unidata) with SMTP id e8C0nbb28512;
Mon, 11 Sep 2000 18:49:38 -0600 (MDT)
Message-Id: <address@hidden>
Organization: UCAR/Unidata
To: address@hidden
cc: address@hidden
Subject: 20000911: Unidata-Wisconsin (MCIDAS) images broadcast cessation
20000915
Reply-to: address@hidden
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 18:49:37 -0600
From: Unidata Support <address@hidden>
>From: Unidata User Support <address@hidden>
>Organization: Unidata Program Center
>Keywords: 200009112348.e8BNm5b26728 Unidata-Wisconsin image MCIDAS LWTOA3
>pnga2area
Mike,
I am writing since I fear that you may have missed seeing the three
previous notifications (at the end of June and July, and beginning of
September) of the removal of delta-encoded satellite imagery from the
Unidata-Wisconsin (LDM feed type MCIDAS) datastream.
We have been broadcasting PNG compressed versions of the "regular" UW
stream images since the end of July. This dual broadcast will cease at
18 Z this Friday, September 15.
*************************************************************************
***** *****
***** If you have not upgraded your ldm-mcidas decoders to the *****
***** latest release, Version 7.6.4, you will stop decoding images *****
***** at THIS FRIDAY! *****
***** *****
*************************************************************************
1) Rationale for moving to PNG compression of imagery:
Delta-encoding is the compressed format that the images have been in
since the beginning of the Unidata-Wisconsin datastream. Switching
to the much more efficient PNG compression will allow us to increase
the number of images in the Unidata-Wisconsin while mitigating the
impact that the increased data volume will have on your network.
2) What to do to continue using Unidata-Wisconsin imagery:
You must transition to use of the ldm-mcidas 7.6.4 decoder 'pnga2area'
in order to continue decoding imagery.
Binary distributions of ldm-mcidas are available from operating
system-specific directories of anonymous FTP on ftp.unidata.ucar.edu:
Directory Operating system(s)
-----------------------------+----------------------------
pub/binary/osf1_4.0-alpha DEC OSF/1 4.0
pub/binary/hpux_11.00-hp9000 HP HP-UX 11.0
pub/binary/aix_4.3-rs6000 IBM AIX 4.3
pub/binary/linux_2.0-i586 RedHat 5.2 Linux
pub/binary/linux_2.2-i686 RedHat 6.[12] Linux
pub/binary/irix_6.5-mips SGI Irix 6.5
pub/binary/irix64_6.5-mips SGI Irix64 6.5
pub/binary/sunos_5.6-sparc Sun Solaris SPARC Versions 2.6
pub/binary/sunos_5.7-sparc Sun Solaris SPARC Versions 2.7
pub/binary/sunos_5.8-sparc Sun Solaris SPARC Versions 2.8
pub/binary/sunos_5.7-i86pc Sun Solaris i86pc Versions 2.7
pub/binary/sunos_5.8-i86pc Sun Solaris i86pc Versions 2.8
A source distribution is also available in the pub/ldm-mcidas of
anonymous FTP on ftp.unidata.ucar.edu. We are available to help you
build the decoders from source if your system is not compatible with
one of those listed above.
In all cases (source and binary), the distribution compressed tar file,
ldm-mcidas.tar.Z, should be FTPed in binary mode!
3) What else has to be done to transition to the new decoder:
Decoding the PNG compressed products will require that you install
and configure pqact.conf for the new ldm-mcidas decoder, pnga2area.
The ldm-mcidas distribution contains a file, ldm-mcidas-pqact.conf, of
example LDM pattern-actions for the PNG compressed imagery. This file
also presents a short description of the product header format that
will eventually be used for all Unidata-Wisconsin imagery products.
Users should review the contents of ldm-mcidas-pqact.conf; extract and
adapt the actions to suit their environment (e.g., GEMPAK and/or
McIDAS); incorporate them into the pqact.conf file on their IDD ingest
machine; and send a HUP signal to pqact after verifying the entry with
'ldmadmin pqactcheck'.
4) What information is available about the new decoder, and how do
I setup my LDM's pqact.conf file to run it:
Information on the PNG-compressed image decoder can be found in the
ldm-mcidas man pages under the ldm-mcidas Home Page:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/mcidas/mcidd/ldm-mcidas.html
Unidata User Support is available to help you in your transition. If
you have any questions/difficulties/comments, PLEASE let us know ASAP.
>--------------------------------------------------
>****** address@hidden ******
>__________________________________________________
Tom Yoksas
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