Metview 4 The next generation of meteorological workstation at ECMWF

1
Metview 4The next generation ofmeteorological
workstation at ECMWF
Stephan Siemen Graphics Section ECMWF
2
Overview

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

3

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

4
Changes since last EGOWS

• The development of MAGICS 6 has been frozen
• Only minor updates are planned
• Magics developments continued with various
  releases
• New Metgrams have been released (Wavegrams)
• Two new versions of Metview have been released
• 3.10 New VarEps support
• 3.11 Major internal change moving from gribex to
  GribAPI
• Start of installation of new super computer (IBM
  Power 6)

5
11th Workshop on Meteorological Operational
Systems

• 12th 16th November 2007at ECMWF, Reading, UK
• Speakers were invited to report on new trends
  in meteorological visualisation applications
• Focus was on web servicesand applications. We
  had discussions on how useful Rich Internet
  Applications can be.
• Calls for a separate Workshop to discuss OGC web
  standards / services
• The presentations and conclusions are available
  at www.ecmwf.int/newsevents/meetings/workshops/200
  7/MOS_11/

6
EGOWS 2010

• ECMWF is happy to offer to host EGOWS 2010
• Will be at the weather centre in Reading, UK
• We will inform / invite Member States

7

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

8
Magics
9
Magics - MagML

• XML based format to describe Magics plots
• Descriptive, not procedural
• some support of variables and global definitions
• No need for (re-)compilation
• magml interpreter program processes a MagML file
  and produces output graphics
• Interpreter can be easily called in user code
• Description close to Metviews icon convention
• Can be integrated into more complex XML request
  descriptions

10
Magics - MagML usage

• MagML is very popular with users
• Main aim is the large scale automatic production
  of plots
• MagML enables easy use of new features of
  Magics to make it more attractive for producing
  web output
• Generating meta information / JavaScript code to
  support interactivity of web output
• Layers
• New formats SVG, GIF, PDF, KML
• Used in this way in the Plot-On-Demand project at
  ECMWF
• Ideal as backend for web interfaces with static
  layout and visual properties but changing data

11
(No Transcript)
12
MagML - example - the code

• ltmagics version3.0"gt ltdriversgt     ltsvg
  name"mysvg.svg" /gt     ltpng name"mypng.png" /gt
  lt/driversgt ltpage orientation'landscape'gt
     lttext font'Times-Roman' colour'rgb(0.1,0.6,0
  .2)'
• bottom"90" display"inline" gtZ500
  Contour Plotlt/textgt    ltmapgt      ltcylindricalgt
          ltcorners min_latitude'25'
  max_latitude'75'                    
  min_longitude'-30' max_longitude'77'/gt     
  lt/cylindricalgt      ltcoastlinesgt      ltcoast
  colour 'brown' /gt      lt/coastlinesgt     
  ltlayergt      ltgrib path PATH_TO_DATA'/gt
       ltcontour/gt      lt/layergt    lt/mapgt
  lt/pagegt lt/magicsgt

13
MagML - example - the output
14
Metgrams
15
Magics 2.6 - new features

• Rotated grids
• Observation plotting
• Support for BUFR metgram data
• Python interface

16
Magics - next steps

• Start testing new ECMWF interpolation library
• Develop features to support Metview 4
• Style sheets for data types /
  products(possible replacement for specification
  groups)
• Investigate streamlines
• Introduce new projections (e.g. tephigrams)
• Investigate advanced GIS features (e.g. shaded
  relief maps)

17

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

18
Metview

• ECMWF's meteorological data visualisation and
  processing tool
• Complete working environment for the operational
  and research meteorologist

19
Metview 3.11 developments

• Support for Grib 2 through migration from gribex
  to GribAPI
• Meant many internal changes
• Internally we still convert Grib 2 to Grib 1 for
  visualisation only
• Support for inline C/C in Metview Macro (same
  as inline Fortran)
• New features to support ECMWFs Observations
  DataBase (ODB)
• Allows examining and reading for visualisation
  and processing
• Only released inside ECMWF

20

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

21
Metview 4 - Aims

• Take full advantage of features from support
  libraries
• Magics
• GribAPI
• New Interpolation library
• Terralib (INPE / Brazil)
• Address issues reported by users
• More options to work with satellite data
• Enhanced Macro editor
• Easier installation (e.g. binary distribution)
• Integrate Magics tools (MagML, Metgrams)
• Improved NetCDF support

22
Metview 4 - improvements

• Magics and Metview will both use C
• Interface between both is generated from the same
  XML description files as the Fortran and MagML
  interface is
• More sharing of code between Magics and Metview
• More input and output formats (Magics)
• Improvements in user interactivity, such as
  layers
• The ability to dynamically toggle certain
  graphical objects, such as contour labels and
  maxima/minima
• Querying the properties of graphical objects
  displayed on screen
• Generate MagML for plot-on-demand (web)

23
Metview 4 - status

• Currently in alpha status
• User can switch between current, MAGICS 6 based
  plot module or new, Magics based plot module
• New plot module, using OpenGL, is working as
  first prototype
• Better fonts
• Improved zooming functions
• Thanks to modular architecture, Metview 3 modules
  continue to work alongside new Metview 4 modules
• Some Metview 3 modules might be removed later or
  redirected to a translator to call a respective
  new module

24
Metview 4 - new display
25
Metview 4 - Next steps

• Start having users testing Metview 4 this summer
• Mainly for new ODB / NetCDF features
• Release future test version of Metview including
  new Metview 4 modules
• Currently non-invasive work on Metview 3
• Review of old features - some might be
  rewritten or even removed
• Consider new GUI toolkit additional to Motif -
  stepwise transition
• First release in 2009

26

• News
• Magics updates
• Metview updates
• Metview 4
• Other developments

27
WMO symbols fonts (1)

• Wmo.jhf (Java - VisAD)
• Suggestion for a Wiki
• ERSI font files
• Disadvantages inclusion in vector formats, no
  layouts
• Possible commercial fonts
• ? Thanks for all your feedback!

28
WMO symbols fonts (2)

• We test now TTF fonts in Magics
• We test Pango as the layout engine
• Inclusion in vector formats (SVG, PS) a real
  problem
• We still look for a full set of WMO symbols
• ? We will keep you informed about our progress!

29
OGC web services

• Web standards defined by Open Geospatial
  Consortium
• WMS - Web Map Service
• Examples Google Earth
• WFS - Web Feature Service
• Retrieving or altering feature descriptions
• WCS - Web Coverage Service
• Provide coverage objects
• File formats
• GML
• KML (Google Earth)

30
OGC services - our plans

• Support KML output in Magics / Metview 4
• Start Google Earth from Metview
• Support of OGC description of projections
• Terralib supports EPSG codes
• Possibility to use Magics to build WMS service
• Enable definition of WMS request and import of
  results
• Add support for GML and WCS as input?
• ? There are plans to hold a Workshop about OGC
  web services end of November 2008!

31
Summary

• Metview
• Metview 3.10 export version
• Next export version 3.11 planned this June
• Magics
• Magics 2.4.3 export version
• Next Export 2.6 version planned 3Q 2008
• For more information and to keep up-to-date with
  developments, please
• visit our webpage or subscribe to our RSS at
• http//www.ecmwf.int/publications/manuals/magics
  
• http//www.ecmwf.int/publications/manuals/metview

32
Metview 3.11.1 demo
33
Metview Principles

• First MetviewPrinciple
• Everything in Metview is an Icon

• Second Metview Principle
• Every Metview Task is a sequence of actions on
  icons

34
Metview user interface
35
Metview Icon Editors (1)
Family editor (Simple Formula)

Graphical editor (Display Window)
Text editor (Macro)
Standard editor (MARS Retrieval)
36
Metview Icon Editors (2)
Icon Id(click to see contents in plain text
format)
Help Button (linked to HTML Help Pages)
Input area
Input element Icon Field
Input element Check Button
Input element Option Menu
Templates Drawer Stores predefined (frequently
used) icons
Input element Alphanumeric Field
Save/Exit area
37
Metview - Display Window
Plot Size Control
Menu Bar
Command Buttons (Tool Tip Help when pointing
to)
Frame Menu (Click-Right)
Content Tab Controls Tab