WDSSII Training Module I

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WDSS-II Training Module I

• An overview of the WDSS-II display

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What is WDSS-II?

• Infrastructure to support application
  development, data ingest and distribution,
  configuration, and output data formats.
• Real-time and off-line data integration of data
  from multiple radars and other sensors.
• Interactive 4D Display designed specifically to
  effectively manage and provide rapid access to
  the most important information for
  decision-making
• Multi-sensor Algorithms to detect, diagnose and
  predict severe weather events.

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The WDSS-II display

• The display is essentially just a GUI-based
  algorithm
• Any data that can be viewed in the display may be
  accessed by any other algorithm!

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The WDSS-II display

• The aim of this module is to present the
  underlying concepts.
• The version of the display you are using may be
  different.
• The display is constantly evolving in response to
  user feedback and requirements
• The knobology may be different
• Try to perform the steps as you go through this
  presentation

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Operating systems

• Red Hat Enterprise 3 and 4
• Windows XP (display only)

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Starting up rssd

• rssd runs as a daemon that controls
• product notification (lets processes know that a
  new product is available to fetch)
• Data transfer between machines
• Step 1 configure .rssd.conf
• Step 2 type rssd at command-prompt
• It should run until you reboot the machine no
  need to start it every time
• Environment variable RMTPORT to set port
• Set RMTPORT to 50000 within NSSL

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Starting up rssd

• Edit .rssd.conf (in your home directory)
• Client 172.16..
• Client 172.18..
• Path /tmp
• Path /data
• Client tells which computers are allowed to
  connect to this one
• Path tells which directories they are allowed
  to browse
• No need to include subdirectories (.e.g.
  /data/may3) if their containing dir is in the
  path.

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rssd for multiple users

• If you have multiple users on the same machine
• set RMTPORT to /tmp50000
• Can use any directory that is world-writeable

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Starting up wg (the WDSS-II GUI)

• wg c myConfigFileName
• Starts the WDSSII GUI. Saves your session upon
  exit in myConfigFileName
• Also, loads the old session from myConfigfileName
  on startup.
• You can save multiple configurations (e.g.
  different settings for archived cases or
  real-time)
• wg
• Starts the WDSSII GUI
• Uses a default configuration file .wgpref
• Add --verbose to the command line to help
  diagnose run-time errors.

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Wg Layout

• Each tab (left) controls a different
  functionality
• Control loaded products
• Controls for camera / readout / etc.
• Maps
• Connect to and manage data sources

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Connecting to a real-time data source

• At NSSL, there are a number of real-time data
  sources that can be connected to very simply
• Click Sources / Add

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Connecting to a real-time data source
machine
Path to the index

• Click on the data source of interest
• Set the history (next slide)
• Click add

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Connecting to a real-time data source setting
the history

• History is how many minutes (default 30) that
  will be maintained in the index from the most
  recent time.
• Having a long history (e.g. All) can slow down
  initial connection times and use more memory
  use only for archived cases.
• For real-time data, use an amount of time greater
  than the length of time you expect to loop.

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Connecting to a real-time data source additional
notes

• An index of existing real-time data sources may
  be listed in an XML file and used as your default
  selections in the sources page (see
  tensorrindex.xml)
• May be changed in the preferences dialogue
• Real-time system status page
• http//tensor/cgi-bin/rupdate/radarUpdate.pl?group
  REALTIME
• Or just visit the tensor web site and click on
  WDSSII Real-time Radar Status

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Connecting to an existing archive data source

• Give the source a name
• Enter the location of the index file
• Select the protocol (next slide)
• Set the history to all

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Data sources index protocols

• Indices are lists of data products and where they
  are located (local or remote). WDSSII natively
  supports three index protocols
• xmllb a linear buffer file
• Allows for real-time notification of new products
• Has a limited number of records ( 32000)
• xml a text index file
• orpg an index of ORPG products
• Additional types may be added as plug-ins.

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Sources Loading a product

• This is a product list for each source.
• Single click on the product will open up
  category menu
• Double click on product will load the product in
  the first category
• Click on a time will load the product at that time

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Sources Other notes

• You can delete a source completely if you are
  finished with it.
• If not using a source, disconnecting may speed
  things up on a slower computer or network.
• If a real-time source stops updating, then try
  reconnecting.
• Change the history time by clicking here.

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Viewing multiple products in one window

• Two or more image products from the same source
  cannot be viewed in the same window one will
  always be in front. This is configrable
• Images from two different sources may be overlaid
  on each other
• Use hide / only to avoid confusion
• The highlighted product in the product selection
  tab will always be in front

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Viewing multiple products in one window

• Notes on time
• If browsing backward in time, the highlighted
  product is considered most recent newer data
  from other sources will not be displayed
• In Auto Update mode, simulation time is the most
  recent product from any source

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Viewing multiple products in one window

• Controlling the product view

Dont show the highlighted product
Show only the highlighted product
highlighted product
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Real-time Auto update

• Auto Update listen for new products on an LB an
  automatically update to the latest one.
• Stepping backward in time will turn off Auto
  Update
• Can use auto-update when doing playback
  (w2simulator) also

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Looping products

• Turn on a loop for the current window
• Looping controls are found under Options /
  Preferences

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Color Key

• Turns on the color bar for all products in this
  window
• Can be edited (more on this in a later session)

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Navigating a multi-slice product
Green current volume scan Red
previous volume scan
Step forward in time
Step back in time
Step to most recent time
Browse up/down in virtual volume (most recent
slices) this is how most WDSS-II algorithms
operate
Browse up/down in current volume
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Multiple windows

• Controlled by view in top menu bar
• New Window adds an empty new window
• Set Main Window choose which window is
  attached to the controls at the bottom
• Main Window / All windows turn on/off auto
  update, auto snapshot, and color key

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Multiple windows View
Tiled
Tiled without controls
Right side
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Navigation mouse controls

• Pan left mouse, move in direction desired
• Zoom middle mouse, move up or down
• Pop-up menu right mouse

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Right mouse pop-up menu

• Swap with main window put this one in the main
  window spot and connect to controls
• Set product / time / subtype / Auto update / Loop
  / Show Color Key / Show readout-- set these
  items for this window
• Group sync with other window
• Rename name this window
• Take snapshot
• Delete this window

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Sync Group

• Put multiple windows in the same sync group to
  make them pan / zoom / tilt / time match, etc.
• Flexible, exact synchronization types are
  controlled under the preferences window

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Auto Snapshot

• Take a snapshot each time a new product appears
• Controlled by preferences
• May be used to automatically generate static
  images, e.g. for putting on the web

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Options menu (top bar)

• Data readout options
• Raw value
• Lat / Lon
• Azimuth / Range (polar only)
• Height MSL and Above Radar Level
• Preferences

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Options / Preferences / Windows

• Each Sync group may be loosely or complexly
  coupled

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Options / Preferences / Snapshot

• Filename naming convention
• p product name and subtype
• t time
• c count
• Use as an alternative to t
• Simplifies scripts
• Snapshots are whats visible in window
• Same size as window
• Unless custom size

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Options / Preferences / Readout

• Same as options menu
• English / Metric controls for data readout as
  well as tables, range rings, etc.

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Options / Preferences / Display

• Font size for icons, text
• Dynamic slice increase value for higher
  resolution. This may slow down machines with
  limited graphic memory.
• Level of Detail culling keep only the most
  important icons as you zoom out.

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Options / Preferences / Cache

• Cache purely memory-dependent.  Products are not
  preloaded into the cache.  If you like lots of
  history or lots of products, use a bigger cache. 
  Check memory usage with "top" and compare to your
  machine's memory
• Clear Color Maps if you edited one of them

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Options / Preferences / Paths

• Path to real-time index location
• This is where the list of sources for Sources /
  Add come from.
• Can create similar file on your machine
• Can collaborate with others in lab
• machinepath-to-xml
• Can have multiple
• Separate using

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Options / Preferences / Loop

• Set the looping parameters
• The bar at the top gives a visual of how the loop
  will behave

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• To begin choose Create / Dynamic Slice or
  CAPPI on the product navigation menu
• Any 3D data field (polar or Lat/Lon) may be used
  as input

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• Click create again and draw a line with left
  mouse
• Click Reset to start from scratch

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• Dynamically drag the small boxes to change the
  cross section
• Middle box move cross section
• 2nd / 4th boxes rotate cross section
• End boxes move only this end, keeping the other
  fixed

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• Choose CAPPI and draw a box with left mouse for
  a constant-altitude plot
• Middle blue bar or shift-middle controls altitude
• Note altitude at top

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• Shift-left mouse controls tilt
• Click plan view to go back to zenith viewing
  angle

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Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

• Turn off interpolation to see original data field

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B-scan (table readout)

• Check table in the navigation pane to bring up
  a table of raw data values

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Tables, Trends, and Icons

• point data (such as cell centroids, rain gauges,
  etc) are stored in tables.

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Tables, Trends, and Icons

• Two table types
• Pop-up window
• Inview

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Tables, Trends, and Icons

• Features
• Past tracks
• Icons (w/ height poles for 3D view)
• Trends
• Table sort

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End of WDSS-II Training Module I