Metview 4

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Metview 4 Magics Answering new challenges
of increasing volumes of data

• Stephan Siemen Fernando Ii

Graphics Section ECMWF
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Overview

• Magics
• Metview
• OGC

Terralib
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Magics

• Further export versions have been released
• We received very active feedback from external
  users - as a result, the next release (2.8) will
  include many new features requested by external
  users
• The current available export version is 2.6.4
• Platforms
• Linux (32 and 64 bit) (at ECMWF we tested
  OpenSuSE 10.3, 11.1 SLES 9)
• IBM AIX 5.3
• We know of Ubuntu, Fedora, Mac, FreeBSD and HP-UX
  users
• We appreciate feedback from Member States on
  which platforms (operating system / distributions
  compilers) they use

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Magics overview
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Magics - ready for the web

• It is a new software can handle web requirements
• Produces wide range of web formats PNG, PDF,
  SVG, KML
• Generates metadata info regarding the data
  displayed and legend
• Generates simple Javascript codes to enable map
  navigation
• An XML based interface MagML
• The XML convention makes it easy to use in a web
  context
• A MagML interpreter can be easily embedded in a
  complex web project allowing the generation of
  plot on demand
• The MagML syntax is similar to the Metview icons
  convention

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Web developments
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Magics - our programming experience

• Autotools (configure) based installation enables
  easier spread of Magics
• Users are more confident to update
• Debian and Fedora community have or plan to
  package Magics
• C proved again to be a good choice
• Already used in Metview for 15 years
• Fast, clear structured object-oriented code
• Only issue compiler support
• Backwards compatibility
• Important in an operational environment
• Can limit new developments

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Magics - KML/KMZ output

• Generates OGC compliant KML 2.2
• Very different to other 2D outputs
• Generates time series
• Able to write different layers

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Metview

• Main developments focus on Metview 4
• However we plan a service release of Metview
  3.11
• New compilers tested (PGI 8 and GCC 4.3)
  including more up-to-date optimisation options
• Ready for the future high-resolution (T1279)
  upgrade
• Add modules to handle ODBs (previously only
  available in internal releases)
• Add more functionality for handling Geopoints
• Number of small fixes

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Metview in the age of web services

• Now that there is the ability of powerful web
  services, where
• does a meteorological workstation, such as
  Metview, come
• in?
• The increasing amount of data to be processed
  does still need processing speed best achieved by
  an optimized software
• While maps allow visualisation on the web a
  workstation can give more tools to analyse and
  work with data itself
• The tool, once installed, is always available and
  independent of network and other services

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Metview 4 - new development choices

• Replace MAGICS with Magics
• Enables 64 bit version (even hybrid is possible
  in Metview 3)
• Offers all features of Magics
• Replacement of Motif with Qt
• Continue to use OpenGL API
• Efficient
• Well established
• Use autotools for installation
• Offer tools for
• post-processing visualisation of model analysis
  and forecasts
• observation monitoring
• development of web products
• logging debugging for operations (SMS)
• model verification

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Replacement of Motif with Qt

• The use of Motif became too restrictive for new
  developments, such as dynamic dialogues
• Qt offers a wide range of standard dialogues,
  such as for printing and choosing colour
• Better documentation, training and more examples
  than other toolkits we looked at (Gtk)
• Has a big commercial company, Nokia, as backer
• Thanks to the new license model, LGPL 2.1, it is
  now available for commercial and free software
• We plan a step-by-step replacement, starting with
  the visualisation window and data examiner tools

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Metview 4 plans (1)

• A new visualisation module to take advantage of
  all the benefits provided by Magics
• More functionality to handle NetCDFs
• More facilities to handle satellite data
• MagML integration
• OGC service client (and server?)
• Full 64 bit memory support
• Better installation tools (Autotools)

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Metview 4 plans (2)

• Macro language
• Powerful meteorologically oriented language
• automatic generation, dragdrop icons
• Interfaces with users Fortran/C/C programs
• Simple script language modern computer
  language
• a retrieve( paramT, date-1 ) fieldset
  with several levels
• b read( /home/observ.gpt ) geopoints
  data
• c (a 272.15) b
• plot( c )
• Improvements
• Multiple outputs
• New enhanced editor
• New data manipulation functions

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MV4 - improved magnification

• Option to show values in magnification

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MV4 - zoom stack
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MV4 - improved data examiners validators
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MV4 - improved Macro MagML Editor
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Handling observation data (1)

• Added new modules to handle ODB data
• The ODB examiner allows the fast analysis of the
  metadata contents of an ODB
• Data structure is shown graphically

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Handling observation data (2)

• New tool GeoTool and symbol plotting facilities
• allow more options to plot and analyse point data
• improve the handling plotting of large amounts
  of data coming from satellites (stored in ODBs)

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Terralib library our link to GIS

• Library to build geographical applications
• Developed by our partner INPE/CPTEC (Brazil)
• Open Source Policy (LGPL)
• Terralib is integrated into Metview 4/Magics
• Access to a diverse set of GIS data and
  algorithms
• Support geographical projections and
  interpolation routines
• Continuous work to take more advantage of
  Terralibs ability to handle GIS data
• Handling of spatio-temporal data types (e.g.
  Shape file)
• Communication with GIS systems and spatial
  databases
• Handling large image data sets (high-res
  satellite data)
• www.terralib.dpi.inpe.br

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OGC standards and web services

• ECMWF is committed to investigating the use of
  OGC standards and (web) services
• We hosted jointly with Met Office and Météo
  France a Workshop in Nov 2008
• ECMWF wants to take an active role in the OGC
  Meteorology DWG
• First practical work concentrates on WMS KML
• Magics as server to deliver maps in PNG SVG
• Metview 4 as client to enable users to integrate
  maps from other providers
• Support KML/KMZ as output format
• Work after this will aim at catalogue and feature
  services

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Challenges of OGC standards

• Any implementations need to be tested with
  external partners to ensure interoperability
• Definition and use of Projection needs to be
  assessed
• E.g. definition of polar stereographic
  projections
• How should WMS served maps be updated?
• On request, once or periodically

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OGC WMS client in Metview 4 (1)
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OGC WMS client in Metview 4 (2)
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OGC WMS test with Météo France
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12th Workshop on Meteorological Operational
Systems

• 2nd 6th November 2009at ECMWF, Reading, UK
• Speakers are invited to report on new trends in
  meteorological visualisation applications
  More information at www.ecmwf.int/newsevents/m
  eetings/workshops/2009/MOS_12/

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21st Meeting of the European Working Group on
Operational meteorological Workstations (EGOWS)

• We are looking forward to hosting the next
  EGOWSat ECMWF!
• June 2010 at ECMWF, Reading, UK
• We will provide more information (web emails)
  nearer the time

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Summary

• MAGICS
• MAGICS 6.11 export version - no further releases
• Magics
• Magics 2.6.4 export version
• Next Export version planned early Summer 2009
• Metview
• Metview 3.11 export version
• Next service export version 3.11.x planned for
  June 2009
• Metview 4 internal release 4Q 2009
• 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