WDSS-II Training Module I

An overview of the WDSS-II display

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.

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!

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

Operating systems

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

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

Starting up rssd

Edit .rssd.conf (in your home directory)Client: 172.16.*.*Client: 172.18.*.*Path: /tmpPath: /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.

rssd for multiple users

If you have multiple users on the same machine: set RMTPORT to /tmp:50000 Can use any directory that is world-

writeable

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.

Wg Layout

Each tab (left) controls a different functionality:

Control loaded products

Controls for camera / readout / etc.

Maps Connect to and

manage data sources

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”

Connecting to a real-time data source

Click on the data source of interest

Set the history (next slide)

Click “add”

machine

Path to the index

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.

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 tensor:rindex.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”

Connecting to an existing archive data source

1. Give the source a name

2. Enter the location of the index file

3. Select the protocol (next slide)

4. Set the history to “all”

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.

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

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.

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

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

Viewing multiple products in one window

Controlling the product view:

Don’t show the highlighted product

Show only the highlighted product highlighted product

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

Looping products

Turn on a loop for the current window Looping controls are found under

Options / Preferences

Color Key

Turns on the color bar for all products in this window

Can be edited (more on this in a later session)

Navigating a multi-slice product

Browse up/down in current volume

Browse up/down in “virtual volume” (most recent slices) – this is how most WDSS-II algorithms operate

Green = current volume scan

Red = previousvolume scan

Step forward in time

Step back in time

Step to most recent time

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

Multiple windows: View

Tiled Tiled without controls

Right side

Navigation: mouse controls

Pan: left mouse, move in direction desired

Zoom: middle mouse, move up or down

Pop-up menu: right mouse

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

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

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

Options menu (top bar)

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

Preferences

Options / Preferences / Windows

Each Sync group may be loosely or complexly coupled

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

what’s visible in window

Same size as window Unless “custom size”

Options / Preferences / Readout

Same as options menu

English / Metric – controls for data readout as well as tables, range rings, etc.

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.

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

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 machine:path-to-xml Can have multiple

Separate using ;

Options / Preferences / Loop

Set the looping parameters

The bar at the top gives a visual of how the loop will behave

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

Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

Click create again and draw a line with left mouse

Click “Reset” to start from scratch

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

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

Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

Shift-left mouse controls tilt

Click “plan view” to go back to zenith viewing angle

Dynamic cross section / CAPPI

Turn off interpolation to see original data field

B-scan (table readout)

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

Tables, Trends, and Icons

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

Tables, Trends, and Icons

Two table types:

Pop-up window

Inview

Tables, Trends, and Icons

Features: Past tracks Icons (w/

height poles for 3D view)

Trends Table sort

End of WDSS-II Training Module I