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20031202: tdf to AWIPS netCDF format conversion

>From: "Jacques, Rodney" <address@hidden>
>Organization: Forecast Systems & Applications NAVPACMETOCCEN - SAN DIEGO
>Keywords: 200312030018.hB30Ikp2003339 TeraScan TDF netCDF

Rodney,

>I would like to convert satellite imagery from a tdf format to an AWIPS
>netCDF format for Ingest into GFE.  Can you be of assistance? 

I wish we could be of assistance to you in this endeavor!  I worked
long and hard to come up with a distributable way of doing the
conversion from TDF to McIDAS AREA, but I was rebuffed by the closed
nature of the SeaSpace TDF files.

Another group in UCAR, JOSS, has come up with a method of converting
TeraScan imagery to McIDAS AREA format, but their procedure requires
that one save the satellite imagery from TeraScan into HDF files, and
then convert the HDF files into McIDAS AREA using navigation information
from the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison.  So far, I believe that they are only doing the
conversion for GOES data, but I could be wrong.

The approach that we (Unidata) are going to take is to split the signal
off of the TeraScan dish and feed one branch into the TeraScan receiver
and the other into a McIDAS SDI box.  The SDI box will then ingest the
data and serve it through the McIDAS ADDE interface.  McIDAS and other
ADDE-enabled applications can then access this data and easily convert
it into other formats like the netCDF.  This jumping through hoops is
all are result of the proprietary nature of TDF.

>We receive GOES and polar orbiting satellite imagery using a system from
>Seaspace. (http://www.seaspace.com <http://www.seaspace.com> ) The imagery
>is in a tdf format. 

We are well familiar with the TeraScan system especially because of
the proprietary TDF storage format.

>Regards.
>
>******************************************************
>       Rodney  Jacques, GS-12 
>       N5 - Meteorological Services Officer
>       Forecast Systems & Applications
>       NAVPACMETOCCEN - SAN DIEGO
>       P.O. Box 357076
>       San Diego, CA  92135-7076 
>       Email:  address@hidden <mailto:address@hidden> 
>       Phone: 619-545-6043 
>       DSN:    619-545-6043
>       FAX:    619-545-0291
>       Web Page:  https://www.npmoc-sd.navy.mil
><https://mskc.spawar.navy.mil> 
>******************************************************

Cheers,

Tom Yoksas