[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: 20001018: DIFAX



Hi Tom,

There are several steps being taken to address the Difax issues through the UPC, the Users Committee and the Unidata community.

Let me first say that the NWS plans to send the notice this month and the regular Difax service, as we know it today, will cease. The date that I was given yesterday is April 30, 2001.

See below...

--On Wednesday, October 18, 2000 6:04 AM -0600 Unidata Support <address@hidden> wrote:
<snip>


------- Forwarded Message

To: address@hidden,
To: Steve Chiswell <address@hidden>,
To: Robb Kambic <address@hidden>
cc: address@hidden,
cc: address@hidden
From: Tom Grzelak <address@hidden>
Subject: RE: DIFAX Scripts
Organization: UCAR/Unidata
Keywords: 200010112012.e9BKCZ401613

Organization: UCAR/Unidata
From: "Dan Vietor" <address@hidden>
To: "'James D. Marco'" <address@hidden>, <address@hidden>,
       <address@hidden>
Subject: RE: DIFAX Scripts

<snipped>

 They will give priority use to
some customers such as commercial data providers and maybe one or two
Unidata sites (check with the NWS contact listed on bottom of web page).
So it may be a good idea for one or two universities to handle most of
the load and distribute it through IDD.  When they upgrade and provide
priority service, Unidata won't be bundled into the low priority group.

What do you guys think of what Dan has suggested?  Can we get DIFAX back
into the IDD (for no cost) to EDU?  Leaving the commercial world to work
with the commercial vendors for DIFAX, couldn't we set up where these DIFAX
charts get distributed through the IDD tree?

The Unidata Users Committee and the UPC have been working toward some resolution to the Difax issue. There will be a message to the Difax and LDM user community when the testing is complete. Jeff Weber, Unidata, Pete Pokrandt, Univ of Wis-Madison with the help of one or two other sites are testing a method, where users would get Difax like products via the IDD with printing capabilities.


Right now, I am writing an internal Rutgers proposal with the Remote
Sensing Center (CRSSA) here at Rutgers to buy a server which would permit
both my groups and the CRSSA to serve up data for internet access through
our web sites, ftp, etc..  One of the things I am proposing to do with this
server is to move our IDD relay back to the Dept here and onto this
machine.  Our RU network capabilities have increased significantly and will
continued to be improved through our network project completion of next
summer.  If this IDD of DIFAX is a possibility, then I would offer Rutgers
as a possible top-level site to aid in its distribution.

Thank you for offering. I will let Jeff know upon his return next Monday. For your proposal, you might also be considering the future data and products that will become freely available, e.g., Level III (NIDS type products), additional models via NOAAPort, etc, when you are considering the IDD relay capabilities.



We, like several on the mailing groups, download automatically DIFAX maps
from the NWS using auto-FTP type technology.  It seems to be
counter-productive to have everyone doing this individually to NWS.  Why
not incorporate this into IDD and then we won't have to worry about
everyone building/managing scripts to get this data?

There have been numerous reports of this service disappearing from the NWS at the same time the Difax service ends. The NWS has promised to succinctly address all aspects of the Difax services in their notice.


I am willing to write this into our proposal if you think that this is
something we should do with IDD.  If there is someone at UNIDATA which I
should contact further about this, please let me know.

As mentioned, Jeff Weber, Unidata is dealing with the Difax issue, but it would be helpful if you gave him a breather until he returned back to the office next Monday. He tries to log in periodically, but it is not always easy while being away from the office. In the meantime, you might want to check the Difax Web page that Jeff has posted at:

http://unidata.ucar.edu/community.difax.html

Please be aware that this information is not static. As we are updated, the information will be changed to reflect the updates.

Linda


This is just such a hot issue that it seems it is something we should
REALLY consider doing for FREE.

Thanks!
Tom
===============================================================
Tom Grzelak                          address@hidden
Manager - Computing Services
 ----> Center for Environmental Prediction
 ----> Department of Environmental Sciences

Rutgers University
14 College Farm Road                    Voice: 732-932-4923     
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8551            Fax: 732-932-8644
                http://www.envsci.rutgers.edu
===============================================================


------- End of Forwarded Message




Linda Miller - address@hidden
External Liaison, Unidata
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
P.O. Box 3000
Boulder, CO 80307-3000
303 497-8646 fax: 303-497-8690
URL:  http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/staff/lmiller/un.act.html