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[GEMPAK #FPZ-389233]: GEMPAK ATCF Track models

> Steve,
> 
> I have had a number of questions for quite some time and decided to final
> email you, so I apologize for the length of the email. Hopefully the answers
> to these questions will beneficial to others in the community.
> 
> I am plotting the ATCF tropical cyclone models with some success, however I
> am puzzled by a couple of apparent limitations.
> 
> First, it seems as though it will "only" plot 12 different models, despite
> there being many more in the ATCF file.  Also selecting which models to plot
> seems rather more like luck than being able to specific. What I have had
> some limited success with is putting the models I am most interested in the
> top part of the ATCF section of the
> /usr/local/nawips/gempak/tables/config/miscset.tbl. This seems to help, but
> again even data that is in the ATCF file and is in the top "12" of the
> miscset.tbl file will not get plotted.
> 
> A few specific questions:
> 
> Is there a way to plot more than 12 storms in one plot?

Mike,

According to the ggnatc.f routine, the maximum number was increased to 25 in 
July 2006

C* m.gamazaychikov/SAIC 07/06   Increased NA to 25                      *

You are running an older version.

> Is there a specific way to plot only or all the models you want?

The solution would be to make a local copy of miscset.tbl and remove the 
undesired models.
This is also useful when looking at older cases since the models change with 
each season.


> Is the gpmap_gif limited to only 32 colors? Is there a way to increase this?

The GIF device driver isn't limited to 32 colors. All programs/drivers are 
compiled
with the number of graphics colors used for text/lines/symbols etc defined to
be 32 colors in $GEMPAK/include/colors.h. Satellite images have 95 colors 
allocates, radar 20, and
fax 2. You can display a satllite image with data overlays using the gif device 
driver
as I just did and it will produce a grib with 127 colors (eg 95 + 32).



> Perhaps using the hexadecimal RGB values
> http://www.web-source.net/216_color_chart.htm?
> Is there a way to make the font smaller of the model descriptors and/or move
> it's location on the map? Often the date time and model descriptors in the
> graphic are pushed left of the tracks off the graphics.

NCEP has done the ATCF and ENS_CYC display with the TPC. Not all of the 
attributes
are configurable trough the gpmap or nmap2 configurations.

> 
> Also, I was unable to attend this years GEMPAK workshop, is there by chance
> a on-line video recording of the workshop? From what I have able to find on
> the Unidata web site most of the tutorials and sample scripts are quite
> dated. Is there anything newer on-line, say updated within the last 1-2
> years?  I tend to learn from example, if there are any repositories of
> gempak scripts that would help a great deal?

As with all development, support, training, and advancement, there is a 
tradeoff between the activities
and time available for me. I do cover quite a bit more in 3 days of the 
workshop related to
site specific applications as well as unique topics that are outside the
range of the tutorial. In the past, we have webcast the workshops and have 
provided
web access to the days recodings. This type of effort is another of a limited 
resource for
our administrators here as well, so it has not been possible for them to 
broadcast the
most recent workshops. However, the goal of the gembud email list, and the 
forums
that our web site will be implementing, are designed to give much more
in the way of community input, example, and sharing of ideas than I can by 
myself. Hopefully
you find it useful to take part in the gembud email list and other Unidata 
lists.
I have spent significant time in the past three months on the areas of image to
grid and vice versa transformation examples, as well as the work with ensemble 
examples
which cover many new functions within GEMPAK these examples on the web site 
will continue to be expanded.
The IDV group as well has worked with a form of recorded training modules which 
are quite useful
so we may be able to do things like this for GEMPAK topics in the future. I 
encourage you
to see all the cool things that the IDV group is working on as well.



> 
> Here is an example script I am using.
> 
> # GULF OF MEXICO ATCF
> ######BND        = bg/24+world_bnds/8+lakes/24
> # Plot colored map background
> # BND    = bg/24+world_bnds/8+lakes/24
> $GEMEXE/gpmap_gif <<EOF
> GAREA    = GULF
> PROJ     =
> RADFIL   =
> LATLON   = 2/10/1/1/5;5
> PANEL    = 0
> TITLE    =  3/-6/NHC Models $YMD
> TEXT     =
> CLEAR    =
> DEVICE   =
> gif|/usr/local/ldm/data/wxp/watch/models/current_gulf_atcf.gif|1280;850
> WATCH    =
> HRCN     =
> ATCF     = last|||Y|Y|N|Y
> BND      = bg/24+world_bnds/8+lakes/24
> 
> run
> 
> exit
> EOF
> rm *.nts
> gpend
> 
> 
> I am running Gempak version 5.9.1 linux.
> 

The increase in number of tracks, as well as much of the ENS_CYC functionality 
is
in the current version. Your version is already almost 2 years old, so if you
want to gain access to many of the newer features, you will have to upgrade.


Steve Chiswell
Unidata User Support



> Attached is a sample ATCF graphic I am generated.
> 
> Thanks so much for your help!
> 
> Michael Dross
> 
> 


Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: FPZ-389233
Department: Support GEMPAK
Priority: Normal
Status: Closed