AWIPS Build OB7 D2D software release notes
These are changes from Build OB6.
Note:These are working notes on GSD's part of the
Build OB7 work. Some items may be modified or removed before OB7 hits
the field. Official Release Notes will be posted at the NWS AWIPS
site once the field release is ready.
These notes cover both OB7.1 and OB7.2 features.
Items are released with OB7.1 unless marked.
Infrastructure
- The continuous purging mechanism introduced in OB5 is now extended
to cover everything else. Maritime and Synoptic observations now feature
variable time frequency purging similar to that previously applied only
to METARs. (GSD) [OB7.2]
Graphics/image workstation
New features
- Keypad loop speed adjustment moves from the up/down arrows to the
Page Up/Page Down buttons. Caution: If you hit the up or down arrow
in a standard (not all-tilts; see below) display, looping and stepping
are disabled until you hit either the left or right arrow.
- Radar:
- For all-tilts displays, the four arrow keys on the keypad now control
the motion up and down or forward and back in time, without using the
shift key. Once you have set the mode of motion (vertical or time), the
Page Up/Page Down keys will start and adjust loop speed.
- Plan-view and perspective displays of winds are available from radars
in your Regional area. These are found on the Upper Air menu, in a new
Radar section.
- Satellite:
- A new POES Imagery section is added to the Satellite menu, containing
selectors for IR Window, Visible, 3.7μ, and 11-3.7μ products. These are
viewable on the Regional, State(s), and WFO scales.
- Volume Browser:
- WarnGen:
- WWA has been decommissioned, and the Send to WWA button is gone from
WarnGen. [OB7.2]
Improvements
- The maximum frame count has been increased to 64.
- Combined-image displays have been improved by removing the valid time
for non-forecast products and removing the date string (time is kept) from
the left-side legend. In particular, this makes all-tilts radar legends
more usable.
- Radar:
- A suite of snowfall products is available on the Precip submenu. These
include One Hour Snow Water Eq (OSW), One Hour Snow Depth (OSD), Storm Total
Snow Water (SSW), Storm Total Snow Depth (SSD), User Selectable Snow Water Eq
(USW), and User Sel Snow Depth (USD). All are available for request (OTR, RMR)
and the first four can be added to an RPS list.
- Essentially all products that can be requested from your local radar can
now be requested from non-associated radars, as well. The only exceptions are
RCS, VCS, and SWA products for RMR, since these need a baseline or point, which
is ambiguous for multiple radars. [OB7.2]
- Alert Request now includes two new MDA Strength Rank monitoring categories.
- The display of Digital VIL (DVL) now reacts to the scaling coefficients
that come with the data. This will be more significant when ORPG 9 comes out,
but for now, the effect is to increase the coverage of low-VIL areas.
- Three new range-unfolding VCPs are available in the RPS list editor
application. In addition, unused VCP 112 has been removed.
- There is a new format for the Clutter Filter Control product. When
requesting a CFC product, you now specify the segment number (1-5).
- Satellite:
- Volume Browser:
- Time series, including the meteogram, now include labels on the y-axis
to identify the displayed parameter.
- You can now sample the data in a time series.
- Radar data are now available in the VB for use in cross sections. This
feature allows you to display cross sections of radar reflectivity or
velocity along specified baselines. The radar to use is identified by
placing the Home location. Other fields available include plan views of Z,
V, and column max reflectivity.
- New grid source rfcMPE provides composite QPE grids from multiple RFCs.
Fields include 1, 6, and 24hr estimates. (I believe this will also be on the
NCEP/Hydro menu, but I've not seen a design for it yet.) [OB7.2]
- WarnGen:
Non-GSD work that affects the UI
- GUARDIAN (General User Alert Display Panel), a general user-notice
manager, is the new interface for managing and delivering messages on
AWIPS screens. This subsumes the function of the Flash Flood and Svr Wx
(and SAFESEAS at coastal sites) buttons on the right side of the D2D Tool
Bar, so those are removed. See the Guardian Web page, http://www.weather.gov/mdl/guardian/,
for more information. (MDL) [OB7.2]
- GFS soundings are activated on the rearranged Sounding-derived plots
submenu under NCEP/Hydro. Available products are similar to those from the
existing NAM soundings. (SEC) [OB7.2]
- A new grid source, GriddedMOS, gives you access to gridded MOS data.
Fields include max/min temps, 6/12h PoP, 3/6/12h thunderstorm prob, and
24h snowfall, and are found in a new MDL MOS submenu under Sfc/2D. This
dataset is now included (as MOSGuide) in the Grid Data monitor page.
(Raytheon)
- Short-range ensemble forecast (SREF) products are now available via
the Volume Browser. Sources include SREF (grid 212), AK-SREF (grid 216),
and PR-SREF (grid 243). (Raytheon/SEC) [OB7.2]
- Significant wave height grids from the Ocean Prediction Center and
Tropical Analysis Branch (OPC-TAFB) can be displayed using the Volume
Browser. The grid sources are OPCWave-W-ATL (grid 180), OPCWave-NE-PAC
(grid 181), and OPCWave-TE-PAC (grid 182). (SEC) [OB7.2]
- NCEP/EMC produces hourly Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis grids of T,
Td, u, v, sky cover, and precip. These are displayable via the Volume
Browser (grid source RTMA) and also integrated with GFE. (SEC,GSD) [OB7.2]
- RUC13 grids are available in the VB, and integrated with GFE. The
grids (source RUC13, grid 130) are clipped to your Regional scale.
(SEC,GSD) [OB7.2]
- A new 1/12-degree sea surface temperature grid from NCEP is now available
in the Volume Browser (grid source RTG_SST_HR-Analysis). The analyses are done
once per day. (SEC) [OB7.2]
- Simulated reflectivity from the new WRF model (in the NAM slot) can be
viewed using the Volume Browser. Reflectivity is already available under
the Other heading in the VB Fields menus. (SEC) [OB7.2]
- TDWR menus now include VAD, VWP, and ULR. (SEC) [OB7.2]
- The LAMP and LAMP QPF sections of the LAMP/MOS forecasts menu are retitled
NGMLAMP and NGMLAMP QPF, respectively, and a new GFSLAMP section is added.
GFSLAMP is also available via the Volume Browser. There's a new color table
under LAMP for CTSTM Best Category. (MDL) [OB7.2]
- The GOES DPI menu now includes a cloud amount product, and the color table
menu has a new Cloud Amount entry in the Sat section. (SEC) [OB7.2]
- Menu items for SSM/I and AMSU (microwave) rainfall rate and total
precipitable water are added to the Satellite menu. The data probably won't
be available until late in the OB7 game. (Raytheon) [OB7.2]
- SCAN (MDL):
- FFMP (MDL):
- LSR (MDL):
- SAFESEAS (MDL):
- SNOW (MDL): A winter weather monitor similar to SAFESEAS is now
available. SNOW stands for System for Nowcasting of Winter Weather. [OB7.2]
Bug fixes
New bugs
Text workstation
New features
Improvements
Non-GSD work that affects the UI
Bug fixes
LDAD
New features
Improvements
Bug fixes
Last modified: 17 Aug 07