Proximity Alarm Design

by Xiangbao Jing and Jim Fluke

FSL

Created on 01/05/01 Updated on 05/21/01

1.0 Overview

Based on the Requirements (RWP 0107 on 12/05/00)), we designed the proximity alarm monitor. It monitors the configured incoming text messages, generates alarm/alert and performs other configurable actions if an area in the message is matched with the AOR.

The design includes an implementation in build5.1.2 and the means to extend it in the future.

In the implementation, we will merge the proximity alarm(PA) monitor with current alarm/alert(AA) monitor. The key different between the PA and AA monitor is that the PA monitor uses AOR or UGC codes to match a product, but the AA monitor uses a text string. In the other words, we can call the AA monitor as a "string monitor" and the PA monitor as an "area monitor".

1.1 Proximity Alarm Requirements (RWP 0107)

1.AWIPS shall allow users to configure their system to monitor incoming text messages for products containing either LAT...LON polygons or UGC codes; products containing LAT...LON polygons and UGC codes will be identifiable by their AWIPS ID

2.AWIPS shall allow users to define the triggering of alarm/alert features, by product, based on the:

1).intersection of the LAT...LON polygon with their office's area of responsibility (AOR), or

2).proximity of the LAT...LON polygon within a user selectable distance from the office's AOR, or

3).if the product contains one or more UGCs that are specified by the user.

3.AWIPS shall allow users to configure their system to initiate any or all of the AWIPS alarm/alert functionality when criteria in item #1 and #2 are satisfied; alarm/alert functionality that can be initiated by a proximity alarm include pop-up window text alerts and audible tone alarms.

4.AWIPS shall provide the proximity alarm functionality during service back-up.

1.2 Design

Proximity alarm configuration tables allow the user to define the product, proximity area, alarm type and additional action. Similar to the AA monitor, there are two new tables for the PA monitor. One is fixed and generated during localization, it is available to all text workstations at a site. The other table is editable by using the GUI. It is available to the local text workstation only. The PA monitor knows what product should be monitored, how to match and how to alarm or alert by checking these tables. It allows users to configure AWIPS to alarm any or all text workstation when alert/alarm functionality is triggered
Action table, defines the additional action names entered in the above configuration tables. Each entry consists of an action name, action type, display screen and action executable. The PA monitor uses it to generate an action. For 5.1.2 actions run only on the text workstation, and the table file can only be edited manually.
Product editor is the GUI used to create, modify and delete a PA product in the local Configuration-table. The AA and PA product lists can be saved and reloaded, because different users or sites need different product lists. When backed up the AA and PA lists are concatenated in to one file.
PA checker monitors the incoming text product ID to see if it is inside the configuration-tables. If so, it searches a lat-long polygon or UGC in the product message, notifies the alert/alarm and action generator if an area is matched with the configured AOR or UGC list.
Product display, is shared with the current AA monitor.
Alarm/alert generator, is as same as the current AA monitor, but will now automatically pop up the "Current Alert Queue" window to display the matched warning product list.
Local non-window action generator, starts a non-window action process on the local text workstation.
Action manager will not be implemented for 5.1.2. It receives action messages from the PA checker of the text workstation. For each message it generates an action process on a graphics workstation, and communicates with the fxa process to, for example, display a procedure. The design must allow the user to control action generation.
Service back up, do proximity alarm for a failed site.

1.3 Implementation

The implementation goals are to use the current string search AA monitor code as much as possible, make the proximity Alarm monitor easy to extend.

1.3.1 Processes

We will extend the current AA monitor by adding a simple GUI. This should require a minimal amount of code. A separate PA monitor process to do searching and area matching will provide better performance. Action processes (not window base) can be started on the local text workstation only. We can implement the action manager to start action processes on the graphics workstation and do procedure display on D2D in the future.

1.3.2 Table Definition

The Fixed proximity alarm configurable table is,

$FXA_HOME/data/localizationDataSites/$FXA_LOCAL_SITE/textPAProducts.txt.

We also moved the master(fixed) alert/alarm products file, the textAlertAlermProducts.txt from $FXA_HOME/data/ to $FXA_HOME/data/localizationDataSites/$FXA_LOCAL_SITE/.

The user's proximity alarm configurable table is,

$FXA_DATA/textWSwork/$DISPLAY/textPAProducts.txt.

$FXA_DATA/textWSwork/AA-PA-userFiles/*.dat

The format of above files is:

"Product ID, Alert/Alarm, Action Name, Area Definition"

Items definition:

Product ID::= CCCNNNXXX //currently, It's the AFOSID.

Area Definition::= AOR|AOR+distance|UGC-county-list|UGC-zone-list

AOR::= AOR //Means the local site area.

AOR+distance::= AOR+##...#KM |AOR+##...#MI

UGC-list::= UGC-code1>code2>...coden

code::= County code | Zone code

County code::= SSC### //COC033

Zone code::= SSZ### //COZ021

See the UGC code definition at

http://wsom.nws.noaa.gov/manual/CHAPTERC/NC638910.HTML and

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/emwin/winugc.htm

Alert/Alarm::= Alert | Alarm |None

Action Name::= String|NONE //An action command ID, See the action

//configuration-table.

"#"::= 0~9.

An example table is,

DENSPENES Alarm NONE AOR

DENSPENES Alert action1 AOR+50MI

DDCTORDDC Alarm action2 UGC-COC024>033

CYSNOWCYS ALert NONE UGC-WAZ000-COZ034>035-039

DENSPENES Alert NONE AOR+100KM

We define the action names in the file,

$FXA_HOME/data/localizationDataSites/$FXA_LOCAL_SITE/textPAActions.config.

The format of the proximity alarm actions table:

"Action Name, Screen Number, Type, Command String "

Items definition:

Action Name::= a text string

Screen Number::= #|NONE

Type::= PROCEDURE | WINDOW |NONWINDOW|...

Command String::= executable

The path in the Command String should be complete if there is any.

Like /usr/local/ddd/bin/ddd.

The default path is the $FXA_HOME/bin/.

For example,

action1 0 WINDOW actio1.csh>arg1>arg2

action2 NONE NONWINDOW managedP1

1.3.2 Service Back up

The localized data of the back up site is kept on the back up workstation, so we just change the site name, the FXA_LOCAL_SITE, and restart the back up workstation, then the CWA and PA product table are switched to the back up site.

The user can use the editor to save and load the AA and PA product lists.

This allows the user to store a pre-prepared list for a service backup site and use it when doing service backup.

1.3.3 GUI

The PA GUI is extended from the current AA monitor; they share a lot of tcl/tk code.

The Current Alarm Queue window displays the matched product list. Clicking on the "Open Display" button will pop up the Alert/Alarm Display window to show the selected product. And Clicking on the "Product List" button will pop up the "Alert/Alarm and Proximity Alarm Product" window, the AA and PA product editor GUI.

The AA and PA Product Editor GUI lets user edit the configurable AA or PA product tables. The user can add, delete, or modify a product in these tables.

Adding or changing a product will bring up the AA or PA product creating window. An interface for AA and PA product lists save and load is needed.

The "Save & Exit" button is replaced by the "File" menu button. In this menu, clicking on "Save & Exit" saves AA and PA product lists in the standard

files, the textAlarmAlertProducts.txt(for AA) and textPAProducts.txt(for PA); Clicking on the "Save as..." and typing a file name in the "Save as..." window will merge and store AA and PA product lists into this file(the first part is the AA product list and second is the PA product list in this file); And Clicking the "Load..." and selecting a file name in the "Load" window will reload the AA and PA product lists into the AA and PA product editor. They will replace the standard files too. The "Delete" button in the "Load" Window will delete the selected file. The loaded file name is shown in the title of AA/PA product editor.

In the PA products creating window, user can type a product ID, select alert/alarm and action options, and define an area. The area could be the AOR, AOR + a distance or a UGC list. There is a nice UGC format checker to asure you typed UGCs are correct. It removes the character except the A to Z, 0 to 9, > and - from the list, scans list again, and shows up dialog to tell user the error location if the list has any format problem.

The PA Alert bell and Alarm sound are same as the current AA.

1.4 Issues

Action, What actions should be put in the action table? And what is the maximum size of this table? Do we need a editor GUI for this table? we need more information about it.
Service Back up, We use one workstation to do the service back up, but adding the back up site name in the AA and PA configuration-tables maybe is another solution, what is better? Are there any other way?. We supposed that an office do as the service back up for one site only at same time on one node, could it be more than one? However you can do more on differeent node.
Security, Although in this version we limit the PA actions to the local text workstation only, be careful - you can put any executable in the configuration-table as an action. Don't put dangerous executables, such as window based executables, in the table! The menu label is disabled temporally.
Text procedure in a text window, should we display a text script procedure in a text window as an action? How? We needn't it in this version.
Action manager and graphics procedure. In a future version, the action manager will send a message to the fxa process to display a graphics procedure in the D2D window. Are users comfortable for this? Will this cause any problems in D2D?
AOR for RFC and NCEP: We defined the AOR for the WFO only. Should we define AOR for REC and NCEP? And if so, how? We treat RFC as WFO by create AOR as CWA for it.
Two User's Tables for the AA and PA products? There are two reasons: converting the table and the current architecture (design) of alarm/alert. Using separate tables is a better way.
Selectable Distance to extend AOR, should we limit it? We set it as 3000mi.