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Refer to Exhibit 2.1.6.4-1 for a display of this menu.

* Az/Ran Overlay: The Az/Ran Overlay Tool displays a moveable azimuth/range radar map overlay. The overlay is in the "editable" state when displayed, and can be relocated by positioning the mouse cursor to the center of the overlay and pressing Mouse Button 1 to drag the map to the desired location.

* Baselines: Selecting Baselines displays 10 lines, labeled A-A' to J-J', along which cross-sections can be constructed from within the Volume Browser (refer to Section 3.1 The Volume Browser for more information). Baselines come up editable.

"Snapping" an Interactive Baseline - If you are zoomed in over an area when you load Interactive Baselines and no Baselines appear, press Mouse Button 3 to "snap" a Baseline to where the mouse cursor is. The system chooses a Baseline that has not been recently used. If you are working with a Baseline, a second click with Mouse Button 3 will return you to the original Baseline, even if you modified another Baseline in the meantime.

* Distance Speed: This tool can be used to determine the speed and direction of a storm or any other meteorological feature of interest. Selecting Distance Speed displays a Centroid Marker to move to the location of the storm or feature of interest in any two or more frames of displayed imagery (e.g., a satellite or radar loop). The system then displays a storm track with the direction (degrees) and speed (knots) of movement.

When you select the Distance Speed option, the Distance Speed Dialog Box (not shown) opens. It contains the following options.

- Mode: You have the following selections from this option.

- Point: A check button that allows you to set the Centroid Marker as a single point.
- Polyline: A check button that allows you to set the Centroid Marker as a polyline.

- Legend: You have the following selections from this option.

- Time: A check button that allows you to display time with the Centroid Marker.
- Speed: A check button that allows you to display speed with the Centroid Marker.

* LAPS Tools...: There are two LAPS tools that are accessible from the LAPS Tools Dialog Box, shown in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-2. The first tool is the Data Used by Current Analysis Tool, and the second is the Configure Analysis Domain Tool.

- Data Used by Current Analysis: This tool allows you to select a given data type from the Select Type Options Menu. Though Surface comes up selected, you must reselect it (or another item) to make it happen. After a moment, a report from the most recent LAPS model run is displayed and provides detailed log information of what data were included in that model run (see Exhibit 2.1.6.4-3).

Exhibit 2.1.6.4-3. The LAPS Data Used by Current Analysis Tool

- Configure Analysis Domain: This tool, shown in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-4, gives information on the current map projection and grid spacing of the LAPS program, and allows the user to relocate the LAPS domain (constrained so as to contain your County Warning Area [CWA]). This tool has the following options:

Exhibit 2.1.6.4-4. The Configure Analysis Domain Tool

* Projection: Only the center latitude and longitude are configurable on AWIPS.

* Grid: This area of the tool provides the horizontal and vertical LAPS grid spacing. It is not configurable on AWIPS.

* Settings

- Default: This menu button resets the LAPS model domain to the coordinates that were used when the current AWIPS software was installed.

- Reset: This menu button resets the coordinate settings to those associated with the current active analysis domain.

Another way to change the domain is to drag the centerpoint using the Graphical Relocator. By pressing the Load Menu button, the current LAPS grid domain is displayed on D2D.

- Load: This menu button displays the graphical LAPS Relocator onto D2D. It is best displayed on the State or Local scale. You can drag the centerpoint anywhere within the dashed rectangular boundary. This boundary insures that your CWA is still covered in the LAPS run.

- Apply: When you click Apply, the display clears and the center location you have selected is entered in the lat/lon boxes.

* Points: Selecting Points displays 10 points, labeled A through J, from which model soundings, time-height cross sections, time series, and variable vs. height plots can be generated using the Volume Browser. Points can also be loaded via the Points Icon on the Toolbar. As with the Baselines, the locations of these Points come up editable.

"Snapping" an Interactive Point - If you are zoomed in over an area when you load Interactive Points and no Points appear, press Mouse Button 3 to "snap" a Point to where the mouse cursor is. The system chooses a Point that has not been recently used. If you are currently working with a Point, then a second click with Mouse Button 3 will position another Point to where your cursor is located.

Dynamic Reference Map - When you generate a sounding, time height plot, time series plot, or a variable vs height plot, a small reference map indicating the location(s) of the plotted sounding(s) is provided in the upper-left corner of the Large Display. If you overlay another plot whose location is far from the original plot location, the reference map may not include this new location. To "refresh" the reference map, simply zoom in once over the reference map with Mouse Button 2 and then zoom back out with Mouse Button 1. A new reference map will be generated to include all the data point locations.

* Put Home Cursor: The Put Home Cursor Tool is a radio button (diamond) that provides an easy way to locate a METAR observation station, a city and state, or a latitude/longitude coordinate. For Canada and Mexico, only the METAR observation stations and latitude/longitude coordinate are accessible. When you select Put Home Cursor from the Tools pull-down menu, the Home marker X is displayed and the Put Home Cursor Dialog Box opens (see Exhibit 2.1.6.4-5).

Exhibit 2.1.6.4-5. The Put Home Cursor Dialog Box

You can use the Home marker, as previously described in the Home Tool, and the new Home location (station, city/state, or latitude/longitude) is identified in the Put Home Cursor Dialog Box.

Another way to use this tool is to type in the station, city and state, or latitude and longitude, and select Go, or hit Enter on the keypad, to move the Home marker to the specified location. The new location's nearest METAR site, city and state, and latitude and longitude appear in the Put Home Cursor Dialog Box. The Put Home Cursor Dialog Box contains the following options.

- Location Selection: There are three ways to find a desired location. Once you choose the Station, City/State, or Lat/Lon Radio Button, an Entry Box is activated next to the respective label within the Put Home Cursor Dialog Box. Enter the desired location information.

- Go: A menu button that initiates the search for the desired station, city/state, or latitude/longitude. The Home marker jumps to the newly specified location.

* Text Window...: Selecting this option brings up a Text Display Window that behaves in the same way, except for scripts, as a window on the Text Workstation. The Text Display is covered in Chapter 4.

* Units Calculator... : This handy tool, shown in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-7, converts the units of the first column into differing units of the second column. The units are grouped into temperature, velocity, distance, time, and atmposheric pressure. First, simply type the number and select the units of the value you wish to convert in the first column entry box. Then in the second column, select the desired units to which you want the original value converted. The new value will appear in the secong column entry box.

* VR-Shear: This tool is used in conjunction with Doppler velocity data to calculate the velocity difference (or "shear") of the data directly under the end points. As with the Baselines, this feature comes up editable and the end points can be dragged to specific gates of velocity data. When in place, the speed difference (kts), distance between end points (nautical miles), shear (s-l), and distance from radar (Nmi) are automatically plotted next to the end points and in the upper left corner of the large display pane. A positive shear value indicates cyclonic shear, while a negative value indicates anticyclonic shear. If either end point is not directly over velocity data, the phrase "no data" is reported for the shear value. This tool is also useful in determining gate-to-gate shear. Simply place the two end points directly over adjacent gates of velocity data

-"Snapping" VR Shear - If you are zoomed in over an area when you load VR-Shear, and the VR-Shear Baseline does not appear, press Mouse Button 3 to "snap" the Baseline to where the mouse cursor is located.

- VR-Shear in 4-Panel - You can use the VR-Shear Tool when the large display is in 4-panel mode. The VR-Shear overlay is loaded in different colors for each panel. There are actually four copies of the program running, and each behaves independently. This means that you can get accurate readings in any one of the four panels - one VR-Shear panel is editable at a time. To activate, click Mouse Button 2 on the VR-Shear legend in the desired panel and position the query line to the echoes of interest.

Note: "Hide Legends" cannot be enabled if you want to edit any of the Tools. Enabling "Hide Legends" disables the edit function. Using Mouse Button 2 to put the Tools into Edit mode will cause the display to zoom instead. Take map legends out of "Hide Legends" mode if you want to edit any of the Tools.

* Tabular Text... : Tabular Text displays tower and profiler data in tabular form as demonstrated in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-8.

You can select the network of sensor data from the Products Pull-Down Menu. The data update automatically when you toggle on the Update Obs button. The History button opens the Historic Data Display Dialog Box, shown in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-9, which allows you to examine the data inventory and set the delta time and step forward or back between observations.

The Warn Config button opens the Text Warning Configuration Dialog Box. In this box, you can set the thresholds of the observed variables at which they will turn a different color and/or appearance within the Tabular Text, as shown in Exhibit 2.1.6.4-10.

* Range Rings... : The Range Rings Tool displays adjustable range rings around the various launch pads and data towers. When you select Range Rings from the Tools pull-down menu, the Range Rings legend appears in the Large Display Pane. The tool comes up editable, and the Range Rings Dialog Box (Exhibit 2.1.6.4-11) opens. (Clicking Mouse Button 2 over the legend toggles tool editability and closes/opens the Range Rings Dialog Box.) Within this dialog box, you can toggle on/off any of the target locations using the square selectors. Adjust the size of the radii (in nautical miles) by typing a new value in the entry boxes associated with each location and pressing the Apply Menu Button. You can also add labels at the center of the range ring and/or at any of the radial distances using the Labels Options Menus associated with each location. Using the Movable Rings, you can add a new location at a Point (use the Interactive Points Tool) or by typing in latitude/longitude coordinates. There is no practical limit on the number of new locations you can add to the display.

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