IN31B-0335
Developing Data Analysis and Visualization Capabilities for Interactive Processing of Multi- and Hyper-spectral Evironmental Satellite Data: An Overview of McIDAS-V
The Man computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) project began over 30 years ago at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) to analyze and visualize data from the first generation polar and geostationary satellites. A new generation of imaging and sounding sensors developed for current and future operational satellites will be supported through innovative techniques for developing algorithms, visualizing data and products, and validating results. The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), a reference application based on the VisAD library, is being developed by the Unidata Program and demonstrates the flexibility that is needed in this evolving environment, using a modern, object-oriented software design approach. The HYDRA software developed at SSEC within the VisAD library allows users to interrogate multi and hyper- spectral data in powerful ways. A project is underway at SSEC to transition the current McIDAS into a VisAD/IDV/HYDRA-based open-source system, known as McIDAS-V (fifth generation), and to provide researchers, algorithm developers, and operational users of multi-spectral and hyper-spectral data with the data manipulation and visualization tools to work in this data rich environment. NASA EOS MODIS and AIRS data and well as MSG SEVERI and METOP IASI data have been used in conjunction with other in situ and gridded data to develop new tools, techniques and products in the prototype McIDAS-V environment. This new data analysis and visualization software tool will support the advanced measurement systems on GOES R and NPOESS. A review of the current state of McIDAS-V will be presented as well as plans for future development to support both the polar and geostationary environmental satellite programs.
IN31B-0336
Zaidaco: A tool for interactive display of time-varying global geophysical fields
NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), consisting of more than 25 satellite missions launched since 1999, observes and measures our planet daily. New ways to explore, analyze, and visualize temporal variation in these data fields could be of great benefit. We have developed a desktop computer graphics application that Earth scientists can use to explore and visualize global dynamic phenomena (for example, changes in the Earth's gravity field or changes in sea surface temperature) by manipulating the representation of the data on a 3D spherical global map. This interactive tool accepts multiple data files in plain text format of a field at different points in time. The tool allows the user to dynamically animate the temporal changes to the field, manipulate the viewing angle in three dimensions, zoom in on a region, add/remove features such as coastline data, vary the relative height scale, change the color scale, etc. These interactive features may be applied while viewing an animation. Innovations in displaying temporal variations include representing field values as changes to the shape of the Earth, using key frame animation to create intermediate images to smooth the animation between measured fields, allowing the user to control the timer speed and number of interpolated frames while viewing an animation, and including an animated epoch scale. The application offers a unique way to view global geophysical fields as they vary over time and can be used to illuminate the underlying processes that cause changes, highlight areas of interest, and communicate results.
IN31B-0337
NASA Data Integration Into NOAA's AWIPS II
NOAA’s Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), is a computerized system that manages multiple data sources to allow National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) and River Forecast Centers (RFCs) to generate meteorological and hydrological forecasts and warnings. NOAA is upgrading the current AWIPS system to an improved open system with new capacities for display, visualization, product generation, communications, and access to data. This new system has been given the name AWIPS II. AWIPS II will be a real time tool for forecasting meteorological events. The AWIPS Development Environment (ADE), the foundation of AWIPS II, currently lacks the capability to ingest all desired data formats. Students have been asked to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a plug-in that will be integrated into the AWIPS II system. This plug-in will allow the AWIPS II ADE 1.0 to ingest and display NASA data in HDF-5 format, such as TRMM 3- hour precipitation data, as well as science results from future missions. Students have also documented their journey with the AWIPS II beta software, creating a tutorial and FAQ, among other documentation. Working within the context of the AWIPS II open source concept, the overall goal of the project is to demonstrate that several NASA product deliverables can be assimilated into the AWIPS II system.
IN31B-0338
New data and capabilities in the NASA Goddard Giovanni system
Giovanni, the GES-DISC Interactive Online Visualization ANd aNalysis Infrastructure, is the underlying infrastructure for a growing family of Web interfaces that allows users to analyze gridded and swath data interactively online without having to download any data. Giovanni is a simple but powerful tool for researchers to explore and analyze data without having to deal with original data format, volume, and complexity. Since 2002, Giovanni has served many users worldwide with TRMM and MODIS data visualization and analysis. With increasing size and complexity of Earth and Space Science data holdings and growing demands for better, faster, and less costly tools for data exploration, visualization and analysis, Giovanni has been extended to serve CALIPSO, CloudSat, SeaWiFS, TOMS, AIRS, OMI, MLS-Aura, HIRDLS, and HALOE data to the Atmospheric Composition, Aerosol, Air Quality, and other research communities. To further improve Giovanni extendibility, accessibility, and performance, Giovanni version 3 (G3) has been developed and is currently in operation at the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). In addition to the existing Giovanni instances, several new G3 instances have been released, including (1) A-Train Data Depot that is capable to allow access to, visualize, analyze and correlate distributed atmospheric measurements from A-Train instruments; (2) NEESPI, a multi-sensor multi-disciplinary instance dedicated to the studies of the environment of the Northern Eurasia; (3) Data Fusion, a prototype Giovanni instance that demonstrates the G3 capability for fusing Earth Science data from multiple sensors. Giovanni capabilities have also been extended to include direct access via WMS protocol, and to provide output in various popular formats, like KML for Google Earth. With much progress in data visualization, data analysis, and easy-to-use toolkits, G3 has simplified and strengthened its capabilities of providing closer links between visual representations and the underlying data and re-usable data analysis and visualization components. Because many of the new Giovanni services are built on newly developed generic and re-usable data service components, providing data lineage of these services is crucial and has been given a high priority. With more than 800 Earth Science parameters from about 80 different data products, and more than 15 of the most commonly used analysis and visualization functions in the Earth Science research community, and with easy extendibility to new data products and services, Giovanni promises to continue to significantly facilitate and enable the research efforts of the community. http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/techlab/giovanni
IN31B-0339
Implementation of Simple and Functional Web Applications at the Alaska Volcano Observatory Remote Sensing Group
Web pages are ubiquitous and accessible, but when compared to stand-alone applications they are limited in capability. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) Remote Sensing Group has implemented web pages and supporting server software that provide relatively advanced features to any user able to meet basic requirements. Anyone in the world with access to a modern web browser (such as Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or Internet Explorer 6) and reasonable internet connection can fully use the tools, with no software installation or configuration. This allows faculty, staff and students at AVO to perform many aspects of volcano monitoring from home or the road as easily as from the office. Additionally, AVO collaborators such as the National Weather Service and the Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center are able to use these web tools to quickly assess volcanic events. Capabilities of this web software include (1) ability to obtain accurate measured remote sensing data values on an semi- quantitative compressed image of a large area, (2) to view any data from a wide time range of data swaths, (3) to view many different satellite remote sensing spectral bands and combinations, to adjust color range thresholds, (4) and to export to KML files which are viewable virtual globes such as Google Earth. The technologies behind this implementation are primarily Javascript, PHP, and MySQL which are free to use and well documented, in addition to Terascan, a commercial software package used to extract data from level-0 data files. These technologies will be presented in conjunction with the techniques used to combine them into the final product used by AVO and its collaborators for operational volcanic monitoring.