DEVELOPMENT TIPS

Use this page to learn how to interface with AWIPS databases, to obtain addresses of other software pages, to read tips from other programmers and users, or to share your own development discoveries with others.

Note: AWIPS is a secured system. This means that AWIPS users can't access web pages outside the firewall. However, many useful web sites are found outside the firewall, and they are listed here. You can access these sites from a non-AWIPS machine in the office or at home.

To interface with the AWIPS databases, or to build an application locally that may be used nationally, use the "rules and tools" described in the AWIPS Integration Framework Manual (AIFM).

If you want to download a copy of the new v4.2 AIFM? It comes in four printable versions. Click on any or all to download:
The PostScript Printable Version	The WordPerfect 5.1 DOS/WINDOWS Version	The WordPerfect 8 printable version	An Adobe Acrobat .pdf version

YEAR 2000 SOFTWARE COMPLIANCE - Any software developed for AWIPS is required to be Year 2000 Compliant (Y2K). A set of tests that can be applied to help assure that software survives the Y2K transition has been developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Access the NIST Y2K assertions at the Y2K WEB site.

ISP - ISP is the Interactive Skew-t Program developed at COMET based on software from FSL. To subscribe to the ISP_bud mailing list ispbud@unidata.ucar.edu, send a message to majordomo@unidata.ucar.edu and put the following in the body of the message: subscribe ispbud @unidata.ucar.edu

The following topics are covered in the SOO/SAC web site maintained by Peggy Bruehl and Yann Dubois at: http://www.comet.ucar.edu/pub_html/sac_html/index.htm
Click on "Software".

• NAWIPS.
  Software that ingests, analyzes, displays, and integrates hydrometeorological data. NAWIPS is based on GEMPAK software.
• GARP.
  An X Windows/Motif package designed by the COMET staff for the display and analysis of meteorological data sets.
• SAC ftp server contribution directory.
• WATADS.
  WSR 88D Algorithm Testing And Display System.
• IRAS.
  X Windows based software tool used to display weather radar data.
• LDM.
  The Unidata Local Data Manager is a collection of cooperating programs that select, capture, manage, and distribute meteorological data products. (Requires Perl).
• Vis5D.
  A system for interactive visualization of larege 5-D gridded datasets such as those created by numeric weather models.
• McIDAS (Man Computer Interactive Data Access System).
  A video interactive set of tools for acquiring, managing, analyzing, displaying, and integrating environmental data.
• GrADS.
  A meteorological data visualization program.
• NCAR graphics.
  A library of subroutines callable from FORTRAN programs. Routines are available for doing line plots, histograms, contouring, mapping, and drawing field flows. Output can be saved as a Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) or displayed in an X window.

Perl.
A scripting language for processing text.

• Tcl/Tk.
  An easy-to-use programming system with graphical interface capabilities. Tcl is the basic programming language, while Tk is a Toolkit if widgets (graphical objects similar to those of other GUI toolkits, such as Xlib, Xview, and Motif.
• Java.
  A list of links to information, FAQs, tutorials, and software for Sun's Java language.

UNIX operating system and HP resources.

FORTRAN, C and C++

Share your development tips.

To view programming tips from other users, click on the list below for a complete description.

Scrolled list of development tips. Links to other pages.