[mapserver-users] Meteorological implementations?

[Gerry Creager N5JXS]

Steve, et al,

This is very much in line with what I've been thinking.  Thanks for the 
pointer.

I've been without e-mail for the last 5 days (hardware failures on 
campus plus travel) and I'm leaving again for the Internet2 meeting. 
I'll be reviewing this and probably asking more questions over the next 
week... At least I know I'll be connected...

Thanks again!
gerry

Steve Lime wrote:
> You might be able to do that MapServer, depends on how sophisticated the
> labeling needs to be. Version 3.7 lets you offset features so you could
> define complex presentations around a station point using multiple
> layers. As long as data could be stored in shapefiles or another
> supported format you'd be ok. 
> 
> You could also do something like:
> 
>   http://thoreau.dnr.state.mn.us/weather/map.html 
> 
> Where detailed station data is presented when the mouse moves over a
> station, while displaying more general data in the map itself. In this
> case we store station data in XML files but could easily access a
> version of the data that is stored in a relational database.
> 
> Just thinking out loud...
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
>>>>Gerry Creager <gerry.creager at tamu.edu> 10/22/02 04:06PM >>>
>>>
> I believe this to be the case.  Specifically, what I'v envisioned is a
> 
> mapserver baselayer and core functionality as a mapservice, with
> weather 
> station sites overlaid thereon, as queriable objects.  I'd like to find
> 
> a way to update the station data as new data rolls in (temperature, dew
> 
> point, barometric pressure) as well as setting a wind barb character
> and 
> rotating same to reflect the direction
> 
> Specifically, what we're doing is creating the demo site for a
> "Mesonet" 
> or a statewide, dense network of weather stations reporting conditions
> 
> in near real time.  (Sean, look at www.mesonet.org for a well 
> established example.)
> 
> We're working under some time constraints that are some where between 
> ambitious and unrealistic to get an initial site up.  That's why I 
> decided to solicit some input here rather than trying to reinvent the
> wheel.
> 
> Thanks!
> gerry
> 
> Steve Lime wrote:
> 
>>Describe what you guys mean by station data? MapServer may just
>>be a piece of the puzzle. TrueType lines where added specifically
> 
> with
> 
>>meteorological data in mind.
>>
>>Steve
>>
>>Stephen Lime
>>Data & Applications Manager
>>
>>Minnesota DNR
>>500 Lafayette Road
>>St. Paul, MN 55155
>>651-297-2937
>>
>>
>>
>>>>>Sean Gillies <sgillies at frii.com> 10/21/02 10:36AM >>>
>>>>
>>Gerry,
>>
>>I'm not using Mapserver for any wx stuff, but I know
>>the software well and I've seen tons of weather maps.
>>
>>Mapserver by itself is not going to be a good tool
>>for displaying station data.  If you had isopleths,
>>fronts, troughs, etc. as vectors, and maybe even
>>radar echos as rasters, Mapserver would be
>>great for rendering these.  You'd need some extra
>>functionality for station data unless you could
>>come up with a creative hack like turning station
>>plots into shapes in a shapefile.
>>
>>If I were doing it, I'd use Mapserver or mapscript
>>to make a base map, and then merge it with custom
>>station data imagery created using the Python Imaging
>>Library or Python or Perl script interfaces to the
>>GD library.
>>
>>cheers,
>>Sean
>>
>>Gerry Creager N5JXS wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Has anyone been using Mapserver for meteorological implementations,
>>>especially display of weather stations and their data?
>>>
>>>Could you please reply directly to gerry.creager at tamu.edu with URLs
>>
>>and
>>
>>
>>>any comments pro- or con?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Gerry
>>
>>
> 
> 


-- 
Gerry Creager -- gerry.creager at tamu.edu
Network Engineering, Academy for Advanced Telecommunications
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.847.8578 Cell: 979.229.5301
Page: 979.228.0173 -or- gcreager at my2way.com