McIDAS-V Team Meeting Minutes - April 11, 2007

TomW started by showing the McIDAS-V Project page: https://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mcidas/misc/mc-v/

We went around the room to discuss the work progress in the past month.

Bruce:

- He has been working on a tree type structure in the Data Chooser to replace the tabs.

Rick:

- commented that this came from ideas from the GUI development group and said they wanted to come with with the tree type explorer type of navigation since it was more familiar, to save on space, and for consistency.

- The GUI group also has been working on ideas for a Server Manager (importing McIDAS files like MCTABLE.TXT and SERVERTABLE.TDAT).  TomW mentioned this would allow you to have servers in appropriate tabs for specific server types.  Rick added that this would allow for specific keywords to be in each server tab like DAY= for archive servers.

- We want to make the Image chooser look more like the Gridded data tab, as that is a more natural way to select data.

- Work is being done on a configuration manager by Jon Beavers.  This would contain setting options like the amount of memory used and other startup type options.

- Pare down the "Preferences" page to a smaller list of important items and make lesser used options part of a different tab or under a "More" type button.

DaveP:

- Working on making Java objects for toolbar graphics (instead of the current way that they are programmed)
    * easier to move around and dock to sides
    * toolbars can contain list of bundles.

- Working on the Bridge with Gail and the text output and command line interface have been integrated in Mc-V.  She is pulling in imagery into Mc-V. from McIDAS-X currently.

- Navigated line segments have been a sticking point.
    * Hard to reproduce and possibly complicated to link to the frame.
    * Sending lat/lon lines is an issue.
    * Short term idea is to burn the graphics into the image, especially for the MUG meeting.  Zooming in would be pixelated, but Rick mentioned larger images might be best deal with fully on the Mc-V. side, instead of thru the bridge.
    * Dave can send x, y, color, but this might not be fully meaningful.
   
General discussion from these topics:

TomW interjected that Training needs to be a big ticket item for the fall MUG meeting.

Rick brought up the issues about displaying meteorograms and skew-T diagrams.  These don't transfer well thru the bridge and the IDV doesn't have as nice of versions.  It would be best to improve on the IDV side instead of figuring how they can be transferred thru the bridge.  DaveP said the bridge might be able to do some of the work, but it might or might not be easy.

Overall this brought up the overlying issue with "non-navigated graphics" and navigated line segments that needs to be discussed:
    * meteorograms (nice in McIDAS-X), cross-sections, skew-Ts, Stuves (decent in IDV with additional features, but should be improved)
    * weather symbols... for instance a thunderstorm symbol can be passed thru the bridge, but the IDV has no idea how to draw it or where to place it.
    * ZA text in McIDAS-X has these similar problems thru the bridge.

The McIDAS-V developers email list was introduced to share and kick around ideas.

-- submitted by Jay Heinzelman