AWIPS Build OB6 D2D software release notes

These are changes from Build OB5.

Note:These are working notes on FSL's part of the Build OB6 work. Some items may be modified or removed before OB6 hits the field. Official Release Notes will be posted at the NWS AWIPS site once the field release is ready.

Infrastructure

• The logged-in user's name is set at startup, so procedures and color tables are available immediately. Setting the name in the window frame, introduced in OB5, still happens after 15 seconds, and the igc_mgr_priv error can still happen on a slow/overloaded system.

Graphics/image workstation

New features

• Radar:
• Satellite:
• Volume Browser:
  • Grids produced by the Multisensor Precipitation Estimator algorithm are available for display on the State(s) and WFO scales. These can also be found in the Hydro section of the NCEP/Hydro menu, under QPE. MPE grids are displayed using a new 'truncated' grid color table which shows zero values in gray to let you see the limits of the site-specified domain.
  • GFE grids can be exported to allow display on the Volume Browser. Fields available include WindWave, WaveHeight, Swell, T, Td, RH_Sfc, MinT, MaxT, Heat Index, Wind (no spd/dir or u/v components), Gust, PoP, QPF, Tp.
• WarnGen:
  • The background color of the WarnGen window changes to reflect the Test/Practice mode setting (see below).

Improvements

• The Hydro area of the NCEP/Hydro menu is reorganized for display of QPE grids.
• Radar:
  • The Radar Multiple Request application (RMR) now accommodates TDWRs.
  • The product selection menus for RPS List Editor, OTR, and RMR applications have been reorganized into functional groupings with pull-right submenus.
  • There is a new format for the Clutter Filter Control product. When requesting a CFC product, you now specify the segment number (1-5).
• Satellite:
• Volume Browser:
• WarnGen:

Non-FSL work that affects the UI

• A Test/Practice mode GUI is available that allows you to generate warnings tagged "TEST" or that will not be sent out. You start this "Test Mode Control Program" from the appLauncher menu (click over workstation root menu). (SEC)
• MAROB displays (station plot, sea state, clouds and visibility) are added in the Maritime area of the Obs menu. (SEC)
• Additional GFS grids are available for OCONUS sites. These include Grid 160 (47.5 km polar stereographic for Alaska, replaces 190 km Grid 203), Grid 161 (0.5 deg lat-lon for Puerto Rico, replaces 190 km Grid 205), and Grid 254 (40 km Mercator for Pacific Region, replaces 80 km Grid 225 and 40 km Grid 204). For CONUS sites, GFS40 (Grid 212) replaces GFS80 (Grid 211). All of these are 6h intervals to 240h, four times per day. (SEC)
• New GFS VB planes include Low, Middle, and High Cloud Base pressure; and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 PV surfaces. (SEC)
• A GFS Ice Accretion and Visibility Guidance NH lat-lon grid (232) dataset is now available. The VB data source is GFSGuide, with forecasts at 3h intervals from 3-24h, 6h from 30-72h, and 12h from 84-168h. Fields available are Visibility and (new) Ice growth rate (under Sfc/2D>Marine). (SEC)
• TPC Tropical Cyclone Gridded Probabilistic Wind ("TPCWindProb") grids are available via the Volume Browser. Fields include probabilities of 34kt, 50kt, and 64kt surface winds. Selectors for these are found in a new TPC Guidance submenu on the Fields>Sfc/2D menu. (SEC)
• SSM/I wind speeds (ocean areas) can be displayed from the Satellite menu, just below Scatterometer winds. (SEC)
• Additional color tables developed by CIMSS and SSEC are added for GOES sounder imagery. These are added to new Sat:Precip Water, Sat:Lifted Index, and Sat:Skin Temp submenus. (SEC)
• A new Time of Arrival tool is available on the Tools menu
• SCAN (MDL):
  - a new Hail Diagnostic Grids section on the SCAN menu includes VIL Density, Digital VIL Density, and Enhanced Digital VIL Density; a VIL Density color table is added to the new MDL section of the color tables menu.
• FFMP (MDL):
• LSR (MDL):
• SAFESEAS (MDL):
  - sampling station plots now shows a table of values
  - Fog monitoring includes a new Fog Monitoring Table tool on the SAFESEAS menu. A new MDL:Fog Monitor Levels color table is added to the menu.

Bug fixes

Old bugs

New bugs

Text workstation

New features

Improvements

Non-FSL work that affects the UI

• When in Test or Practice mode, the background of the text window changes to dark gray or orange, respectively. (SEC)
• When in Practice mode, WMO/AWIPS ID queries are not supported. (SEC)
• Help files for text scripts are once again available. (SEC, FSL)

Bug fixes

Continuing bugs

LDAD

New features

Improvements

Bug fixes

This page is maintained by Joe Wakefield.

Last modified: 19 Aug 05