User Exit

Rendering of faxes and GRIB data seems to be an endless topic..., the soft this blog is about provides some options, but there is way more to do.

That's why we came up with this user-exit feature, that allows anyone who knows a bit of Java to do whatever he wants, with the faxes - reworked or not (color and transparency) - and the GRIB data. This creates an entry in the popup menu of the chart panel, which you can select to trigger external code. The only restriction is to implement a given Java Interface, and you can access the context of the chart panel. 

Above is an example of such a user-exit, smoothing and animating the GRIB data currently displayed in the chart pane. 500mb charts look a bit like a big slug drooling across the ocean...

We will soon post on the site a repository of such user exits (along with explanations about the way to write yours), the possibilities are endless.

The rendering provided by Processing is gorgious, I still need to look into it, for now I'm struggling with thread issues. They manage their own pool apparently, and I need to somehow sneak in... We'll see. 

The video above is a preview of the animated GRIB slug. It's smaller than the real one, but the picture on top will give you an idea of the actual size.

Introducing GRIB Slicing

We now have the possibility on rendered GRIB file to draw a line. A graph will then show up, representing the values along the line of the different data contained in the GRIB. 

If the mouse is held clicked on the graph, then a red dot is displayed on the map (and on the line of course), showing where the point is geographically. It becomes easy to see where the wind is the strongest, the pressure the highest, the temperature the warmest, the precipitations the heaviest, etc.

This feature is available immediatly.

Where is the Sun?

I've had this in mind for quite a while..., I wanted to mix Google Map and some celestial navigation algorithms to know where the Sun is, and specially to avoid the time when the Sun is right in the direction where I'm driving on the 101, as that makes every car to stop.

Based on Jean Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms, and the great work done by Henning Umland, here is a first drop, available here.

You enter your date (top right panel), and you click on the map.

From the point you've clicked, you should see on the map the direction of the Sun.

New 3D rendering for the GRIBs

We can now have a better 3D rendering for the GRIB data.
The thing is to be able to stack whatever data is available in the GRIB on top of another one, along with the chart.
The check boxes at the bottom of the panel do the job, they're activated when the data they describe are available. Stacking waves and Pressure at Mean Sea Level for example, unsurprisingly shows that the waves are bigger where the pressure is low.
To manipulate this kind of image, just imagine it is in a glass ball. And then rotate it just like if you where using a track ball... The mouse moves the image just like your hand or thumb at the surface of the ball.

Processing

I'm currently in the process of reworking the weather software using the framework provided by Processing.org.
The first components to benefit of such a re-writing will be the GRIB 3D representations. The first tests are very encouraging, and the rest should follow.

Keep posted!

Path for GRIB & Faxes

Minor but useful enhancement to the software. We now have the possibility to give a path - instead of a single directory - for the software to find the GRIB and Faxes. 

It occured to me when I was configuring the new laptop on the ketch, for both Internet and the SSB. The faxes and GRIBs coming from SailMail are not stored on the file system in the same location. 

So now, you can tell the soft to took into morte than one directory when you configure the preferences for GRIBs and Faxes.

Routing, Racing, Cruising

I've never seen it anywhere else, so I wrote it.
It's about raising the bar a bit higher, in term of cruising. Everyone - racers and cruisers - have the same goal: get the best conditions.

The only difference is what "best" means (remember, when cruising, you have to keep the crew happy). 

There is now in the software a feature being tested as I write, to limit the True Wind Speed, and the True Wind Angle.

When starting a routing calculation, you can say "Avoid TWS above XXX", or "Avoid TWA below YYY". 

That would for sure make your trip smoother.

It might lead to unresolvable routing, but there is a warning... Ye be warned!

Software available from the regular location.

Enjoy!

Colored scale for the wind

We now have another option for the wind display, with a colored scale, in addition to the ones we had before. You can now flip between those two:

Notice that the wind direction is not displayed on the colored rendering. Smoothing is available with this too.
Some people find it useful.
Hope you will too!

Archive feature

A new feature will be available soon in the weather software. It's a kmz-like (Google Earth) feature, generating a single archive file containing all the needed references to the potential GRIB and fax(es).
It's now available from the usual download page.
It will be also useful when cleaning the downloaded data. When archiving a composite (or a composite directory) you will have the possibility to erase or keep the archived files.
Documentation is available as well, and new viewlets will show up soon.

Anchored at China Camp

We've broken our record again, four hours even from Oyster Point to China Camp anchorage.
http://donpedro.lediouris.net/voyage/locator/locator.html?latitude=38.0&longitude=-122.455&scale=12&currentdate=Anchored%20at%20China%20Camp.%20%3Cbr%3EFour%20hours%20from%20Oyster%20Point%20%21

Only four boats.

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