Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)
Tutorial Exercise

Updated 3 April, 2000 by Dolores Kiessling

1) Log on to the Hewlett-Packard Workstation:

a. To log on: Ensure cursor is all the way to the left of the username box.

b. Enter your login name <enter> and your password <enter>.

2) Initiate AWIPS:

a. Click on the right mouse button outside of the X-term window and hold it down. Drag the arrow down to Met Applications, over to AWIPS/D2D and then onto real-time (the other choices are dates of cases you will study later).

b. In a few seconds, you will see a small window appear in the middle of the screen.  This is the start-up of AWIPS/D2D.  Click on start if you wish, the application will start even if you don't.  It takes a couple (~2) minutes for AWIPS/D2D to become active and fully functional.

c.  When AWIPS is ready, there should be one large window with a map of the US and four smaller windows on the left with different map scales ranging from the hemispheric down to the state.

3)  Window Familiarization

a.  Your workstation should have AWIPS up with all the windows displaying a map.  These maps are interchangeable.  Click in one of the small windows with the right mouse button.  The map that was in the small window should now be in the large window and the map that was in the large window has replaced the map in the small window.

b.  The size of the small windows can be adjusted also.  Place the cursor on the vertical line dividing the small windows for the large window.   When the arrow changes to a cross hair, click and hold the left mouse button and drag it to the right.  This will make the small windows wider.  You can also make them higher by doing the same to the horizontal lines which separate one small window from the other.

c.  Notice the options across the top of the large window.   There are two rows of options.  The top list includes view, options, satellite, radar, etc.  The second row includes Valid time seq, Clear and picture icons. 

d.  Let's start with the top row.  Click on File and notice the options there.  Do not select anything yet. Click on all the other available menus and notice what is available.  We will only cover a few in this tutorial.

e.  When you click on Volume, you may notice that some options are black and others are gray.  The options that are black are available for display, while the gray are not.  The blue names are just the titles of the group below it, these are non-functional.

f.  You will also notice that there is the name of the product and then directly across, there are a bunch of dashes.  These should be the times the data is available, but that is not working at this time.  Data is still available even though the times are not displayed.

g.  If you drag the cursor arrow slowly across the second row of options, a small box will pop up to describe the use of that icon.  Put the cursor on the Default Pane Layout icon (directly under the Map option in the first row) and click.   This will resize the windows to the original sizes.

h.  Notice to the right of that icon is the Three Pane Layout icon.   This will change the window to one large window and two small ones.

4) Load an Image:

a. Now that you are somewhat familiar with the AWIPS layout, we will now load an image.

b. Load the state scale map into the large window by clicking the right button on the small window which will put that map into the large window.

c.  Notice the Frames icon in the second row.  It defaults to 12.  Click on the box and select 4.

NOTE:  The number of frames will not remain at 4, the system will continue to change it back to the default of 12 frames, so it is a good idea to keep an eye on it.

d. Click once (with the left mouse button) on the satellite option in the first row and select IR. Window.

e. Notice the scale at the top of the window and the field, date and time at the bottom right corner.

f. In the second row of icons, go to the arrow buttons.  Experiment with them and take note of their functions.

NOTE:  To change the time while in Case Study Mode, click inside the time box in the lower right hand corner of the large window.  A window should pop up labeled:  Set Time.  Click on the Set time option within the small window.  Set the date and time desired by using the arrow buttons or by clicking in the desired field, delete the current info and type in the new info.  When you have set the time click on OK.  The window will disappear and the clock will be set to the new time.  The next time you open the Set Time window, the time will default back to the current time so you will have to update every field again.

5) Overlaying data

a. Move cursor to the Density window in the second row of the icons.   Click on the box and change the density from 1 to 0.5.

b. Move the cursor to the Surface option in the first row and click the left mouse button.  Now select Station Plot.

c. Many stations should be displayed across the area.  Had we left the density at 1, more stations would have plotted.

d. Move the cursor to the regional scale in the 4 small panels, and click the right mouse button.  Notice how the maps switch and the data that was plotted in the state scale remains there when it is moved.

6) Loading radar

a. Move the cursor to kftg on the first row and click.

b. Notice that all the options are grayed out.  That is because the radar is on available at the state and wfo scale.  Load the wfo scale map into the large window and click on kftg again.

NOTE:  If a field is not available for display (i.e.: grayed out)  you may be trying to look at it from the wrong scale.  Change the scale and look in the menu again.

c.  The options should all be black now and can be displayed.   Click on one that interests you.

7) Loading multiple images

a. Since you have a radar image already loaded, we will combine this image with another.

b. Open the Image Properties icon in the second row of the icons.   A window should appear in the middle of the screen.

c. In the Image Properties box, click on the little box next to Combine Next Image.  The small box should turn yellow.

d. From the Satellite pull down menu, load the IR Window image.  If it doesn't load, try changing the frames to a smaller number.

e. In the Image Properties box drag the slider bar (bar closest to the top of the box) to the right. Now only the satellite image should be displayed.  Drag it to the left and only the radar image will be displayed.

 f. To toggle the radar image off, click with the left mouse button on the radar title down at the bottom right of the window.

g. Toggle off the satellite by clicking on the satellite title in the lower right of the window.  The satellite will disappear and the radar will reappear.

h. To toggle both images at the same time, click on the "+" that is between the two titles.

8) Loading model data

a.  Click on Volume in the first row of the options.  Notice that most of the fields are grayed out.

b. Load the regional map into the large window.  Go back to Volume and open the menu.  Now almost all of the fields are available.

c. Click on ETA Family.  Notice that only two fields are displayed and the color of the fields corresponds with the same color in the title at the lower right of the screen.  There are also gray titles there, click on one and notice it will overlay on the current data.

d. Click on one of the colored titles, notice it will toggle off.

9) Volume Browser

a. Go back to Volume and select Browser from that menu.

b. Click on the Source box and select ETA.  Move to the fields section and click on Basic and select a field(s).  Notice how all available fields are displayed in green.  Next, move to the planes section and click on Pres and select a pressure level.

c. Once you have selected from all three sections, the fields that are available will be displayed in the Times, Product Selection List and Inventory windows directly below.  If nothing appears, then the fields at the level you selected are not available for the model chosen.

d. If more then one field has been selected and are available, when they appear in the Product Selection List they will be hi-lighted yellow.  If you click on load now, all the fields that are hi-lighted will be displayed.  Click on the field(s) you do not wish to load and they will no longer be hi-lighted.

e. Hi-light two fields and click on Load at the bottom of the Volume Browser window.  Again, you can toggle them off by clicking on the title at the lower right of the window.

15) Exiting AWIPS

a. Click on "File".

b. Click on "Exit". 

This is meant to be a basic introduction to the AWIPS software package. There are many things AWIPS can do that are not covered in this tutorial.