Java Development Initiative Status Report
Don Murray
May 13, 2002
This report updates the status of Unidata's Java development
efforts
reported at the last Policy
Committee meeting.
Objectives
The long-term objectives of Unidata's Java Development Initiative are:
- Deliver turn-key platform-independent applications for the
analysis and visualization of meteorological data. These
applications must provide and extend the most important capabilities
of currently-available applications such as GEMPAK, GARP, and
McIDAS. Use of these applications should require no knowledge
of Java or component architectures.
- Deliver easily installed executables, user documentation, and
test cases for the turn-key applications.
- Identify or create a component-oriented framework that supports
construction of custom applications from components used to
build the turn-key applications. This framework should be
useful to create new combinations of components that provide
subsets of the capabilities of the turn-key applications,
connect them in unanticipated ways, or provide tailored
mini-applications for embedding in educational materials. Use
of these components may require knowledge of component
architectures or Java.
- Deliver full source code, class documentation, and test cases
for the MetApps components.
- Enlist other developers in enhancing components and developing
new components for the framework by providing an
archive, mailing list, developers' forums, documentation, web
site, and support for the components.
To accomplish these long-term goals, short-term objectives include the
delivery of incremental releases involving users, incorporating
feedback, refining the development process, and enhancing the software
with each release.
Progress to Date
Four prototype MetApps applications have been developed: a gridded data
viewer for viewing model data, an interactive sounding application, an
image viewer for viewing and looping image data from local and remote
datasets, and a surface observations viewer. Development on all these
prototypes as standalone applications has ceased. Lessons learned in
developing these prototypes and some of the components have been incorporated
into the development of an Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) application which
will be the reference application for goals #1 and #2 listed above.
Work on the IDV is the focus of the development effort for
the forseeable future. This application is being used to develop
and test the framework listed in goal #3 above.
In more detail, recent accomplishments include:
- Three alpha releases of the IDV reference application were made
(one in February, one in April and one in May). Feedback from
the MetApps Task Force was incorporated into each succeeding
release. The IDV can be downloaded at
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/projects/metapps/webstart/IDV.
Many new features have been added with each new release and can
be viewed in the on-line
IDV User's Guide.
- The first official release of the IDV reference application is
scheduled for August 2002. This will not signal the completion
of the project nor the attainment of all the goals, but the
IDV will be at a point where it can be generally useful. The release
to a wider audience will be used to garner community input for further
development. A similar strategy was employed in the GARP
development.
- A
conference call with the MetApps Task Force was held on April 3
to discuss the current state of the IDV. Primary concerns were
memory usage and stability. These have been addressed somewhat in
the May release.
- Following on to the
RAD OCTOBER project, ATD and Unidata have collaborated
on a prototype IDV-based display system for the
IHOP field project which started May 13. Input from the
IHOP science personnel (Tammy Weckwerth and Jim Wilson) was garnered
during the development. Unidata is receiving
funding for 3 weeks of software engineer time for extra development
for the project. Customizations for IHOP included support for
realtime and archived airplane tracks, customized maps, support
for 3D gridded radar datasets from SPOL and NEXRAD stations, imagery
in netCDF format, and an enhanced Skew-T component for displaying
mobile GLASS soundings as well as model soundings. The version is
available at
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/projects/metapps/webstart/IDV/IHOP_IDV.html.
- Collaboration has continued with NCAR/SCD on the development of the
Visual Geophysical Exploration Environment (VGEE) in transition
from a GDV based application to the IDV framework. This provides
us with another way to test and improve the framework for people
creating custom applications.
- In addition to the collaborations for IHOP and VGEE, MetApps
development is included in two recently submitted proposals:
the ITR LEAD proposal and an NSDL proposal with Carnegie-Mellon
University for developing classroom materials with their
Create Studio software.
- The latest version of the IDV is using components developed for
the THREDDS project to provide access to remote datasets. Currently,
only gridded data is being accessed through this mechanism, but
the goal is to use THREDDS components for all datatypes. A demonstration
of THREDDS access through IDV was presented at the recent
THREDDS Technical Task Force meeting.
- A final release of the Gridded Data Viewer was made in January
2002. Future releases of MetApps components may be incompatible
with the GDV and anyone using this application should start
using the IDV instead.
Ongoing efforts include:
- Using the UMADA web site to discuss MetApps issues
- Collaborating in the development of
VisAD
- Keeping up with new Java interfaces and developments
This document is maintained by
Don Murray <dmurray@unidata.ucar.edu>
