CREATE MINI DATA -- create a local data set from a remote data file

Name

CREATE MINI DATA -- create a local data set from a remote data file 

Author

Kathy Pearson, MCNC, kathyp@mcnc.org, (919) 248-9240

Summary

	Name		CREATE MINI DATA	
	Type		data_output	
	Inputs		none
	Outputs		field name		(string)	
			timestamp name		(string)
			activate		(oneshot)	
	Parameters	Name		Type		Def	Min	Max
			----		----		---	---	---
			map name	(string)	NULL	--	--
			top data dir	(string)	NULL	--	--
			data dir	(string)	NULL	--	--	
			description	(string)	NULL	--	--
			create now	(oneshot)	0	0	1

Description

The CREATE MINI DATA module is used in conjunction with the AVS module 
"write field", and other specially designed modules include "FIND MAP",
"MULTI_extract", and "WRITE TIMESTAMP".  The "map name" parameter is
made port visible and is connected to the port 0 output of "FIND MAP".
The CREATE MINI DATA port 0 (field name) is connected to the port visible

Parameter

Write Field Browser.  The CREATE MINI DATA port 1 is connected
to port 0 of "WRITE TIMESTAMP" as the output timestamp file name.  The
CREATE MINI DATA port 2 is connected to the port visible "go" parameter
of the MULTI_extract module so that the remote MULTI_extract module will
fire when the "create now" toggle is activated.
In order to create small local subsets of data to be used instead of large
remote files, a scheme for automatically allowing the user to create subsets 
and automatically insert them into the working data list exists.  Within the
directory, top_data_dir, there is a file called DATA_LIST.  Also in that
directory are subdirectories (such as data_dir) each containing at least
three elements -- an AVS portable XDR binary field file, an ASCII timestamp
file listing the hours contained in the field file, and a map description
file indicating what ARCinfo file domain map should be used.  The DATA_LIST
contains a single line for each entry with 5 elements per entry.  These are
the description that will appear in a short list, the data directory within
the top_data_dir, and the names of the field file, the timestamp file, and
the map description file within the directory.
The CREATE MINI DATA module forces the name of the files within the data
directory to be "field.fld", "timestamp", and "map".  The module copies
DATA_LIST to DATA_LIST.old and inserts the new entry into the current
DATA_LIST placing it at the top of the list.

Inputs

(none)

Outputs

field name	the full path name of the AVS field file
timestamp name	the full path name of the ASCII timestamp file
activate	oneshot indicating action for downstream modules
PARAMETERS
map name	the full path name of the ASCII map description file
top data dir	the full path name of the system data directory
data dir	the name of the directory to be created under the top data dir
description	a short description for the mini data set to be created	
create now	execute the steps necessary to generate a mini data set

Example

Related modules

Limitations

See also

(MCNC Visualization Plan)						11/93
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The MCNC Environmental Programs Group has created this module as part of a
suite of AVS demo modules, networks, and sample data sets to demonstrate 
the functionality of its visualization prototype for an Environmental 
Decision Support System (EDSS).  This system provides a unified method of 
analysis and visualization for data output from different environmental air 
quality models.  Remotely, standard output files from the following models 
can be read into AVS:
        ROM (Regional Oxidant Model)
        RADM (Regional Acid Deposition Model), low res and high res
        RADM (Regional Acid Depostion Model) Emissions, low res
        UAM (Urban Airshed Model, regulatory version)
        UAM (Urban Airshed Model, AREAL research version)
        UAM Wind (Urban Airshed Model, regulatory version)
        MCNC ALPHA-Prototype netCDF files
Alternatively, xdr portable binary AVS fields can be created from these
data types and accessed directly from the local workstation.
You can download these modules individually from the IAC using anonymous
ftp to the appropriate directories /avs_modules at avs.ncsc.org.  
If you would like to download the entire suite of modules, networks, and
sample datasets at the same time, the IAC recommends that you use 
anonymous ftp to grab the following file from avs.ncsc.org -
/sample_data/avs_data/MCNC_Env_Pgms/MCNC_Env_Pgms.tar.Z
This contains all source code to all local and remote modules, as well as
all of the sample datasets, networks, documentation, installation, and
usage notes.
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