Post on 15-Jan-2016
An Update on GrADS
Brian Doty and Jennifer Adams
GrADS CapabilitiesGrADS is an interactive tool for the analysis and visualization of geoscience data• Open source and freely available
GrADS has 2 data models• 5-D gridded data• In situ (station data
GrADS can read all the standard data formats • Binary• BUFR• GRIB (versions 1 and 2)• HDF (versions 4 and 5) • NetCDF (versions 3 and 4)
Missing data handled consistently throughout
Expression syntax is flexible, compact, recursive
Programmable interface for scripting
Fast I/O and graphics
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GrADS is Used Worldwide
77,500 downloads February 2010 - Present
GrADS @ COLAHow does COLA benefit from GrADS? • Format neutralization facilitates COLA’s ”model agnostic” strategy• Collaboration expedited by script-sharing• Easy, format-independent metadata harvesting for COLA’s data management strategic plan• In-house expertise for immediate help and code changeso new and complex data sets o very high resolution datao optimization of scriptso beautification of published figures
How does GrADS benefit from COLA?• Feedback from scientists (deliberate and accidental)• Development needs are readily apparent• Pre-release testing of new features
Easy Multi-Model IntercomparisonError in July Mean Total Precipitation (in meters)
ECMWF IFS - TRMM
NOAA CFSv2 - TRMM NCAR CCSM4 - TRMM
Japan NICAM - TRMM
GrADS @ COLAHow does COLA benefit from GrADS? • Format neutralization facilitates COLA’s ”model agnostic” strategy• Collaboration expedited by script-sharing• Easy, format-independent metadata harvesting for COLA’s data management strategic plan• In-house expertise for immediate help and code changeso new and complex data sets o very high resolution datao optimization of scriptso beautification of published figures
How does GrADS benefit from COLA?• Feedback from scientists (deliberate and accidental)• Development needs are readily apparent• Pre-release testing of new features
GrADS 2.0.0 Highlights
Major changes to the core of GrADS:• Added 5th data dimension (targeted to ensembles)• Internal data handling in double precision• More consistent missing data handling• Very stable: bugs fixed, memory leaks patched
New data formats• GRIB2• HDF5• NetCDF4o Early adopter of compression features
GIS Interface• Read shapefiles• Output shapefiles, GeoTIFF, and KML
The New Shaded Contouring Algorithm
Station Data Shapefile from GrADS in ArcMap(Dressed up with Topography, Political Boundaries, and City Names)
OLR and Precip Data from GrADS in Google Earth
05Z 23May2009
An interactive, web-based system to display CPC products together with supplemental geographical data
Climate Prediction Center’s GIS Portal
What’s Next
New options for rendering the graphics• Use of Cairo library for X11, image, and hardcopy drawing• Old methods still available
Design of new data analysis capabilities• EOFs, Sorting, etc.• Internal/External operations on defined objects (defop)
• COLA has considerable expertise and experience in remote data analysis o Pioneered server-side analysis with GDSo Currently managing off-site computing at 3 remote centers
• Will mobile cloud-based computing change how we do our science work?
GrADS in the Cloud
Live Demo @ Poster Session Experimental prototype of GrADS running as a "cloud" service
Using GrADS in the new cloud computing paradigm