D2D Toolbar

Toolbar Pull-Down Menus

The five pull-down menus in the D-2D Perspective are as follows (two on the left side of the toolbar and three on the right):

• Load Mode menu
• Scale menu
• Frames menu
• Magnification menu
• Density menu

These pull-down menus play a significant role in the display of any products loaded into the main display panel.

Load Mode Menu

The Load Mode menu determines the time-matching procedure for products loaded from the AWIPS database, and the default mode is “Valid time seq” (latest sequence). This is the only one you will need for RAC. The “Inventory” mode can be used to request a specific time, and “Forced” mode can be useful if the time matching doesn’t allow you to combine two images at different times as you would like. Many of the remaining modes are for model data and are listed below:

Valid time seq: Displays the most recent data and fills empty frames with previous data. For models, it provides the product from the latest possible run for every available valid time.

Inventory: Selecting a product when the load mode is set to Inventory brings up a Dialog Box with the available forecast and inventory times from which you can select the product you want. Inventory loads into the currently displayed frame.

Forced: Puts the latest version of a selected product in all frames without time-matching.

Latest: Displays forecast data only from the latest model run, but also back fills at the beginning of the loop with available frames from previous runs to satisfy the requested number of frames.

No Backfill: Displays model data only from the most recent model run time with no back filling to fill out a loop. Using this Load Mode prevents the mixing of old and new data.

Previous run: Displays the previous model run, back filling with frames from previous runs at the beginning of the loop to satisfy the requested number of frames.*

• *Note: If you are using an operational AWIPS, 20.2.3, you also have the option to load Previous run - 1 and Previous run - 2. 
  

Prev valid time seq: Displays the previous model run and fills empty frames with previous model data or analysis.

Prognosis loop: Shows a sequence of n-hour forecasts from successive model runs.

Analysis loop: Loads a sequence of model analyses but no forecasts.

dProg/dt: Selects forecasts from different model runs that all have the same valid times. This load mode is available only when there are no other products loaded in the large display pane.

Forecast match: Overlays a model product only when its forecast times match those of an initially loaded product. This load mode is available only when another product is already loaded in the large display pane.

Slot: Puts the latest version of a selected product in the currently displayed frame

Scale Menu

The Scale menu determines the scale of the map background on which your requested product will be displayed (e.g., State or North American). Scales can be created locally, and they can contain separate map projections. Loading data is mostly scale independent, meaning you can load data on any scale, and the scales can be changed after data is loaded without clearing the display. After loading data and changing scale, the D2D Perspective will re-project the data if necessary. Grid data is one important exception to the scale independence, and it will load only for the scale selected to cut down on overhead involved with loading memory-intensive high-resolution model-derived parameters. Satellite data is a little different in that it composites multiple satellites together, and that can behave differently when loaded on different scales. There will be more practice with that in WES Exercise 1 Scale Dependency and Projections.

Frames Menu

The Frames menu determines the number of image or graphic radar products that will be loaded into the main display panel. The default maximum number of frames that can be loaded into the main display panel is 64, but that can be increased locally. The default number of frames upon start-up is 12 frames for most products. Be aware that large frame counts with some products can take up a lot of memory, which can affect workstation performance. So, increase frame counts when you need to, but if you have workstation performance issues you may need to trim back some of your editors with large frame counts.

Magnification Menu

The Magnification menu changes the size of alphanumeric information (or labels), contours, and legend information for all products and overlays in the main display panel. The larger the Magnification menu value, the larger these items will appear in the main display panel. The default magnification is 1.0.

Density Menu

The Density menu changes the amount of detail visible in the main display panel for all overlays (i.e., maps) and contoured products. Increasing the Density value will result in more detail being visible in certain background maps and contour intervals for graphic products being increased. The opposite is true for decreasing the Density value. The default density is 1.0. The impact that the Density setting has on the data in the display panel is dependent on the zoom factor. The AWIPS software uses a progressive disclosure method such that more detail becomes visible the more the user zooms in on the data display. The user can override this by choosing the “Max” density option (i.e., forcing the display of all the data visible).

NOTE: The Frame Count, Magnification, Density, and Scale menus can be changed after loading a product into the main display panel and the change will take effect immediately. For the Load Mode menu, you need to reload your products for any changes in those menus to take effect on the products in the main display panel.

Toolbar Buttons

In addition to the pull-down menus, there are also several buttons in the toolbar menu. Rather than discuss what every button does, we will just focus on some of the more important ones:

• Clear button
• Pan button
• Frame Navigation buttons
• Loop button
• Image Combination button

These buttons affect how you view the image and graphic products loaded in the main display panel.

Clear Button

Pressing the Clear button clears the main display panel so only the default background map(s) remains.

Frame Navigation Buttons

The Frame Navigation buttons (First Frame, Step Backward, Step Forward, and Last Frame, respectively) allow you to toggle through the different frames loaded in the main display panel.

Loop Button

Pressing the Loop button allows you to toggle on/off a continuous loop of the frames in the main display panel.

Image Combination Button

Pressing the Image Combination button allows you to toggle on/off the ability to load two separate image products in the main display panel. With two image products in the display, you can toggle back and forth between the two products. You can also fade between the two images to compare details between the images.