[gradsusr] * * * New Release GrADS Version 2.0.0 , now with better NetCDF handling * * *
Jennifer Adams
jma at cola.iges.org
Wed Oct 5 21:15:31 EDT 2011
Dear All,
I have repackaged the COLA builds of GrADS 2.0.0 with netcdf version
4.1.2. This version is one step backward in the release history; it
still has many important improvements relevant to GrADS, yet does not
exhibit any buggy behavior. Performance between this and the newer
snapshot version were identical, as far as I could tell testing with
OPeNDAP, classic, and compressed netcdf files. I sincerely hope there
will be no more glitches.
--Jennifer
On Oct 3, 2011, at 8:17 PM, Jennifer Adams wrote:
> Dear all users of GrADS 2.0.0,
> It has been brought to my attention that the version of the netcdf
> library that is linked into GrADS 2.0.0 has a couple of bugs that
> cause errors and/or poor performance when accessing OPeNDAP data
> sets. The patch for the library is very new, just a few weeks old.
> We are still in the process of deciding what to do about this,
> whether it is better to revert back to older versions of the library
> or keep up with the bleeding edge and relink with a recent snapshot
> version of netcdf4. Either way, I will have to put out new builds.
> The GrADS source code won't change, the version number will still be
> 2.0.0, but the version of some of the supplibs will change. In the
> next few days I will be testing the new version as much as I can,
> checking that it works properly for all kinds of netcdf files. If I
> can find no serious flaws, I am inclined to use the very latest
> version, even though 2.0.0 is meant to be STABLE and that philosophy
> is somewhat incompatible with using a 3-week-old snapshot release of
> the netcdf library. The problem is that the netcdf4 interface is
> evolving rapidly, and each new version is a strong improvement over
> the previous one (just like GrADS, except for the rapid part). We'd
> like to make GrADS work as well as it can, which is a balance
> between the 'latest and greatest' and 'old but reliable'. In the
> past, we've usually gone with 'old but reliable', but I'm not so
> sure that's the right path in this case. If any of you have any
> comments or strong feelings one way or the other, I'd welcome your
> feedback. If you have been using 2.0.0 to access OPeNDAP data sets
> and have noticed some problems, please go back to 2.0.a9 for the
> time being.
> --Jennifer
>
>
> On Sep 29, 2011, at 10:34 AM, Jennifer Adams wrote:
>
>> Brian and I are pleased to announce a new release of GrADS, version
>> 2.0.0. We have worked very hard to make this version as stable as
>> possible, and are therefore taking it out of alpha status, skipping
>> over beta altogether, and calling it 'operational'. There is a very
>> long list of new features, bug fixes and miscellaneous additions,
>> the full text from the ChangeLog is below, please read it carefully.
>>
>> Highlights of this release, other than its stability, are a new
>> shaded contouring algorithm (which allows for "transparent"
>> colors), support for polygon shapefiles and KML files, and some
>> fixes and improvements to the streamlines, including controls for
>> spacing, style, and size of the arrows. There are also new versions
>> of some of the supplibs, enabling the handling of GRIB2 product
>> definition template 4.15, and optimizing the netcdf5/hdf5 interface.
>>
>> The GrADS downloads web page (http://iges.org/grads/downloads.html)
>> has been updated with links to the source code and a few pre-
>> compiled binaries. Binaries for additional operating systems will
>> be posted as they become available.
>>
>> Please report any problems or questions to this forum. Enjoy!
>>
>> --
>> Jennifer M. Adams
>> IGES/COLA
>> 4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302
>> Calverton, MD 20705
>> jma at cola.iges.org
>>
>>
>> 2011-09-29 Version 2.0.0
>> Features:
>> * New shaded contouring algorithm: "set gxout shade2"
>> Polygons are closed, have no holes, do not overlap, and are
>> as large and few in number as is feasible
>> Use of -1 for a color # will suppress drawing of the shaded
>> contour, making it effectively transparent
>> * Legacy shaded contouring routine: "set gxout shade1"
>> * "set gxout shaded" is now an alias for legacy shaded
>> contouring routine
>> * Support for creating polygon shapefiles with new option "-
>> poly" to "set shp" command
>> * Support for creating polygon KML files with new option "-
>> poly" to "set kml" command
>> * 1D loglog plots with new command "set log1d"
>> * New environment variable GASHP, contains 1 or more
>> directories that may contain shapefiles.
>> GASHP delimiters are space, semicolon, comma, or colon.
>> Algorithm is:
>> 1. Tries to open filename as provided by user
>> 2. Parses GASHP and prepends each dir to filename
>> 3. Prepends GADDIR directory (only one dir) to filename
>> * New command "set strmopts" to control streamline density plus
>> arrowhead spacing, size, and type.
>> Support for negative streamline density values (between -10
>> and -1) for high-res grids.
>>
>> Misc:
>> * Mixed case ensemble names are now allowed
>> * Changes to improve masked contour labeling; also now works
>> with "set vpage"
>> * Support for grib1 time range indicator 7, which subtracts the
>> forecast time
>> from the basetime to get the valid time
>> * Loosened restrictions in gribmap for mapping monthly data
>> * Previously undocumented command: "screen"
>> * Added "query calendar" command to discover calendar mode
>> (unset, 365-day, or standard)
>> * Added ":" to list of delimiters for multiple dirs in GASCRP
>> environment variable (now same as GASHP)
>> * Added "NULL" as an option for scale factor attribute name in
>> the UNPACK descriptor file entry
>> when add offset occurs alone
>> * Updated wgrib.c to version 1.8.1.2a
>> * Updated grib2scan to show start/ending times for averages,
>> and valid times for instantaneous fields
>> * Handles GRIB2 Product Definition Template 4.15
>> * Added aliases 'line' for 'ln' and 'point' for 'pt' in 'set
>> shp' and 'set kml' commands
>> * Added alias 'image' for 'img' in 'set kml' command
>>
>> Bugs:
>> * Fixed errors when retrieving data from a very large defined
>> object that has more than 2Gb elements.
>> * Patched memory leak when reading NetCDF attributes with
>> lengths larger than 128
>> * Patched memory leaks in cdiff(), gr2stn(), and coll2gr()
>> functions and collect() command
>> * Cannot have a leap and no-leap file open at the same time
>> * Calendar mode cleared with "reinit" only
>> * Fixed big/little endian error when reading 2-byte binary data
>> * Fixed bug where 2-point contour segments are not drawn in
>> upper right corner of grid
>> * Fixed contouring bug for very high res grids with vertices
>> too close together to resolve graphically
>> * Fixed contouring bug for small grids that left a gap in
>> contour line
>> * Added check for strictly increasing contour levels
>> * Fixed streamlines in areas where grid boxes are not square
>> (e.g. near the poles)
>> * Disabled erroneous vector/barb drawing in some projections
>> (mollweide, orthographic, and robinson)
>> * Fixed erroneous results from 'q xy2gr' for some projections
>> (returns -999.9 instead of garbage)
>>
>> Supplib Updates:
>> * Linked with jasper-1.900.1, g2clib 1.2.2, hdf5-1.8.7,
>> netcdf-4.1.3, zlib-1.2.5
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> gradsusr mailing list
>> gradsusr at gradsusr.org
>> http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr
>
> --
> Jennifer M. Adams
> IGES/COLA
> 4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302
> Calverton, MD 20705
> jma at cola.iges.org
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> gradsusr mailing list
> gradsusr at gradsusr.org
> http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr
--
Jennifer M. Adams
IGES/COLA
4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302
Calverton, MD 20705
jma at cola.iges.org
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