[gradsusr] * * * New Release GrADS Version 2.0.0 , now with better NetCDF handling * * *
Jennifer Adams
jma at cola.iges.org
Thu Oct 6 17:19:22 EDT 2011
Dear All,
Don Hooper has provided a 32-bit linux build of GrADS 2.0.0 with all
the right libraries. I have posted it to our FTP server and updated
the downloads.html page with a link. Thank you, Hoop!!
--Jennifer
On Oct 5, 2011, at 9:15 PM, Jennifer Adams wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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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