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SOUTH DAKOTA
SCHOOL OF MINES
& TECHNOLOGY
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Syllabus, ATM 597.Viz_Meteo [Short Course] Immersive Visualization of Meteorological Data
Who Where When
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Prof.:
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Bill
Capehart, MI 213, Open Door Office Hours, Ph: 394-1994, Email:
<William.Capehart@sdsmt.edu>
Karl Lalonde,
MI 227, Open Door Office Hours, Ph: 394-6094, Email:
<Karl.Lalonde@sdsmt.edu> |
| Classroom: |
Black Hills Advanced Visualization Laboratory and CB 110 (GEC)
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| Time: |
Session 1: BHAVL and GEC, 24 March, 1830-2100
Session 2: GEC, 31 March, 1830-2100
Session 3: GEC, 07 April, 1830-2100
Session 4: BHAVL, 11-15 April, By Appointment
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WWW:
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http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmt/ias/courses/atm597_Viz_Meteo |
Reference Text
The vGeo Documentation Pages (manuals are in PDF)
Scope of Course
Overview
This course is one of three separate courses on preparing data for the Black Hills Advanced Visualization Lab (BHAVL)
ATM 597.Viz_Meteo: Immersive Visualization of Meteorological Data
ATM 597.Viz_Geo: Immersive Visualization of Geophysical Data
ATM 597.Viz_Eng: Immersive Visualization of Engineering and Abstract Data
These courses are to provide the SDSMT research community access to the BHAVL by presenting the facility and its software to the community, and by training the research units in the use of the relevant software and hardware. Most importantly, the courses will provide the basics of translating their native or common data formats to those compatible to the BHAVL facilities.
Viz_Meteo: The Meteorology Section
The Meteorology section concerns raster-based (3-D gridded) meteorologically fields such as NWP output, Radar Data and related weather-based information. This interested in more earth-science and 3-D GIS based applications are encouraged to attend the second course in the series, ATM 597.Viz_Geo.
This section will focus on the translation of gridded meteorological fields from an original format, in this case translating GEMPAK formatted data (and possibly GRIB data), into the intermediate Vis5D data format, and from there into the vGeo data format and related vGeo viewing domain scripts.
Outcomes and Certifications
Familiarity with the relevant packages used in the BHAVL lab is a prerequisite in open access to the facility.
Enrolment Ceiling
Due to the nature of the course, no more than seven participating units will be admitted. The use of team-based units is negotiable. The BHAVL is a soft money facility: Priority Admission will be granted to SDSMT Strategic Research Areas by course section as determined by the short course professors.
That said, backbench observers interested in subsequent visualization course offerings are welcome.
Technical Preparation
Participants should be familiar with the basics of meteorological data, and have an understanding of programming. We will be using the GEMPAK system, as well as preprocessors developed by VRCO, the company that produces vGeo. Participants are encouraged to provide their own data (if not, datasets will be provided for them.) Participants wanting to use data that is not already in the Vis5d or GEMPAK formats should inform the course faculty beforehand (such approaches will require preparation by the participants before the course begins).
Select participants from Geology and Geological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering who are interested in viewing dynamic geospatial data are also welcome to attend the first and second sessions as observers and then sign up for ATM 597.Viz_Geo. Non-meteorology participants may also want to attend the third session pending their interest. Likewise, participants interested in more engineering or abstract based applications using AmiraVR may only wish to attend the first session as observers and then sign up for ATM 597.Viz_Eng.
Course Presentation and Attendance Issues
The course will be presented in four training sessions and then an informal presentation session. Participants should commit to all four training sessions as each session is key to the final results of rendering their data in the BHAVL environment. The course will be presented both in the BHAVL and in a computer teaching lab so as to provide hands on training in both the BHAVL facility and to provide the membership the opportunity to customize their own data sets in a single common set of sessions.
Course Schedule and Topics
Common Training Session One: Introduction to the BHAVL and vGeo
Familiarization with the BHAVL and Hardware
Care and Safety within the Facility
Introduction to vGeo: Basic Use and Functionality
Brief introduction to the vGeo data environment and prerequisites for data translation
Common Training Session Two: Translating Data into the VGeo Format
The vGeo Data Formats
Legacy access to GEMPAK 5.6.A
The Gempak and Vis5D Data Formats
Translating from Gempak into Vis5D
The vGeo Data Format
Translating from Vis5D into vGeo
An Introduction to the vGeo Environment (“World”) Language
Common Training Session Three: Rendering Data in vGeo
Customizing a vGeo “World”
Viewing a vGeo “World”
Debugging a vGeo “World”
Applying vGeo to Meteorological Data
Additional vGeo Functionalities
Individual Training Session Four: Working in vGeo
One-on-one session in tailoring each participants work to function in the vGeo environment. Participants will sign up for lab-time.
Evaluation
After the four sessions, participants will present their visualization to the participating memberships. Oooos and ahhs or derisive laughter will be dispensed accordingly.
Special Needs
Prospective participants are warned in advance that immersive visualization requires perspective vision (active stereo can mitigate this issue, however), color vision, and some people can experience nausea when in the visualization environments for extended periods of time.
Specific physical issues to the individual, machine related
or otherwise, should be brought explicitly to the attention of both
professors and that of campus ADA Coordinator & Dean of Students before
class proceeds.
Related Links
Contact: William Capehart
This page has been visited 986 times since 02/16/2005
| http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmt/ias/courses/atm597_Viz_Meteo |
Last Modified: 03/22/2005 |
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