- The color filled contours over topography is the choice for mapping brightness temperature data to the vertical coordinate.
- The other choice is to display an image over topography, but in this case, note how the peak in the color table (orange color around 370 K) is not in the same location as the peak in the vertical coordinate.
Here is a pdf file which contains instructional text, with pictures to illustrate the steps, or follow the text only version below.
Instructions (without the images)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Load real-time data in the main toolbar for the Data Explorer .
a) Load data: Data Sources > Satellite > Imagery
b) After data is selected, click “Add Source.” Caution: Later, color filled contours over topography will be drawn. This is a memory intensive process, choosing a small subsection of data is best such as an image that has 20x20 pixels.
For additional help, in loading satellite data into the data chooser, see “Displaying Satellite Imagery” in the McIDAS-V User’s Guide located under the help pull down menu in the main window.
2) Click the Field Selector tab.
a) Under Data Sources column highlight Formulas
b) Under Fields column, click blue circle left of word “Miscellaneous” for drop down menu > Highlight Change Unit
c) Under Displays column, select blue circle left of words “3D Surface” > Highlight Color-Filled Contours Over Topography
d) Click “Create Display”
3) In the Field Selector window:
a) Click the blue circle next to Formulas for drop down menu.
b) Click the blue circle next to Miscellaneous for drop down menu.
c) Select “Change Unit.” Click OK.
4) The Select Input window appears. In the name field, select the data that should be used for the vertical coordinate (ALT, TEMP, RAD, etc). Leave the unitSpec as “m” as McIDAS-V version1.0Beta1, the capability to redefine the unit is not functional. Click “OK.”
5) In the Field Selector window select data desired for topography field. Click “OK”
6) a) The Select Input window appears again. This time, define the data field which will lay on top of the topography. In the name field, select the data that should be used to lay on top of the topography field (ALT, TEMP, RAD, etc).
b) The Field Selector appears again (with the heading Field: field), Select data desired for data field. Click “OK”
7) In Map Display window, change Vertical Scale.
• View > Viewpoints > Vertical Scale
• Enter desired Min and Max value but leave Units as “m”.
Return to Layer Controls. One way to do that is click on the link to the data under the Legend heading
• Click Contour: Change. Adjust the base contour, minimum and maximum value and contour interval in Contour Properties Editor. Click OK.
• Click Color Table: Default. Select desired color table.
• Click Edit > Color Table > Change Range and change the range of the color table if desired.
8) Load data source for 2-D base layer. (In this example the same date/time satellite image with more of the pixels displayed.) Click the Field Selector tab.
e) Under Data Sources column highlight the desired data
f) Under Fields column, select the desired Field
g) Under Displays column, select blue circle left of words “Imagery” > Highlight Image Display
h) Click Create Display
9) The data is now in the projection of the last data loaded, to return to the projection of the first data source return to Map Display window
• Projections > From Displays > Image (Projection from Color-Filled Contours Over Topography)
10) Return to the Layer Controls
• Change range and Color Table of base
• Change display label Edit > Properties > Settings: Display Label for both the base layer and the color-filled contour over topography layer. When the desired title has been entered click OK.
• Display color bar of color-filled contours over topography. Edit > Properties > Color Scale > Visible > OK
11) Return to Map Display rotate and zoom data. See Zooming, Panning and Rotating in McIDAS-V User’s Guide.