MADIS RSASDUMP

Overview

The MADIS RSASDUMP software can be used to read a netCDF file containing analyzed and derived surface grids produced by the ESRL/GSD Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) Surface Assimilation System (RSAS) and output selected grids to a text file, which can then be further processed by your application software. In addition to the grids themselves, the indices of the grid points can be output, as well as their latitude and longitude coordinates. The analyzed elevations of the stations whose data were assimilated are also available.

The operation of the program is controlled by a text parameter file that allows the user to select which variables and location information to output, as well as the units to be used, the number of significant digits, and the separator to be used between fields.

The output will consist of one line per grid point that will contain all of the variables that have been selected, using the field separator that has been selected, and output with the number of significant digits that have been selected. Since the grid is ordered I=1-580 in the X direction (east to west), and J=1-548 in the Y direction (south to north), there will be 580 * 548 lines in all. The grid is scanned from south to north, one column at a time. In other words, J=1, I=1,...,580 produces the first 580 lines, then J=2, I=1,...,580, etc.

For example, if you asked for I, J, latitude, longitude, temperature (in degrees F), and pressure (in mb), with 7 significant digits and a comma separator, the first few lines of output would look like this: 

1.000000,1.000000,9.961596,-128.0000,76.29261,1010.247
2.000000,1.000000,9.994704,-127.9206,76.35594,1010.246
3.000000,1.000000,10.02772,-127.8412,76.41637,1010.247
4.000000,1.000000,10.06065,-127.7616,76.47251,1010.247
5.000000,1.000000,10.09348,-127.6820,76.52211,1010.247
6.000000,1.000000,10.12621,-127.6023,76.56353,1010.247

Software Download

The current version release is 1.0, February 11, 2005.

RSASDUMP has been prebuilt for the following platforms. Just click on the link for each platform, then untar or unzip the file. (For more details on the platforms, such as what models and operating systems were used, click here.) The following files will appear:

rsasdump.exeThe binary program to run.
rsasdump.parSample parameter file used to control the program.
rsasdump_usage.txtExplanation of how to setup the parameter file and run the program.
rsasdump.fThe Fortran source code.

For people who want to run RSASDUMP on a platform not listed here, download the source-only package, then link it with a netCDF library that's been installed on your system, using the following command: 

f77 -o rsasdump.exe rsasdump.f /usr/local/netcdf/lib/libnetcdf.a

(You can use any Fortran compiler you have, "f77" is just used for an example here. Also, you can get netCDF from here.) Note that if your netCDF isn't installed in /usr/local/netcdf you'll need to edit rsasdump.f to point to where netCDF has been installed (go to where /usr/local/netcdf is specified in two places in the code).

* The Linux binary version has been built with OPeNDAP/DODS capability.

OPeNDAP/DODS Capability

Programs (user-written or the RSASDUMP program) can optionally be built with the OPeNDAP/DODS netCDF client library in place of the normal netCDF library. This would allow you to use the same software to access files stored on your local disk or served over the web from the MADIS OPeNDAP server.The OPeNDAP/DODS netCDF client library (and other supporting software) can be obtained from:

Current Version
Version 3.2.1

Although the OPeNDAP/DODS interface has only been tested with Linux, any site that has the OPeNDAP/DODS netCDF client library installed should be able to build the RSASDUMP program to link to it by following the instructions in the OPeNDAP/DODS documentation.

In order to support the least-common-denominator RedHat Linux version, the RSASDUMP program has been built using RedHat 7.2. The latest version of OPeNDAP/DODS binaries that work with RedHat 7.2 is 3.2.1, so that's what's been linked in with the RSASDUMP binary. Note that we have been unable to successfully link and/or run with the OPeNDAP/DODS 3.4.3 and 3.4.4 versions. The OPeNDAP/DODS documentation strongly recommends that you should not use their binary versions if you intend to link user-supplied code (e.g., RSASDUMP), but you should build OPeNDAP/DODS from source using the same compiler that will be used with your source. Any MADIS users who want to use the newer OPeNDAP/DODS versions for Linux, or wish to run OPeNDAP/DODS-enabled RSASDUMP on another operating system, should probably take that approach. If you do manage to succeed in this effort, please let us know so we can update this documentation.

Last updated 11 February 2005.
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