Release Notes

The items below list the changes in McIDAS-V for the most recent release version. For the release notes of previous versions, see Previous Release Notes.

Documentation Changes

McIDAS-V User's Guide

Updated the McIDAS-V User's Guide to contain new features and more detailed content.

Data Changes

Local Servers

Updated local ADDE servers on Linux and OS X/macOS platforms. The name of the format for working with GOES-16 ABI data has changed from "GOES-16 ABI" to "GOES ABI" since this server will work with all ABI data (GOES-16 through -19).

International Radars

Added three international Radar sites to the Station dropdown of the Level II > Local chooser, which allows for the data to be plotted at the correct location. These locations are:

Camp Humphreys, Korea (KSG)
Kadena, Japan (ODN)
Kunsan, Korea (KJK)

Display Changes

ABI Level 2 Enhancements and Defaults

Added new color table enhancements for Level 2 ABI products. Additionally, parameter aliases and defaults were added making these new enhancements the default when ABI Level 2 data is displayed through local or remote ADDE or through the local file chooser.

ProfileAlongTrack Display

Improved the Track subsetting tab when selecting which portion of the track to show. This includes making the selected portion of the track magenta and new tooltips explaining each of the controls. For more information, see ProfileAlongTrack Controls.

Data Probe/Time Series Display

Restored the ability to create a Data Probe/Time Series display with only one timestep.

Isosurface Smoothing

Added the ability to smooth isosurface displays. This can be done with the Smoothing option in the Layer Controls of the display.

Theta Surface Displays

Added new derived fields and displays types for creating various displays over theta surfaces in 2D and 3D. For more information, see Theta Surface Controls.

3D Volume Streamline Displays

Added three new 3D Flow displays for 3D Volume Streamline, 3D Volume Streamline Colored by Speed, and 3D Volume Streamline Colored by Another Parameter. For more information, see 3D Flow Display Controls.

Other Changes

Set Day and Time Range Window

Renamed the "Set Archive Day" window when selecting an Image Type from an archive server to "Set Day and Time Range". This window is also available through the Absolute times tab of the Satellite > Imagery chooser through the Set Day/Time Range button with archive and realtime servers. Previously, this window contained one field for a single date. Now, along with this field for a singe date, there are text entry fields for beginning and ending times. This allows for a more efficient listing of times by not listing all of the times in the dataset when only a specific time range (e.g. 2 - 5Z) may be needed. If a user does not enter a beginning or ending time, the default is the entire day (00:00:00Z - 23:59:59Z).

Scripting

Added a variety of functionality related to scripting since the release of 1.7u1. Below is a list of significant changes:

New functions:

setMapLayerVisibility - Sets the visibility of the map layer in the Main Display.

New functionality with existing functions:

Added the ability for the user to specify which statistical parameters to return from the describe() function. By default, all parameters are returned.

Miscellaneous scripting-related changes:

Modified the output of listADDEImages() and listADDEImageTimes() so the keys are returned in alphabetical order.

Color Table Editor Transparency Readout

Added transparency readout to the color bar of the Color Table Editor when the cursor is moved over the color bar.

Java 3D

Updated to the final release of Java 3D version 1.6.0.

Improved Probing

Improved probing output for various files where probing would only work on certain parts of the data. This improvement can be noted in polar-orbiting netCDF data loaded through the local files chooser.

Grid Formulas

Added a variety of gridded formulas provided by Brian Mapes. The formulas perform a variety of data analysis including computing the deviation from time average at each grid point and produce a vertical derivative of 3D gridded fields. Documentation of these formulas can be found on the Description of Formulas - Grids page. The new formulas provided by Brian Mapes are denoted by an asterisk (*) next to the formula's names.

GOES 16/17 ABI True Color RGB Formula

Added a formula to create true color RGB imagery from GOES 16/17 ABI data. This formula creates a simulated green band to make the RGB possible.

Under Development

JPSS Chooser

Improved the ordering of fields in the Field Selector tab of the Data Explorer when working with a multi-banded SVM granule from NOAA CLASS. All of the field names are now listed in numerical order based on band number with quality flags grouped with the physical values (i.e. radiance, reflectance, brightness temperature) for each band. The output of the listVIIRSFieldsInFile() function is now returned in order of band number as well, with the calibrated values and quality flags listing together for each band.

Changed the name of the listVIIRSTimesInField() function to listVIIRSTimeInFile(). The date/time format returned from this function now matches what is seen in the layer label of a displayed VIIRS layer as well as what is in the Time Animation Widget of the Main Display window.

Added the ability to display CrIS SCRIF full spectral Science SDR data.

Satellite Orbit Track Chooser

Implemented several bug fixes to improve performance of the chooser. When loading data via ADDE, now only the selected satellite will be listed in the Field Selector instead of all of the satellites in the dataset. A new default projection has been added for the Satellite Orbit Track display type that reduces horizontal lines across the display. Label interval along the track line can now be set as low as 1 minute.

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