Broadcast Weather Software Programming

[weatherfan_2013]

Hi All,
I've been wanting to take the endeavor of creating weather graphic software for several years now and I have now taken the steps to complete this mission. I know a little C and python and have created gui's in both. What I have posted below is the layout of my 3d weather graphics software which will generate weather imagery and data onto a 3d globe, 2d planar, or a 2d static map background generated by another software piece I will create that takes GEO data and Digital Elevation Models to generate base maps.

I intend to use Solaris 10 for my software suites to keep the feel of WSI's software suite throughout the 90s and 2000s. The coding will all be done in C (Hopefully).

I'm also asking anyone here who knows OpenGL, has intermediate level knowledge on C or C++, gcc .etc, or has knowledge on the equations to decode weather imagery and plot data on a geo grid, please let me know! Your help will be greatly appreciated.

[weatherfan_2013]

Here's the desktop environment it'll run on. It uses the X-Window system and motif and will use OpenGL to run the 3d graphics software and the other 2d graphics software will use a Geo coordinate system to plot weather images and contours on top of a geotiff file.

[weatherfan_2013]

I have decided to move my development to an Ubuntu environment due to it's east of access to OpenGL and X11lib dependencies.

Here the lowdown:
The GUI building process is pretty straight forward. It's all done in C and each button will either bring up a dialog box, edit a .rgb file, or initiate an OpenGL function or command. Nothing too difficult but may get a little confusing at times.

The only hard parts are translating NEXRAD binaries, GOES image files, and GRIB data and plot to an OpenGL grid. My other software will use a Gdal plot or equivalent. However with time, this will become pretty straightforward. Weather Info like Highs, lows, and conditions are pretty straightforward. I will program a basic piece of software to download all these data from Weather Underground, METAR, ASOS, or custom data provider, and will save to the /wxdisk/ directory on the Linux desktop.

All in all, this software will call data from the /wxdisk/ directory and translate and plot the info/data into a highly graphical 2d/3d environment, with shadowing, shading, custom textures .etc and can animate highs/lows and key frame camera angles and will save to custom movie file with start and stop points. This will load into a basic powerpoint type software (which I will also code) and will have the option to display through any compatible video card (expensive or not).

This is basically re-creating WSI's showfx and WxPro systems since they are obsolete and long forgotten. I'm programming this to work with today's standards Video standards and newer weather data formats.

[luesjo12]

This looks so amazing already! Can’t wait to see what comes of the final product.