Introduction

A fundamental concept in Metview is the View. A View specifies the following definitions in a Metview plot:

• type of visualisation (e.g. geographical map, cross section, vertical profile, tephigram)
• parameters specific to that plot type (e.g. geographical area, cross section line, min/max axes values)
• plot position within the page (several plots can share a page)
• how to overlay different data in the same plot (e.g. icon drop rules, data overlay control)
• plot decoration (e.g. draw a frame around the plot)

Without a View specification, Metview would not plot anything. If you do not provide a View, then Metview will use a sensible default View.

For instance, you have previously visualised a GRIB icon by just clicking the icon and selecting option visualise.  A  Display Window was automatically generated showing a default Geographical View containing a global map in a Cylindrical projection.

(add a picture with 4 views and highlighting the above definitions)

Eight Views specifications are currently available:

The Geographical View

This is the default View for plotting geographic-based data. This view was discussed here 

Embedded Icons

Notice that a Geographical View icon editor contains a place for an embedded Coastlines icon. If you drop a Coastlines icon here and apply the changes, then the Geographical View icon will use your new coastlines.

You can use your own Coastlines icons in this icon field: edit your Geographical View icon, right-click on the embedded Coastlines icon (if there is one) and select remove. Now drag the land_sea_shading icon from the visdefs desktop into the now-empty Coastlines icon field. Click Apply, then visualise your Geographical View icon.

Your Geographical View icon now contains a link to the coastlines icon - if you change the land_sea_shading icon, then those changes will be reflected the next time you visualise your Geographical View; if you edit the coastlines icon within the Map View icon editor, those changes will be applied to the land_sea_shading icon.

This method allows you to share a single Coastlines icon between multiple view icons; update the Coastlines icon and all the views will pick up the changes automatically.

Another way to share embedded icons is to use the icon help drawer. Click the arrow beside the Coastlines icon to open this drawer. Drag land_sea_shading from your desktop into it. Apply.

Now create a new Geographical View icon and edit it. Open the Coastlines help drawer and drag land_sea_shading into the icon field. Your Geographical View is now using a copy of this Coastlines icon. This is an alternative way to share embedded icons. Note that this Coastlines icon is embedded in the Geographical View icon (notice the ‘E’ symbol on the icon); it is not a link to an icon you can see on a Metview desktop, but is contained entirely within the Geographical View icon. If you move the Geographical View icon, the embedded Coastlines icon will move with it.

The Cartesian View

This will be covered in linkkkkkkkk

The Cross Section View

Now create a new Cross Section View icon. Visualise it and drop the t_an filter icon into the Display Window. A default cross section is generated. This is an alternative way to view your data - instead of a geographical plot for instance.

Edit the Cross Section View icon and change the transect line - click on the Geography Tool button to bring up an editor (or type the coordinate by hand). Save your changes in the Cross Section View icon and use it to re-visualise the data with this new cross section.

Note that you can still drag any valid contour icons you may have into the Display Window when visualising a cross section.

The Vertical Profile View

Now create a new Vertical Profile View icon. Visualise it and drop the t_an filter icon into the Display Window. This view shows a vertical profile at a point (or averaged over an area). Experiment with this icon in a similar way to how you did with the Cross Section View icon.

The Average View

The Annotation View

The Hovmøller View

The Thermo View

Data Module

Macro

Annotation View

Storing and Reusing Icons

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