PCMDI Software System

by

Dean N. Williams

Program for Climate ModelDiagnosis and Intercomparison

(PCMDI)uEstablished in 1989 in response to the need

to determine the differences among climate

models.

uCurrently, PCMDI is leading several

intercomparison projects (e.g., Atmospheric

Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) and

Couple Model Intercomparison Project

(CMIP).

PCMDI continued...

uPCMDI’s principal mission is to develop

improved methods and tools for the

diagnosis, validation, and intercomparison

of global climate models.

PCMDI Software System

uA suite of software tools for the storage,

diagnosis, and visualization of data.

uEach software product can be executed as

an independent process, but more

importantly each product work together in

the elaborate PCMDI Software System.

PCMDI Software Products

uClimate Data Analysis Tool (CDAT)

• Utilizes an interpreted language to manipulate

data and provide climate scientists with

diagnostic, statistical, and regridding routines.

uClimate Database Management System

• Designed to automatically locate and extract

metadata (i.e., variables, dimensions, grids,

etc.) from PCMDI’s collection of model runs

and analysis files.

PCMDI Software Products(continued..)

uCommon Data UNIform File (cdunif)

Reader

• A library of input functions for accessing

netCDF, HDF, DRS, GrADS/GRIB and VPOP

data files.

uData and Dimension Interface (DDI)

• A Graphical User Interface (GUI) that reads

and writes available file formats, and sends data

to a variety of visualization systems.

PCMDI Software Products

(continued..)

uData Retrieval and Storage (DRS)

• A library that supports direct access I/O, and

multi-dimensional array variables.

uEzGet

• A FORTRAN application programmer’s

interface (API) for reading various data file

formats via cdunif, and for performing grid

transformations and some calculations.

PCMDI Software Products

(continued..)

uLibrary of AMIP Data Transmission

Standards (LATS)

• A collection of software routines to output

gridded data in either netCDF or GRIB formats

for the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison

Project (AMIP).

uQuality Control Software (QCS)

• Software that checks the correctness of AMIP

model data.

PCMDI Software Products

(continued..)

uVisualization and Computation System

(VCS)

• A graphics software package that allows the

display, animation, and manipulation of

scientific data.

CDAT Modular Design

CDAT Design Diagram

PCMDI Functions

NCAR Functions

ACL/LANL Functions

PYTHON

Script

API

cdunif

CDMS

VCS

Command

Line

Interface

LATS

netCDF

CGI

GUI

NumericsPVM

Figure 1. Conceptual view of CDAT’s modular design.

CDMS Modular Design

CDMS Design Diagram

PCMDI Software System

Python

CDMS Functions

cdunif netCDF, HDF, DRS GrADS, VPOP, etc

PSQLAPI Library C Interface

FORTRAN Interface

ASCII CDMS Files

Figure 2. Conceptual view of CDMS’s modular design.

Cdunif Modular Design

Cdunif Design Diagram

cdunif API

VPOPnetCDF version 2.3

DRSGrADS/ GRIB

HDFnetCDF vers ion 3. 3

Figure 3. Conceptual view of cdunif’s modular design.

DDI Modular Design

DDI Design Diagram

Ingest Data

Visualization Systems

AVS

Collage/ XImage

IDL

IRIS

Explorer

PV_WAVE

VCS

Khoros

GrADS/GRIB

VPOP

DRS

netCDF

HDF

DDI

GUI

CDATSave Data

DRS

netCDF

HDF

AVS/Field

Explorer/Lattice

Figure 4. Conceptual view of DDI’s modular design.

DRS Modular Design

DRS Design Diagram

C / FORTRAN Application

DRS API

drsed - data browser

IEEE Standard Output

Figure 5. Conceptual view of DRS’s modular design.

EzGet Modular Design

EzGet Design Diagram

EzGet

API

cdunif

Error

Messages

Cddrs

cdunif

FORTRAN

Application

Figure 6. Conceptual view of EzGet’s modular design.

LATS Modular Design

LATS Design Diagram

Save Data

netCDF

GrADS/GRIB

LATSAPI

Figure 7. Conceptual view of LATS’s modular design.

QCS Modular Design

QCS Design Diagram

CDAT

QC Math

LATS

VCS

PYTHONScripts

API

Figure 8. Conceptual view of QCS’s modular design.

VCS Modular DesignVCS Design Diagram

Save Data•DRS •netCDF •HDF

•CGM

•Raster

•Postscript

Save Image

VCSScripts

PythonScripts GUI

VCS Functionality

Animation

Computations

VCS Canvas

Colormap

Attribute

Manipulations

Figure 9. Conceptual view of VCS’s modular design.

CDAT

VCS Triples

Template

Graphics

Method

cddrs

Ingest Data

cdunif

CDMS

Building Block Design View

netCDF HDF DRS GrADS VPOP

Levels of PCMDI Software System

Low-level CDMS interface Low-level LATS interface Python interface

PCMDI Applications

DDI VCS EzGet CDAT PSQLQCS

Cdunif Library

Figure 10. A building block look at the design structure of the PCMDI Software System.

Multiple Platforms

uAll software products work run on the

following platforms:

• Cray C90 and J90 UNICOS 8.0 or higher

• DEC OSF 3.2 or higher

• HP HP-UX 9.05 or higher

• IBM AIX 3.5 or higher

• PC Linux 3.03 or higher

• SGI IRIX 5.3 or higher

• Sun Sun0S 4.1.3 or Solaris 2.4 or

higher

PCMDI Software Systemu Each one of these software products is independent and

run as a standalone process, but more importantly they

all work together in the elaborate PCMDI Software

System.

PCMDI Software SystemCDAT

CDMS VCS

PythonScripts

Figure 11. Conceptual view of PCMDI’s Software System.

PCMDI Software Availability

uFREE

uAll PCMDI software products and

documentation are accessible via the World

Wide Web at:

• http://www-pcmdi.llnl.gov/software/