BlobPlot shows forecast wind speed and direction as it might be observed on launch.
BlobPlot reads XML forecast data from weather.gov and parses
it for display as a series of "blobs" showing the time (top to bottom), the direction
(left to right) and the speed (size and value).
These are displayed relative to the direction of launch for each selected launch site,
so blobs at the center of the screen
represent wind coming straight into launch. Blobs to the left of center represent wind coming
from the left on launch, and blobs to the right of center represent wind coming from the right
of launch. The size of the blobs show the forecast wind speed with larger blobs representing faster expected winds.
The forecast speed is also shown as a small numeric value at the center of each blob.
Controls
- Site: Selects a flying site to view. This is the most important control, and it should generally be selected first. Selecting a named site from the list will always set the coordinates ("Lat" and "Lon") to that site. To select a different location, select the "Other" option, and then change the values of the "Lat" and "Lon" fields.
- Lat: Shows the Latitude of the selected site. The latitude may be entered manually when the "Site" value is set to "Other".
- Lon: Shows the Longitude of the selected site. The longitude may be entered manually when the "Site" value is set to "Other".
- Load: Loads the XML for the selected site. This is generally done automatically when a new site is selected, but the load button can force a reloading of the XML data when Lat and Lon are manually specified.
- Facing: Shows the direction the site faces. For example, a site facing west will show 270. This value is generally set automatically when a site is selected. However, it can be manually changed for different launch directions or different launches near the same site. Use the "Apply" button to apply the changes to the plot.
- +/-: Sets the tolerance range for the green, yellow, and red blobs relative to ideal launch direction. For example, the value of 15 means that winds up to 15 degrees (left or right) of the ideal launch direction will be shown as green. Winds from 15 to 30 degrees will be shown as yellow. And winds beyond 30 degrees will be shown as red. This value can be changed to match your own preferred limitations and preferences. The appropriate value also depends on any unique terrain features at each site. Use the "Apply" button to apply the changes to the plot.
- Apply: Used to apply some of the values to the plot (including "Facing" and "+/-").
- Days: Sets the number of days forecast in advance. A value of 1 will just show the next day. A value of 2 will show 2 days. Weather.gov typically only forecasts up to 7 days in advance, so that's the highest value.
- Window (width): Sets the width of the graphics window on your page.
- Window (height): Sets the height of the graphics window on your page.
- Map: Shows a map of the selected location in a new tab.
- Weather: Shows the Weather.gov forecast page in a new tab.
- View Control: Used to select viewing of additional panels. The currently available panels are:
- Help Panel - Displays helpful information (this panel)
- Data Panel - Displays the actual data values (Raw XML, Wind Direction, Wind Speed). These can be selected, copied, and pasted into other documents and applications for further analysis.
- No Panel - Shows no additional panel
- Show: This button forces the display of the selected view (sometimes needed when reloading).
BlobPlot 2b