Re: Trouble with reading binary precipitation file

Hi Erik,
I think you need to use fspan instead of ispan, as ispan only accepts
integer arguments (and outputs only integers). Your second argument is a
float.
http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/fspan.shtml
Adam

Erik Noble wrote:
> Dear NCL world,
>
> I am trying to use the ncl sample script at
> http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Applications/r-binary.shtml to read in a
> precipitation binary file (one day, 16 records)
> I keep getting an error when trying to use ispan() for the data. The
> data (described below) is described as 1440 x 480 REAL*4 array of data
> which is oriented
> from 0.125E EASTward and from 59.875N SOUTHward, with a grid increment
> of 0.25 degrees of latitude and longitude.
> ncl has a problem with this line in my code: finarr&lat =
> ispan(-60,60,.25). I don't understand why I'm getting this error.
> Could I please have some help with fixing this?
> erik
>
> THOMASON_at_ATHENA: /usr/people/thomason> ncl *.ncl
> Copyright (C) 1995-2007 - All Rights Reserved
> University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
> NCAR Command Language Version 4.3.1
> The use of this software is governed by a License Agreement.
> See http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/ for more details.
>
>
> Variable: finarr
> Type: float
> Total Size: 2764800 bytes
> 691200 values
> Number of Dimensions: 3
> Dimensions and sizes: [1] x [480] x [1440]
> Coordinates:
> Number Of Attributes: 1
> _FillValue : -999
>
>
> Variable: finarr
> Type: float
> Total Size: 2764800 bytes
> 691200 values
> Number of Dimensions: 3
> Dimensions and sizes: [1] x [480] x [1440]
> Coordinates:
> Number Of Attributes: 1
> _FillValue : -999
> (0) Assigning coordinate variable information
> fatal:Argument type mismatch on argument (2) of (ispan) can not coerce
> fatal:Execute: Error occurred at or near line 19 in file cmorph_binary_read.ncl
>
> THOMASON_at_ATHENA: /usr/people/thomason>
>
>
> ;************************************************
> load "$NCARG_ROOT/lib/ncarg/nclscripts/csm/gsn_code.ncl"
> load "$NCARG_ROOT/lib/ncarg/nclscripts/csm/gsn_csm.ncl"
> ;************************************************
> begin
> nlat = 480
> nlon = 1440
> fils = systemfunc("ls 20060901_3hr-025deg_cpc+comb")
> finarr = new((/dimsizes(fils),nlat,nlon/),"float") ; predefine
> array for one
> printVarSummary(finarr)
> ; year of daily data
> do gg = 0,dimsizes(fils)-1 ; loop thru each file
> finarr(gg,:,:) = fbindirread(fils(gg),0,(/nlat,nlon/),"float")
> end do
> printVarSummary(finarr)
> print("Assigning coordinate variable information")
> finarr!0 = "time"
> finarr&time = ispan(1,dimsizes(fils),1)
> finarr!1 = "lat"
> finarr&lat = ispan(-60,60,.25)
>
> finarr&lat_at_units = "degrees_north"
> finarr!2 = "lon"
> finarr&lon = ispan(0,360,.25)
> finarr&lon_at_units = "degrees_east"
>
> a = addfile("sample.nc","c") ; write netCDF file
> a_at_title = "1 year of daily data"
> a_at_source = "Your program name/location"
> filedimdef(a,"time",-1,True) ; make time an UNLIMITED
> dimension, always recommended
> a->precip = finarr
> end
>
>
>
> Description of Data:
>
> The 0.25 degree 3-hourly CMORPH can be found on the ftp.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
> server in the precip/global_CMORPH/3-hourly_025deg directory
>
>
> The data are compressed using the standard Unix compress function (files have a
> suffix of ".Z"). Each file is composed of 16 direct access binary
> ("big_endian") records that are defined as follows:
>
> Record 1: contains the merged microwave precipitation only for 00 UTC
> Record 2: contains the "CMORPH" precipitation estimates for 00 UTC
>
> Record 3: contains the merged microwave precipitation only for 03 UTC
> Record 4: contains the "CMORPH" precipitation estimates for 03 UTC
> .
> .
> .
> Record 15: contains the merged microwave precipitation only for 21 UTC
> Record 16: contains the "CMORPH" precipitation estimates for 21 UTC
>
> All units are "mm/hr". Missing data are denoted by values of "-9999."
> Each record contains a 1440 x 480 REAL*4 array of data which is oriented
> from 0.125E EASTward and from 59.875N SOUTHward, with a grid increment
> of 0.25 degrees of latitude and longitude. Thus, the grid locations
> are the centers od a 0.25 degree lat/lon grid box. Note that these
> estimates represent spatial averages, so the data are grid-centered,
> rather than lattice-centered.
> _______________________________________________
> ncl-talk mailing list
> ncl-talk_at_ucar.edu
> http://mailman.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/ncl-talk

-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------
Adam Phillips			             asphilli_at_ucar.edu
National Center for Atmospheric Research   tel: (303) 497-1726
ESSL/CGD/CAS                               fax: (303) 497-1333
P.O. Box 3000				
Boulder, CO 80307-3000	  http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cas/asphilli
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