WeatherFax_pi KAP File Technique

[rgleason]

Sean's weatherfax_pi is a very powerful tool for getting weather data.
Here is a good technique for using the Kap files that Weatherfax can save/export.
1. Add a new Chart Directory for Kap Files.
2. Add a new Chart Group for KAP.
3. Assign the kap chart directory to that group.
4. Save downloaded Weatherfax image files as KAP to the new Kap Chart Directory.
5. View them with a right-click, Pick Charts and KAP.
6. Select which one to view with the Chart buttons.

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See screenshots below.
There may be other techniques that could be used. Please contribute.

Also there may be some improvements which could be made to Weather_fax which would have an option to automatically save image files to a certain directory and label the file with a name that is discernable, Like Noaa-Boston-[type of file] (surface 24hre, surface 48 hr, etc).

Also weatherfax itself could read and display Kap as well as image files.

Currently I find the Image Wizard is not working but that will be fixed. The newer version may even compatible with Version 4.4 but not before. (Which is what I found out about the current version of weather_routing. (Just have not tested it.)

At any rate, here are some shots of the KAP Chart technique.

[rgleason]

Added Chart Directory Wx-Fax
Scanned the DB
Created Chart Group: Wx-Kap
Added directory Wx-Fax
and it looks pretty impressive

Would like to adjust transparency though.

[bcn]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Also there may be some improvements which could be made to Weather_fax .....

Also weatherfax itself could read and display Kap as well as image files.

This would give us the option of transparent chart overlays.
Would love to see this in the core OCPN as a "transparent chart layer" but this might be the shortest way.

Hubert

[seandepagnier]

So... some charts can be transparent?

Would this apply to vector and raster charts or, only certain charts? How would the user control the transparency?

If we can resolve all of that, I have no idea how the quilting algorithm is supposed to work.


I do intend to implement imagery charts soon. This is a new type of chart (not vector or raster) which is intended to be used with google images. It would have a new format as well which is tile-based for much faster access, but more importantly each tile is compressed with interlaced (for fast access in underzoom) jpeg. The jpeg is about 1/6th the size for the same quality as kap for these type of files. I also would have a single bit for transparency to allow overlay onto charts so the imagery chart is only on the land. This has nothing to do with partial transparency.

[rgleason]

Sean, I was just talking as a user about transparency for the KAP weather-faxes, using the tools at hand for viewing Kaps.
I think it might be better if weatherfax_pi did something like this.
1. Optionally saved to Kap to the wxfax folder picked.
2. Could read and display Kap files just as it does image files like jpg, tif etc.
3. Then maybe the Kap could have some transparency? (maybe its possible. I don't know if Kap format has a transparency bit).

Your Tile Chart sound very interesting, is it a compliment to Whitey's plugin?

Sean about transparency
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1960667

Sean about a new format just above...
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1960685

[bcn]

Transparency for charts:
same as for weather faxes thinking about thematic maps for overlays (bathymetry, water temp, all the Metocean stuff)

Scale shall come from the underlying canvas - same as weather fax.

That's why I said that implementing .kap files as inputs for the Weatherfax PI would open this way.
And as mentioned for me this is an entry/feature request for core OCPN.

[bcn]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

S
I do intend to implement imagery charts soon. This is a new type of chart (not vector or raster) which is intended to be used with google images. It would have a new format as well which is tile-based for much faster access, but more importantly each tile is compressed with interlaced (for fast access in underzoom) jpeg. The jpeg is about 1/6th the size for the same quality as kap for these type of files. I also would have a single bit for transparency to allow overlay onto charts so the imagery chart is only on the land. This has nothing to do with partial transparency.

Have you had a look on MBtiles? Dave is investigating this delivery format and there have been requests from others for this format.
Just to bundle efforts...
In principle MBtiles is open with respect to the image format of the tiles.

[rgleason]

Bcn did you make that as a tracker item? I've exceeded my limit on requests .. smile