ManualOperator

Weather Forecast

2.save it to your computer

•Click on "Open..." to launch it directly in MaxSea.

IMPORTANT - in this case files are saved in temporary internet file folder and cannot be opened again directly using the file open procedure. It become the default weather file until the next download.

•Or click on "Save..."

and select the destination folder. The file is then saved in the selected folder and ready to be opened and displayed on a chart. (See chapter "Weather file save on hard disk" .)

Using a Weather file saved on Hard Disk

Weather file can be saved on your hard disk :

•from an e-mail attached file save on the hard disk (via MaxSea chopper, via Navimail,...l)

•after a copy from an external support (diskette)

•...

Weather file extension

To be opened by MaxSea Weather file you have should have .GRB or .bz2 extension

•GRB : is the extension for GRIB file format

•bz2 : Bzip2 compressed file extension. this type of file is automatically decompressed by MaxSea during the opening.

Note :

1 - If the extension is not the good one or missing then MaxSea cannot see and open the file.

2 - If the file is compressed (Zip,Rar,...) then you have to use the corresponding program (Winzip,Winrar,...) to extract the GRIB file.

Weather Information

MaxSea allows you to easily show or hide each type of data contained in the weather file.

You will learn in this chapter :

•To change how the Weather Information menu is displayed

•To quickly control available Weather data contained in the weather file

•To show or hide Weather data layer on the chart

The Weather zone information can be displayed in three modes :

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Weather Information button in the Chart toolbar

pop up menu under the Weather Information button is the default mode display as following:

Fig. 1: Weather Information menu

Fig.2 : Floating palette mode representation

Weather Information displayed as a toolbar docked to the chart palette

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1.click and drag the vertical grey bar (as shown with 2 in Fig. 3) and place weather data menu anywhere you want around the Chart window.

2.As shown in following Fig. 3 , all icons appears in gray. this means that either no weather file is opened or all data layers are hidden.

3.Click on Weather Information button to display data layers or to open "GRIB" file if it is not.

Fig.3 : Toolbar representation

Show/Hide weather layer

Click any data lyer in the Weather Information menu to display various layers of weather data on the chart.

When a layer is displayed on chart the corresponding icon is displayed with blue border.

Wind Data Layer is hidden

Wind Data Layer is displayed

Different looks can be achieved using the [Option: weather...] from the [Weather] menu as well as by choosing which mode is applied on each weather data layer.

For more information see related topics:

1.Weather Display Options

2.Option: weather

Weather Display Options

They are many ways you can display weather (GRIB) data. MaxSea allows several display options:

Available data in a GRIB file depend on your order selection.

A weather file can contain up to eight types of data:

Wind,

Waves,

Current,

Altimetry,

Sea Surface Temperature,

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Surface Pressure,

500 Mb pressure.

Clhorophyl

All available data are shown in default mode (see Available display mode table below) but you can show or hide certain types using the Weather data palette.

Variety of Ways to Display Weather Data Layer on the Chart

Each data type can be displayed in different display modes :

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Notes :

(1)A color legend is displayed when needed.

(2)Each data can be represented in several modes in a same time.

Weather options.

Go to the [Weather] menu, select [Option: weather... ] to call up the dialog box which allows you to customize each weather data display

Getting Information on Weather Data

With using the Finger tool left-click on a point from the chart (in the weather file zone) and maintain the left mouse button down to display strength (speed) and direction of weather data available in your weather file ( other parameters such as well, pressure, temperature, etc.) at the point clicked.

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It should be noted that none of the existing models is handling wind speed above 60 Kt; NOAA and meteorological offices have specific programs to predict and track hurricanes; consequently models cannot be used to define which category of hurricane (3, 4…) you face; it is necessary for that to get specific information from hurricane centres; meanwhile when you see on a model more than 30-40kt of wind in sub-tropical area you know that it is a hurricane.

Notes:

(1)- The software interpolates in space and time the file values.

(2)- If several chart windows are opened, use the weather button to show or hide the current weather file for each window.

Changing Date and Time Display

Chart time display

The time/date, Chart time information, is displayed in the tools bar. This "Chart time" is by default the current time and date. You can check base time of the current Weather file by looking in the Weather Time Periods (shown in Fig.1 as 3).

Fig. 1

Weather files are displayed on the chart according to this Chart time.

To view displayed information (Wind, pressure...) at a different time/date, check a date from the Chart time information ( shown in Fig.1 as 1) menu by clicking on the drop down menu arrow ( shown in Fig.1 as 2).

How to Change Date and Time and choose in the weather file a valid time for your location:

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Note: Chart Time is associated with a chart window. It is therefore possible to display on the same weather file at different dates on several chart windows.

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Modifying Wind Forecast

It is possible to adjust the wind forecast data values, in order, for example, to take into account the hours or wind direction or wind speed, which has been prevailing in the zone for several days.

In such a case, the program replaces the values which you have selected in the corresponding input text.

Activate the function Modify Wind Forecast, under the Weather menu, to access the modify Wind Forecast dialog box.

Go to the [Weather] menu and choose [Modify Wind Forecast]

A dialog box appears and allows you to modify parameters as:

1.Wind forecast hours value from + or - 24 hours .

2.Wind angle enter + or - 180 °.

3.The strength of the wind from + or - 50.

IMPORTANT - this function will only be available in case if your software is a professional version and it has Routing and Performance modules.

Making Movies

The weather data symbols in MaxSea can be animated to show how the weather data will move during a time period. MaxSea enables to create movies (.avi file) of playing weather forecast data on the chart. The film will be recorded in "My Documents" folder or in a chosen folder on your hard disk.

To create the movie, prepare the window chart as you want it to appear (window size, scale , zone, etc.).

Then select [Create movie] from the [Edit] menu.

IMPORTANT - The generation of many images requires sufficient free space on the hard disk. The size of the chart window used when the movies is created (active window) greatly influences the necessary disk space. You are strongly advised to reduce the size of the window before generating the film. A window covering half the screen is generally sufficient.

The dialog displayed can be used to choose the parameters for the creation of the film.

Define the interval between each image by selecting:

•Day number (00d).

•Hour number (01h).

•Minute number (00mn).

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•Second number (00s).

Note : 1 hour is the movie sequence value defined by default.

Then click on OK, the saving dialog box can be used to specify the name of the film that you are going to generate.

After clicking Save, a dialog box appears and allows to choose either a movie compression format or not.

1.Uncompressed format is selected click on OK to generate the movie.

2.In case you have selected a compression format, you can adjust the compression quality or/and configure the video display.

The software automatically generates the film in "My document" folder, easier to find the movie later for playing.

Note: the creation of the film generally requires several minutes.

To play the movie, go to "My Documents" folder, click twice the file movie (*.AVI), the Movie reader window is activated as same time the film is played (See Open a movie chapter).

Opening Movie

To play the movie you may open it by clicking twice on the file movie (*.AVI) from "My documents" folder , the Movie reader window is activated.

The Weather movie shows you how Wind Feathers will move according to the wind data speed in MaxSea.

Note: Date and time are displayed in the right lower corner of the window movie.

Playing and controlling movies is easy. Simply double-left-click on the movie file to open the movie window (this will be done except the software).

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Play the movie as often as you wish to get a feel for the rhythm of the weather. After the movie has been paused, you can control it by dragging the "Seek bar" left or right to study the weather more carefully (forward and back in the weather forecast file).

Closing forecast file

Select [Close] from the [File] menu.

Select the weather file, then click on Close.

The weather forecast is removed from the chart.

Via MaxSea Chopper

MaxSea Chopper

Note: MaxSea Chopper is installed at the same time as your software.

MaxSea chopper functions are only available if you have MaxSea’s Weather module.

You can reach this program directly from the software without having to leave it under the software [Weather] menu select [Chopper: Forecast...].

IMPORTANT

the first time you are using a new address E-mail to access to one of the MaxSea Chopper services, click on the button "To Register" upper hand of MaxSea chopper window.

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