Subject: Free visualization software

From: Lee Elson <elson at magus.jpl.nasa.gov>
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 09:55:42 -0700

Dear Colleague:

We have made available the first full release of our free Java-based
science visualization and analysis package, WebWinds.
To download a copy of this release, go to http://webwinds.jpl.nasa.gov.
Key features of this package include:

* Cross platform capability: Windows (95/98/NT), Mac, Unix/Linux.

* The ability to present and manipulate 2 and 3 dimensional data in
  a variety of 1 and 2 dimensional display tools.

* The ability to subset and subsample data on input or display output,
  making it possible to handle very large data sets.

* Simultaneous display and analysis of multiple data sets which may be
  unrelated.

* Interactive data, image and color manipulation.

* The ability to act as a Web browser helper application, making it
possible to
  survey scientific data archives in interactive mode.

* A scripting language which allows session configuration, re-run
  and real-time network collaboration, automatically.

* A context sensitive help system.

* Complete documentation including examples.

This version has several new features:

1) Modified or original data may be saved in several formats including
FITS and NetCDF.

2) Most types of files may be stacked together (concatenated) to produce
a larger file.
This allows, for example, daily maps of a quantity to be combined to
produce a file
which can be animated. Subfiles within a file can also be concatenated
in some cases.

3) HDF files can be displayed using included geolocation information.

4) A new Overlay tool allows tabular (ASCII) data to be superimposed on
an Image.
These overlays can show variations in symbol size, color and range and
thus
represent the numerical value of the tabular data.

5) Shortcuts can be generated automatically with macros.

6) A new Pause tool allows the temporary delay of the execution of a
script,
allowing, e.g., the dynamic selection of a file.

7) Separate, complete installation packages for PC, Mac, Sun, SGI and
Linux systems. This
enables 'one stop' shopping and simple installation.

8) WebWinds is compatible with Java 2 (JDK 1.2).

9) The ability to display several types of coordinate projections for
some types of data.

10) An enhanced capability to read in different data types.

---

From: coldrake at escape.ca (David Ball)
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1999 14:19:28 GMT

"Spamfree" <Spamfree at DELETETHIS.spamfree.net> wrote:

>Beautiful.  Yet more commercial spam.  Can't these turlingdromes understand
>that the world was not intended to be one huge advertisement?

>But then again - what would you expect from a government employee?

>--
>Friends don't let friends use e-bay
>E-bay: proud sponsor of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign

	It's sci.geo.meteorology, sir. One aspect of the science of
meteorology is the ability to visualize data. I don't have a problem
with a post like this, and I suspect there are many who don't. There
are regular posts to this group from people looking for software,
data, etc. I'm always on the hunt for new software that will help me
do my job a little better. While you are entitled to your opinion, it
is just that, your opinion. Until they rename this newsgroup,
sci.geo.spamfree, I don't believe it is appropriate for you to assume
that you have a either the wit or the intellect to decide for all of
the users out there what they might want to know about.

	--
	David Ball

---

From: "Spamfree" <Spamfree at DELETETHIS.spamfree.net>
Date: 29 Aug 1999 06:55:49 PDT

Lee Elson <elson at magus.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:37C2CE8E.E42A6EDD at magus.jpl.nasa.gov...

---

From: fl_aggie at thepentagon.com (I R A Darth Aggie)
Date: 29 Aug 1999 16:51:54 GMT

On 29 Aug 1999 06:55:49 PDT, Spamfree <Spamfree at DELETETHIS.spamfree.net>, in
<7qbe55$91l at journal.concentric.net> wrote:

+ Beautiful.  Yet more commercial spam.

Really? I thought it was free. Am I mistaken? have you filed a complaint
regarding misuse of a government computer to post commercial ads? do you
know what you speak of?

I'm sorry, but that wasn't spam by any known metric.

+ But then again - what would you expect from a government employee?

He took time from his schedule to alert us to a free, meteorologically-
oriented visualization package. It is an on-topic post for this group.

Remain calm.

James

-- 
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
The Bill of Rights is paid in Responsibilities - Jean McGuire
To cure your perl CGI problems, please look at:
<url:http://www.perl.com/CPAN/doc/FAQs/cgi/idiots-guide.html>

---

From: fl_aggie at thepentagon.com (I R A Darth Aggie)
Date: 29 Aug 1999 16:53:09 GMT

On Sun, 29 Aug 1999 14:19:28 GMT, David Ball <coldrake at escape.ca>, in
<Qjby3.2766$1i4.174138 at typhoon.mbnet.mb.ca> wrote:

+ 	It's sci.geo.meteorology, sir. One aspect of the science of
+ meteorology is the ability to visualize data. I don't have a problem
+ with a post like this, and I suspect there are many who don't.

*ding*ding*ding* And it wasn't even spam by any definition I'm aware of.

James

---

From: juan at lua.stcloudstate.edu (Juan Cabanela)
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1999 14:31:48 -0500

In article <7qbe55$91l at journal.concentric.net>, "Spamfree"

>But then again - what would you expect from a government employee?

Well, apparently a lot more than I can expect from you.  If you had taken
a moment before issuing your anti-spam diatribe, you would have realized
your attack was uncalled for.  

The WebWinds groups doesn't produce commercial software, but rather they
distribute FREE platform-independent visualization software useful to
astronomers (which is why NASA's government employees are involved) and
other scientists (explaining the message's placement in certain newsgroups
for sciences where visualization is important).  The software handles,
among other image formats, FITS images, explaining its placement in the
sci.astro.fits group.  All in all, the message was well targeted to those
groups who may have an interest in obtaining this FREE tool.

The message was not spam and your attack on the WebWinds group is uncalled
for.  They provide a free service to those of us who can use the
visualization software...so "Spamfree", until you contribue something of
comparable value to the community, I suggest you crawl back to the hole
you came out.

Juan Cabanela
(Astronomer Who Plans to Use WebWinds)

-- 
And the useful addresses to report all that junk mail to:
fraudinfo at psinet.com (general frauds), pyramid at ftc.gov  (MLM stuff)
enforcement at sec.gov  (investment fraud), jccheezum at uspis.gov (chain letters)
net-abuse at nocs.insp.irs.gov (to report MMF senders as possible tax cheats)

---

From: nick at webthing.com (Nick Kew)
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 18:10:55 +0000

> 	It's sci.geo.meteorology, sir. One aspect of the science of

ObPedant: it's a crosspost (I'm reading sci.geo.eos).  But I agree
that the original post was entirely appropriate here too.

Next issue: if governments fund development of [XYZ] - in this instance
JAVA visualisation software - it can make life hard for commercial
developers to compete in the same field (why pay for my product when
theirs is free, and backed by the public purse)?  As a developer of
scientific visualisation software in JAVA, I could be tempted to see
public funding for someone elses software as unfair competition.

Now, "spamfree" was posting anonymously, so we may never know if (s)he
is in this or some analagous situation.

-- 
Nick Kew

http://www.webthing.com/software/hyperlens/	- JAVA visualisation s/w
http://hyperdaac.webthing.com/			- The intelligent client
						  for NASA DAAC servers.

---

From: Russell Martin <russell.martin at mail.wdn.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 02:50:27 GMT

> public funding for someone elses software as unfair competition.

You raise valid points.  Two points to consider in reply:
1. As freeware you *may* get what you pay for in terms of support,
   future upgrades, etc.  Some people will want to go with a commercial
   supplier under the theory, at least, that these will be smaller
   problems.
2. Since the taxpayers paid for its development (presumably for some
   specific internal use, not just to be produced as a software
   package), why shouldn't they get to use it if possible?  That's one
   of the great things about the WWW, IMO.  Much of the stuff that
   taxpayers never used to have access to (in part because only a
   limited number wanted it so it was not fiscally feasible to make it
   available by traditional means, especially cheaply) can now be made
   available for no incremental cost to the taxpayer who already has
   a computer, ISP, etc.  Granted that's not everyone, but in this
   case if they don't have a computer, why would they want a JAVA
   visualization package? :-)

Just $0.02 worth.

Regards,
Russell Martin

---

From: coldrake at escape.ca (David Ball)
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 04:15:25 GMT

One other point to consider is that if someone, whether it was done in
government or outside of it, has gone to the trouble to create some
visualization software, it may be because no-one in the private sector
has stepped up to the plate to create something like it yet. No-one
likes to reinvent the wheel - at least wise people don't - and for
anyone to create something unnecessary is a real waste of time.
Clearly, there was/is a need for this kind of thing. 
	As far as the commercial software goes, I think many companies are
seeing the writing on the wall. When IBM takes Data Explorer (DX), one
of the slickest visualization packages around, and hands the source
code over to the development community it tells me that something is
going on...

	---
	David Ball

---

From: nick at webthing.com (Nick Kew)
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 15:50:31 +0000

>    supplier under the theory, at least, that these will be smaller

I think Linux's increasing 'mainstream' profile, together with the
dreadful track record of many commercial companies, are increasingly
demolishing that argument.  It won't go away, but it will certainly change.

>    package), why shouldn't they get to use it if possible?

That's the US Govt view - others govts take the opposite view (make
people pay for it, so in theory the taxpayer recoups some costs).
The trouble with govt funding in either case is that most of it
goes to whoever has the slickest pointy-haired weasel and maybe the
best hospitality, rather than the best ideas and/or developers.

-- 
Nick Kew

---

From: nick at webthing.com (Nick Kew)
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 14:18:16 +0000

> anyone to create something unnecessary is a real waste of time.

Me-too-ism?

I should say the opposite is the case, as evidenced by - above all else -
Microsoft, whose entire history is of buying or reinventing ideas at the
point where their commercial value is demonstrated and growing rapidly,
and marketing them.

Governments are different, but with them the bottom line is (still) that
the expertise required to secure govt. funding has absolutely nothing to
do with the expertise required to carry a project through, and it seems
rather unusual for the two to coincide (as evidenced by the track record
of dismal failures in public-sector projects).

Having said that, it looks from here as if the US govt has a better track
record (with the make-it-free-to-the-public philosophy) than ours.

> code over to the development community it tells me that something is

A big name vendor can market their product, whether or not it has
anything to offer over someone else's.  Smaller/unknown developers
without sharp suits must offer somthing that's *visibly* unique.

Publicly funded developments up the ante, and make non-funded
innovation harder and riskier than in a free market.

Some years ago, my own first attempt at such a product happened to
coincide with the announcement of an EU-funded and marketed competitor.
Despite serious problems with their system, I couldn't hope to compete.
Basically it was an idea whose time had come, and some pointy-hair had
convinced them to fund it.

Once burned .. HyperLens avoids competing with the 'big boys' including
WebWinds, by offering capabilities that are a good deal more novel.
You would use it alongside - not instead of - your mainstream GIS,
and image processing software.  Now the difficulty is that people
get budgets for mainstream GIS and image processing, not for something
they've never heard of...

As for IBM, they have moved heavily into consultancy and support
(like offering commercial support for the free Apache webserver).
I guess releasing their own product is part of the same strategy.

-- 
Nick Kew

---

From: elson at poboxes.com
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1999 18:00:29 GMT

In article <slrn7sipd9.oep.fl_aggie at thepentagon.com>,
  fl_aggie at thepentagon.com (I R A Darth Aggie) wrote:
> On 29 Aug 1999 06:55:49 PDT, Spamfree
<Spamfree at DELETETHIS.spamfree.net>, in

> oriented visualization package. It is an on-topic post for this group.

Just thought I'd make a couple of comments. This is a response to many
of the posts, not just this one:

1) Our motivation is to make useful software for the scientific
community and the public. Our sponsors believe that software developed
with government funding should be provided at the lowest possible cost
to the public. We are able to do it for free.

2) There are many areas where government and the commercial sector
compete. Is government funding of social security unfair competition to
private pension plans? I though government agencies were lumbering
inefficient beasts. It ought to be easy for small startup companies to
run circles around the government labs.

3)We also compete for funding in the (often irrational) shrinking world
of government funding. In the commercial sector, customers vote with
their dollars. In our world, people take our software and disappear. It
is extremely difficult to convince our sponsors that we are perfoming a
useful function since we don't often hear from people who have
downloaded and used our software. If you visit our website, you'll see
we are genuinely interested in user input, both positive and negative.

-Just another anonymous software developer at a dotgov.

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