Features
Short version: JStrack is written by and for people who are in areas that are prone to hits from
tropical systems (currently only in the Tropical Atlantic). It's intended to display the NHC/TPC data
and give you what you need to make decisions, etc.. It does NOT, nor will it ever, attempt to do
any forecasting on its own---I leave that to the gurus at the NHC/TPC.
Now for the more detailed (and hopefully, at least reasonably complete) version....
Key features include:
- Automatic data updates via incoming e-mail (WX-ATLAN plus
procmail) or, for those not running Unix, via FTP from
NHC/TPC server. (A filter then "reads" the NHC products and extracts the data.)
- For Windows users (and for times when the WX-ATLAN list is down), an FTP script to grab data from
the NHC's ftp server. Note, however, that this is subject to the availability of said ftp
server.... If that server is down, or misbehaving, there's nothing I can do about it (except try
to make the ftp script fail gracefully, of course). Along the same lines, the ftp script makes use
of an external library that I have no control over, and I have run into bugs in that code causing
some really strange errors every now and then. These problems don't seem to happen very often, but
they do happen. The solution is usually just to try again.
- Three maps, courtesy of Ron Murphy, NWS Birmingham: Overall picture, US East Coast, and
US Gulf Coast + S. FL.
- Plots wind radii (default is for current/forecast positions only). After all, you need to know
where the storm's WINDS are, not just where they eye is (bug in wind radii plot fixed
03Sep04).
- Plots NHC/TPC probabilities data (via menu—see next item)
- Menus associated with any past/current storm position:
- Clicking mouse button one (normally the left button) on any storm location (except forecast
positions---I haven't gotten that far yet) pulls up a menu from which you can:
- Display the detailed information
- Display the various NHC advisories for that position
- Plot/delete the forecast positions for that position
- Plot/delete the wind radii for that position
- Plot a swath showing the probabilities (from the NHC probabilities data).
- Clicking mouse button three (normally the right button) in a general area pulls up a menu of
storm positions in that area, from which you can select one, and get the above menu. This is
useful in situations (e.g., Danny, 1997) where a storm is barely moving between advisories,
and the chart gets so busy that it's hard to get just the right spot for the advisory you
really want.
- Ability to display GOES-East visible, infrared, and water vapor satellite imagery (current images
and image loops). Requires Img extension (and, of course, an Internet connection).
- Ability to save an image file (GIF, JPEG, TIFF, etc.) of the main window from within JStrack,
without the need for external programs. Requires Img extension.
- Given user's home coordinates, 'X' plotted at that point on the map
- Given user's home coordinates, JStrack can warn the user if the storm is currently within a given
number (def. 60) of nautical miles, or is forecast to come within that distance (this part assumes
a straight line between forecast points, and should NOT be considered 100% accurate!)
- Ability to run user-defined commands when storm data is updated for a storm currently on the screen
and/or for a new storm, and/or for situations where the storm is, or is forecast to be, within the
above distance in nautical miles. This can be used to wake you up in a situation where the storm
is a potential threat, and missing an advisory could put you in a dangerous situation. It has also
been used by at least three web sites to do a screen capture and update a web page (for 24x7 ops).
- Built-in listing of the Saffir-Simpson scale, along with descriptions of typical damage for each
category.
- Wind speeds, the storm's speed (movement), distances, etc., can all be displayed in either KT/NM or
MPH/Miles, depending on the user's preference.
- Manual entry of storm data (crude, but available)
- Storm data from past years (as far back as 1851). Note that only 1986 and beyond are included
with the main JStrack distribution. The others are available from the
Downloads page if you want them.
