AWIPS II ADE Terms/Definitions

• Apache activeMQ is an open source message broker which fully implements JMS. It provides enterprise features like clustering, JMS to db persistance, ...

ADE (Related training/reference)

• AWIPS Development Environment - the suite of tools and system configurations that facilitate software development under AWIPS II. ADE facilitates/enhances application code sharing and cross platform application development.

ANT (Related training/reference)

• Apache Ant is a Java-based build tool (Configuration files are XML based). In theory, it is kind of like Make, but without Make's wrinkles. It is a build tool for Java developers to automate compilation, testing, and code management.

• Batik is an SVG toolkit to manipulate SVG documents using Java. Batik gives developers a set of core modules to support specific SVG functions.

Eclipse (Related training/reference)

• Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle. A large and vibrant ecosystem of major technology vendors, innovative start-ups, universities, research institutions and individuals extend, complement and support the Eclipse platform Eclipse is an open source project that provides an extensible development platform and application frameworks for building software. Eclipse provides extensible tools and frameworks that span the software development lifecycle, including support for modeling, language development environments for Java, C/C++ and others, testing and performance, business intelligence, rich client applications and embedded development.

HDF5 (Related training/reference)

• Hierarchical Data Format is a library and multi-object file format for the transfer of graphical and numerical data. HDF supports several different data models, including multidimensional arrays, raster images, and tables. HDF is self-describing, allowing an application to interpret the struture and contents of a file without any outside information.

Hibernate (Related training/reference)

• Hibernate is a helper tool to work with Java applications to perform data persistance operations.

Java (Related training/reference)

• Java is a A high-level general purpose programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java has a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the World Wide Web. Small Java applications are called Java applets and can be downloaded from a Web server and run on your computer by a Java-compatible Web browser Java itself is an object-oriented language similar to C++, but simplified to eliminate language features that cause common programming errors. Java source code files (files with a .java extension) are compiled into a format called bytecode (files with a .class extension), which can then be executed by a Java interpreter. Compiled Java code can run on most computers because Java interpreters and runtime environments, known as Java Virtual Machines (VMs), exist for most operating systems, including UNIX, the Macintosh OS, and Windows. Bytecode can also be converted directly into machine language instructions by a just-in-time compiler (JIT). Java will be the base for much of AWIPS II software.

• JIBX is a framework for binding XML data to Java objects. It lets the user work with data from XML documents using their own class structures. The JIBX framework handles all the details of converting data to and from XML based on the user's instructions. JIBX is designed to perform the translation between internal data structures and XML with very high efficency, but still allows a high degree of control over the translation process.

JMS (Related training/reference)

• Java Messaging Service is a programming interface (API) from Sun for connecting Java programs to messaging middleware using common messaging protocols. In this way JMS serves as the conduit to share/communicate application information between computers.

JMX (Related training/reference)

• Java Management Extension The JMX API is a standard API for management and monitoring of resources such as applications, devices, services, and the Java virtual machine. Typically JMX may be used for consulting and changing application configuration, accumulating and publishing statistics about application behavior, and notifying users or applications os state changes or erroneous conditions. The JMX API includes remote access capability.

MULE (Related training/reference)

• Mule is a messaging platform based on ideas from Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) architectures. An ESB works by acting as a sort of transit system for carrying data between applications within or without your Intranet. The ESB defines a series of stops, or "endpoints", through which applications can send orreceive data onto or from the system. Mule can also be defined as a light-weight messaging framework that contains a distributable object broker for managing communication betweenapplications.

Object Oriented Programming (Related training/reference)

• Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that uses "objects" and their interactions to design applications and computer programs. Historically, a program has been viewed as a logical procedure that takes input data, processes it, and produces output data. The programming challenge was seen as how to write the logic, not how to define the data. Object-oriented programming takes the view that what we really care about are the objects we want to manipulate rather than the logic required to manipulate them. One of the principal advantages of object-oriented programming techniques over procedural programming techniques is that they enable programmers to create modules that do not need to be changed when a new type of object is added. A programmer can simply create a new object that inherits many of its features from existing objects. This makes object-oriented programs easier to modify.

• PDE is the Plug-in Development Environment for Eclipse that can be used in creating and customizing Plug-ins.

• PostGIS adds support for geographic object to the PostgreSQL database.

Postgres (Related training/reference)

• Postgres is the ORDBMS (Object-Relational DataBase Management System) presently in use in AWIPS. to store various datasets. The Postgres DB supports most modern RDBMS features (foreign keys, triggers, views, transactional integrity, complete queries, ...). PostgreSQL is the query language for accessing Postgres stored data. Developed by University of California at Berkeley, Postgres software is an open-source project and can thus be used, modified, and distributed by everyone free of charge for any purpose.

Python (Related training/reference)

• Python is a dynamic object-oriented programming/scripting language that can be used for many kinds of software development. It offers strong support for integration with other languages and tools, comes with extensive standard libraries, and can be learned in a few days. Python runs on Windows, Linux/Unix. Mac OS X, PalmHandhelds and Nokia mobile phones.

• Rich Client Platform is a suite of plug-ins included in Eclipse used to assist in code generation.

RHINO (Related training/reference)

• Rhino is an open-source implementation of JavaScript written entirely in Java. It is typically embedded into Java applications to provide scripting to end users. It is embedded in J2SE 6 as the default JavaScript scripting engine.

SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) (Related training/reference)

• There is no widely agreed upon definition of SOA other than its literal translation. It is an architecture that relies on service-orientation as its fundamental design principle. A service, in this context, is defined as a unit of work to be performed on behalf of some computing entity, such as a human user or another program. SOA then is a collection of services which communicate with each other. The communication can involve either simple data passing or it could involve two or more services coordinating some activity. Some means of connecting services to each other is needed. SOA also defines how the computing entities, such as programs, interact in such a way as to enable one entity to perform a unit of work on behalf of another entity. Service interactions are defined using a description language. Each interaction is self-contained and loosely coupled, so that each interaction is independent of any other interaction.

Spring (Related training/reference)

• Spring is a helper tool (actually a framework) to develop Java applications. This tool makes Java applications easier to write, debug, and maintain.

Scalable Vector Graphics (Related training/reference)

• Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a text-based graphics language that describes images with vector shapes, text, and embedded raster graphics. SVG defines graphics in XML format. SVG files are compact and provide high-quality graphics for the web, print, or handheld devices, and it supports scripting and animation. SVG is a free open-source standard developed under W3C.

• javascript (or XML) code that operates directly with CAVE and AWIPS II core services in a fashion similiar to the Smarttools concept in GFE. It provides a Local Applications interface with data access the same as CAVE.

• The Eclipse Web Tools Platform project extends the Eclipse platform with tools for developing J2EE Web applications, such as editors for HTML, CSS, JSP, SQl, XML, etc...

XDoclet (Related training/reference)

• A metadata-driven, code generation engine for Java

XML (Related training/reference)

• XML is short for Extensible Markup Language, a specification developed by the W3C. XML is a pared-down version of SGML, designed especially for Web documents. It allows designers to create their own customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations.