| User-defined Shapefile Maps | Custom and National Maps |
|---|---|
| The user-defined shapefile capability was implemented as a method to
quickly see what a shapefile looks like on AWIPS. It was never
intended to be a method of permanantly adding a map to AWIPS. This type of map appears as options Map1, Map2, Map 3, Map4, and Map5 on the User Shape File submenu of the main map menu. For more information, see User Shapefiles |
The custom map and national map methods are similar in that both
appear under the Main Map menu and require the editing of four files to
add them to the system. They can read shapefiles directly, or if the files are large and load slowly, can be converted to .bcd/.bcx format for faster loading. Maps used as national maps are subject to not surviving an upgrade or a new version. iustom maps will survive if placed in the proper directory. Only custom maps will survive an upgrade. General instructions are available here Instructions for adding road and Highway data is available here |
Shapefiles can be read directly from AWIPS, there is no need to create a .BCD or .BCX file. {The word from FSL is that if the map loads quickly enough, then there is no need to create the .BCD file}. A .BCD file is for polygon (area) data such as zones or counties. A .BCX file is for line data (rivers, roads, etc). Point data (locations) cannot be converted to .BCD/.BCX format, use a shapefile directly. If you need to create .BCD files, then you need to run /awips/src/dm/shapefile/shp2bcd c/x shapefile bcd_file where c is for a .BCD file, x is for a .BCX file, shapefile is the full path and filename of the shapefile (excluding the .shp extension), and bcd_file is the path and file name of the .BCD/.BCX file to create. Full documentation on the use of shp2bcd can be found on your workstation in localization/documentation/shp2bcd.doc.html. One final step is needed in the custom map instructions: edit the customFiles/localDataKeys.txt or the localization/LLL/LLL-LocalDataKeys.txt file (LLL represents your CWA), and put a .bcd or .bcx in the next to last field (before the menu item field), as appropriate.