Table of content

Signing in Signing in Signing in Getting data Getting data / Plotting data Getting data Plotting data Plotting data

Signing in

The welcome page should not have changed at all since the Novice SPIDR User Tutorial, though the process of gaining access to the site is different.

Since the user should have set up a username and password combination during the previous tutorial, no further registration is necessary.

1. - The "SPIDR Members login" section contains text boxes where the user can enter their login name and password. Clicking the "Login" button submits this information to the SPIDR system.

Signing in

After login, the user will not be taken to the User Information Page (as with the registration page), but to the SPIDR Home Page.

Several new options are available directly from the home page.

1 - In addition to the login/logout option at the upper left of the page, there are several shortcuts that allow the user to jump around the SPIDR system. Rather than constantly utilizing the web browser's back and forward functions, the blue text links can take the user directly to the:

• Time Interval input screen,
• The Sampling screen, and
• The Data Basket.

A button at the bottom switches the user back and forth between the Guru and the Advanced User interface.

2 - The menu bar at the top of the screen provides the user with shortcuts to the:

• Home Page,
• The User Information Page, and
• Data Set selection,

in addition to the Time Intervals Page and the Data Basket. It also links to the SPIDR Help page.

Signing in

The Home Page features a variety of ways to begin searching through the SPIDR system.

Underneath the heading that reads, "Select Data in Archive," the user has the option of using the Guru or the Advanced Interface. Both options allow the user to search either through data sets or time intervals.

1 - For the purposes of this tutorial, choose the "Select Data by Parameter and Station" option underneath the Advanced Interface. Clicking "Go" will take the user to a Data Selection screen.

Getting data

While the "Select Data Type, Parameters and Stations" screen may look different from the Data Set Selection screen in the Guru interface, the two are not all that dissimilar. In fact, the largest difference between the two is that the selection bubbles from Guru have been replaced with blue text links.

The columns on the right side of the screen detail the span of time covered by the data set, and where the server resides. Onscreen, columns also list the data intervals, and the number of locations that receive the data.

1 - Since the two tutorials are concerned with similar data, selecting the "GOES - Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellites" link is, again, where to start.

Notice: Detailed description of the SPIDR dataset selection page can be found here.

Getting data / Plotting data

On this page, the Advanced Interface combines a step or two from the Guru, and adds a few more options for the user.

Active Stations, Data Elements, and Data Plot/Download are all available from this screen.

1. - As with the previous tutorial, select the "GOES-6" option from the Stations.
2. - "Electrons" needs to be selected from "Groups of Parameters."
3. - Under "Other Parameters," select "Corrected Proton Channels."
4. - This time, in addition to the GIF plot, there is a dynamic Java plot available. Select it, and click "Go."

Notice: Detailed description of the SPIDR parameters and stations (satellites) selection page can be found here.

Getting data

All that remains now is to define the Time Interval.

1. - Set the "From:" interval to February 28, 1990, and the "To:" interval to February 28, 1990.
2. - While the "Sampling Interval" option was available in the Guru tutorial, it was never addressed in that first tutorial. It allows the user to select the minimum time step used for the data, in increments ranging from 1 minute to 1 year. Leaving it set it "minimal for the data type" is best for this tutorial.
3. - Click the "Go" button to continue on with the tutorial.

Notice: Detailed description of the SPIDR time interval and sampling setting page can be found here.

Plotting data

The most impressive aspect of the Java plot (initially) may be its load time, at least when compared with the GIF plot.

There are several other differences, though.

1. - One of the more useful features of the Java plot is the ability to zoom in and take a closer look at a specific section of data. The next page will show what happens when the user drags a small box across the plot and zooms in. The "zoom out" buttons returns the plots to their original state.
2. - The options at the bottom of the screen remain relatively unchanged; they still allow the user to download data to their personal computer.
3. - This time, however, the data can be downloaded in multiple formats, depending on the user's preference.

Notice: Detailed description of the SPIDR time series plotting page can be found here.

Plotting data

This is an example of the zoomed-in view of the Java plots.

Important to note is the changes in the X- and Y-axes.

And there's the Advanced Tutorial. Enjoy using SPIDR!