NOAA NASA Pathfinder Climate Data CD-ROM

GeoVu for the PC

Installing GeoVu PC

All examples will use "e:" as the CD-ROM letter, "c:\windows" as the Windows installation directory, and "c:\geovu" as the GeoVu installation directory. The GeoVu executable is called "g2". See gvquick.* and gvhelp.* for details on using GeoVu.

1. To install GeoVu use the Microsoft setup program "setup.exe" located on this CD-ROM under the /software/geovu/pc/ directory. While running the Setup Program for GeoVu , note the location of your geovu directory in the "GeoVu Installation" dialog box (line 2). It will be necessary to manually copy files to this directory later in the installation process.

   On a Windows 95 (or Windows NT) PC, click the Start button and then click Run. In the Open dialog box, type the location of the path on the CD-ROM for the GeoVu setup program. (ex. e:\software\geovu\pc\setup).

   On a Window's 3.xx PC, select file under Program Manager, select Run and type the location of the path for the GeoVu setup program on the CD-ROM (ex. e:\software\geovu\pc\setup).

2. Follow instructions on screen. When installation is complete a icon should appear with "Run GeoVu".

3. Copy all files from the directory on the CD-ROM /software/geovu/pc/gv_misc into the geovu installation directory (c:\geovu) created in the above step. The files copied in this step from the CD-ROM to the GeoVu installation directory are read only. For GeoVu to run properly the read only attribute must be removed. To remove the read only attributes run the DOS command "attrib -r *.men" in a DOS window in the GeoVu installation directory. Alternatively, from Window Explorer single click the GeoVu directory on your hard drive, then use the right mouse button and click on the menu file (*.men). Select properities from this window and uncheck the attribute "read only" box. Then click the OK button.

For the Pathfinder CD-ROM, there is an additional setup required to install the GeoVu Movie Browser. This program needs an additional ~3.9 megabytes of free space on "c:\" drive.

Installing the GeoVu Movie Browser

1. There is no Microsoft setup program provided for the Movie Browser. You must copy all files and directories from the CD-ROM directory /software/geovu/pc/gv_files to the GeoVu installation directory ("c:\geovu") created in the GeoVu installation above. Make sure to copy the entire directory called "runtime". (Use file manager to drag over the directory or use the DOS command "xcopy").
2. Copy the file "freeform.exp" from the CD-ROM directory /software/geovu/pc/gv_files to the Windows installation directory (c:\windows). Modify the file "freeform.ini" in the windows installation directory following the example in the initialization file "freeform.exp" located on the CD-ROM directory /software/geovu/pc/gv_files.
3. Use program manager to run the setup program (setup.exe) for the Runtime Video for Windows located in your GeoVu installation directory (ex. "c:/geovu/runtime/".) This program needs ~3.9 megabytes of free space on "c:\" drive.
4. Click on the Run GeoVu icon and enjoy the movies.
   

Viewing Data with GeoVu

1. Skip this step if you already did it in Step 3 of "Installing GeoVu" above.
   Copy all of the files from the directory on the CD-ROM /software/geovu/pc/gv_misc to the GeoVu installation directory on your hard drive and remove the "Read only or Archive" attribute. To remove the Read only attribute, run the command "attrib -r *.men" in the GeoVu installation directory. Alternatively, from Window Explorer single click the GeoVu directory on your hard drive, then use the right mouse button and click on the menu file (*.men). Select properities from this window and uncheck the attribute "read only" box. Then click the OK button.
2. Start GeoVu by one of the following ways for the PC:

   To start GeoVu as a Windows desktop application, double-click the GeoVu icon.

   From the File menu in the Windows 3.xx Program Manager or the Windows 95 Start menu, select the Run option. Enter the full path to the GeoVu executable g2, at the Windows prompt e.g., c:\geovu\g2.

   If your current working directory is the GeoVu directory, start GeoVu from the DOS command line by entering "win g2".

3. With GeoVu already running, choose "Set Data..." from the File menu. The Data Source dialog is displayed. A Data Source is a collection of data files on a CD-ROM, hard disk, or diskette.
   
4. Change (if necessary) the path shown in the text box with the title "CD-drive or data's drive", to the drive where the CD-ROM containing your data is located (e.g. this CD-ROM).
   
5. Choose the file that you want to view; you may have to navigate (with double-clicks) through several menu levels. An Introduction screen is usually displayed first with some information about the data collection. If the data publisher has activated the automatic display function, the data file is displayed when you choose it. If not, you need to define a search.
6. Select Create from the Search menu to display the dialog or window in which you can set search criteria. For image data, the Image Search Parameters dialog is displayed; for point data, the Plots: Title window appears.
7. Set the criteria as you wish (specify geographic limits, display attributes, and so on), or click OK (image) or GO (point) to accept the defaults. The data are displayed in a new window.
   
8. You can now examine the data in more detail with the tools on the right side of the window, or open more data windows.
   

Windows NT and GeoVu Disclaimer

The GeoVu movie browser will not run on a NT PC. An alternative to view the Video for Windows movie files (.Avi) is to use the Media player located in the Accessory Group. To use this option, click the Start button, then click Programs, then click Accessories, then select the Media Player. Select the File pull down menu from the Media Player, select open, then select the drive letter of your CD-ROM, change directory to the dataset you are interested in, select the movies directory and click on the .avi file you are interested in.