Configuration Parameters | The Atmospheric Sounding Processing ENvironment

The Aspen configuration is stored in XML format. There are two files: aspen.xml and aspen.dtd. aspen.xml contains the actual configuration values, while aspen.dtd defines the syntax of the aspen.xml file.

XML elements are delineated by start and end tags, and are nested to create a hierarchical data structure. aspen.xml observes the following structure:

<aspenConfig>
<active>dropsonde</active>
<set name="sample">
    <option name="ReportObservedPos" type="bool">
        <current>false</current>
        <default>false</default>
    </option>
    .
    .
    .
    <option immediate="true" name="CallSign" type="string">
      <current>CALL</current>
      <default>CALL</default>
    </option>
    <option immediate="true" name="IcaoIndex" type="numeric">
        <current>1.000000</current>
        <default>1</default>
    </option>
</set>
<set name="dropsonde">
.
.
.
</set>
</aspenConfig>

Thus, the Aspen configuration contains one entry (<active>), designating which named configuration set is active, followed by one or more named configuration sets (<set>). Each configuration set contains a list of configuration options (<option>), with the current and default values for each option. Each option has a designated type:

bool – boolean, with a value of either true or false.
numeric – A floating point numeric value.
string – A text string.

An option may also be marked with immediate=true to effect an immediate save of the option when it is changed. It is useful for some options to be saved immediately after they are changed, before closing the sounding in Aspen, so that when the next sounding is analyzed, it will immediately use the new version of the option. For instance, if the dropsonde operator on the Hurricane Hunter aircraft opens a sounding, and then changes the ICAO value for the TEMP message, it is likely that all soundings opened during the same run of Aspen should use this value for the ICAO string. An immediate save allows the configuration to be updated, without having to close that sounding.

The case of the configuration item name is critical. It must be matched exactly as shown.

QC algorithm parameters

`WindSmoothWL`	`int`
`WindQCWL`	`int`
`WindDynCor`	`bool`
`WindDynCorWL`	`int`
`WindBuddySlope`	`double`
`WindQCDev`	`double`
`WindDisableQCFilter`	`bool`
`WindOutlier`	`double`
`WindDisableOutlierCheck`	`bool`
`WindSats`	`int`
`WindDisableSatsCheck`	`bool`
`WindErrorHigh`	`double`
`WindErrorLow`	`double`
`WindDisableErrorCheck`	`bool`
`WindVVdelta`	`double`
`WindVVPresWL`	`int`
`BlendLength`	`int`
`WindEquilTime`	`double`
`WindDisableW`	`bool`
`PresSmoothWL`	`int`
`PresQCWL`	`int`
`PresBuddySlope`	`double`
`PresQCDev`	`double`
`PresOutlier`	`double`
`PresDisableOutlierCheck`	`bool`
`PresOffset`	`double`
`PresMonoCheck`	`bool`
`TdryQCWL`	`int`
`TdryDynCor`	`bool`
`TdryDynCorWL`	`int`
`TdryQCDev`	`double`
`TdryOutlier`	`double`
`TdryDisableOutlierCheck`	`bool`
`TdryOffset`	`double`
`TdryBuddySlope`	`double`
`TdrySmoothWL`	`int`
`RHSmoothWL`	`int`
`RHQCWL`	`int`
`RHBuddySlope`	`double`
`RHQCDev`	`double`
`RHOutlier`	`double`
`RHDisableOutlierCheck`	`bool`
`RHOffset`	`double`
`RHThreshold`	`bool`
`GPSPosBuddySlope`	`double`
`GPSPosQCWL`	`int`
`GPSPosQCDev`	`double`
`GPSAltBuddySlope`	`double`
`GPSAltQCWL`	`int`
`GPSAltQCDev`	`double`

Processing parameters

`DiscardBadCrcData`	`bool`
`DiscardBadSondeId`	`bool`
`ReportObservedPos`	`bool`
`DoQC`	`int`
`descendingGAUS`	`bool`
`ChuteArea`	`double`
`UseTheoryVentRate`	`bool`
`DragCoef`	`double`
`DropSondeMass`	`double`
`CabinTemp`	`double`
`PosInterpSpan`	`double`
`AltInterpSpan`	`double`
`RHchoice`	`int`
`QCDisclaimer`	`string`

Sonde metadata parameters

`Agency`	`string`
`AircraftType`	`string`
`AircraftId`	`string`
`Project`	`string`
`Flight`	`string`
`DatasetDOI`	`string`

Levels generation parameters

`DoLevels`	`bool`
`TdryLevelDelta`	`double`
`RHLevelDelta`	`double`
`WspdLevelDelta`	`double`
`Wspd850LevelDelta`	`double`
`WdirLevelDelta`	`double`
`TropSmoothWL`	`double`

WMO message generation parameters

`DoWMO`	`bool`
`CallSign`	`string`
`BSN`	`string`
`TempMsgType`	`int`
`TempAppendNNNN`	`bool`
`ExcludeAbrHdr`	`bool`
`UpsondeAbrHdr`	`string`
`UpsondeICAO`	`string`
`TempEmailAddress`	`string`
`BufrOrigCenter`	`int`
`BufrAddAbrHdr`	`bool`
`BufrAbrHdr`	`string`
`BufrOrigCenterICAO`	`string`
`ACagency`	`string`
`MissionStorm`	`string`
`MissionId`	`string`
`IcaoIndex`	`int`
`AbrHdrOvr`	`string`
`AtcfId`	`string`
`OptIcao`	`string`
`ResampleBufr`	`bool`

WMO message sending parameters

`DisableKermit`	`bool`
`KermitPath`	`string`
`BaudRateIndex`	`int`
`CommPortIndex`	`int`

User setup parameters

`DataDir`	`string`
`WmoSaveDir`	`string`
`QCSaveDir`	`string`
`RawSaveDir`	`string`
`XYPlotSaveDir`	`string`
`SkewTPlotSaveDir`	`string`
`FixedSrcEnabled`	`bool`
`FixedSrcDir`	`string`
`QcDiagFile`	`bool`
`GeoDBPath`	`string`
`SoundingDBPath`	`string`
`SynopticMapTitle`	`string`
`OpenFileSeleFilter`	`string`
`AutoFile`	`bool`
`OpenMaximized`	`bool`

Visual parameters

`PlotPixelsX`	`int`
`PlotPixelsY`	`int`
`NumberSkewTWinds`	`int`
`SkewTtmin`	`double`
`SkewTtmax`	`double`
`SkewTpmin`	`double`
`SkewTpmax`	`double`
`TextSizePt`	`int`
`FontFamily`	`string`
`xyGraphPresAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphPresMin`	`double`
`xyGraphPresMax`	`double`
`xyGraphAltAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphAltMin`	`double`
`xyGraphAltMax`	`double`
`xyGraphTdryAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphTdryMin`	`double`
`xyGraphTdryMax`	`double`
`xyGraphRHAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphRHMin`	`double`
`xyGraphRHMax`	`double`
`xyGraphWspdAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphWspdMin`	`double`
`xyGraphWspdMax`	`double`
`xyGraphWdirAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphWdirMin`	`double`
`xyGraphWdirMax`	`double`
`xyGraphDzDtAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphDzDtMin`	`double`
`xyGraphDzDtMax`	`double`
`xyGraphLatAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphLatMin`	`double`
`xyGraphLatMax`	`double`
`xyGraphLonAuto`	`bool`
`xyGraphLonMin`	`double`
`xyGraphLonMax`	`double`

Autosave parameters

`QCAutoSaveEnable`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveDir`	`string`
`QCAutoSaveFmtEol`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveFmtFrd`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveFmtCls`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveFmtNc`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveFmtCsv`	`bool`
`QCAutoSaveFmtBufr`	`bool`
`SkewtAutoSaveFmtPng`	`bool`
`SkewtAutoSaveFmtJpg`	`bool`
`SkewtAutoSaveFmtSvg`	`bool`
`WmoAutoSaveFmtTxt`	`bool`
`WmoAutoSaveFmtCsv`	`bool`
`SumAutoSaveFmtTxt`	`bool`

BatchAspen parameters

`BatchSaveDir`	`string`
`BatchSaveRawCLS`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCCLS`	`bool`
`BatchSaveRawEOL`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCEOL`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCFRD`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCBUFR`	`bool`
`BatchSaveRawCDF`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCCDF`	`bool`
`BatchSaveRawCSV`	`bool`
`BatchSaveQCCSV`	`bool`
`BatchSaveWMO`	`bool`
`BatchSaveSkewTSvg`	`bool`
`BatchSaveSkewTPng`	`bool`
`BatchSaveLevels`	`bool`

Per-sounding parameters

Some processing adjustments make sense to apply to a single sonde, but not to set as the default for processing all sondes. Examples of this include overriding end-of-drop time or indicating that the sonde did not hit surface. These items are by default not saved in the aspen.xml configuration file, but are part of the configuration set while Aspen is running. These parameters can be changed in Aspen via the Main tab or the Tools menu, and can be modified as command line arguments to Aspen-QC.

`SetHtsMissing`	`bool`
`DropsondeHitSfc`	`bool`
`SfcAltUnknown`	`bool`
`SfcAltOverride`	`double`
`SfcPresOverride`	`double`
`LastDataTimeOverride`	`double`
`PresEquilTimeOverride`	`double`
`RHEquilTimeOverride`	`double`
`TdryEquilTimeOverride`	`double`
`IgnoreLaunchAlt`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchLat`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchLon`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchPres`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchRH`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchTdry`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchWdir`	`bool`
`IgnoreLaunchWspd`	`bool`
`LaunchAltOverride`	`double`
`LaunchPresOverride`	`double`
`LaunchTdryOverride`	`double`
`LaunchRHOverride`	`double`
`LaunchWdirOverride`	`double`
`LaunchWspdOverride`	`double`
`LaunchLatOverride`	`double`
`LaunchLonOverride`	`double`
`ObsNum`	`int`

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