MY NASA DATA Software Tools - IDL Virtual Machine

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Viewing MY NASA DATA Microsets using IDL

Step 1: Download free IDL Virtual Machine software from ITT Visual Information Solutions (ITT VIS)

Using a web browser, go to the ITT VIS Web site. Under the Products drop down menu, select IDL VM. Follow ITT instructions to complete the download. Allow plenty of time for downloading -- the amount of time will vary depending upon your connection speed. After the download has completed successfully, an IDL VM icon should appear on your desktop.

Step 2: Download the microset of interest from the MY NASA DATA Web site

After choosing and opening the microset of interest on the MY NASA DATA Data Access page, click File: Save As in your web browser menu. A browse window should appear. Keep the default name of the file, and keep in its plain text format. Click Save to download the file.

Step 3: Download the IDL application which corresponds to the microset

Right click on the IDL application below which corresponds to your microset, if available:

Cloud Area Fraction during a Late Winter Storm

Select Save Target As. A browse window should appear. Keep the default name of the program and its IDL binary format. Click Save to download the program.

Step 4: Open the IDL application using the IDL Virtual Machine

Click on the IDL Virtual Machine icon on your desktop. A browse window should appear. Find and select your downloaded IDL application. Click the Open button.

Step 5: Choose your microset for the IDL visualization

Another browse window should appear. Select the location and filename of the microset (.txt file) on your computer. Click the Open button. A template of the microset should appear in spreadsheet format. Indicate the line where the data starts (Data starts at Line, usually enter 8). Click Next until Finish.

Step 6: Explore your microset using the IDL visualization

A visualization of the microset should appear automatically. Please contact us for help or questions if needed! For more information about IDL VM, please refer to the ITT VIS Web Site.

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