Support for ground-based GNSS

[Dave Offiler]

As part of CDOP-2 WP3433 'Enhancement of ROPP - support for GWV', ROPP-7 should contain at least a 'Day-1' component for ROPP-7.

NB: Unlike other named WP ROPP enhancements during CDOP-2, WP3433 has no specific target for a particular ROPP release. Rather, it was envisaged to start with a basic port of the current (unsupported, E-GVAP) code and build on that base for subsequent releases of ROPP.

'Day-1' for ROPP-7 should provide:

• a new, dedicated GWV (GNSS Water Vapour) module. Some quarters don't like this acronym as other parameters are also possible, such as Delay & TEC); I suggest calling this new module simply ROPP_GG (Ground-based GNSS)
• to be straight port of the existing E-GVAP COST-to-BUFR converter (cost2bufr - equivalent to ropp2bufr) and supporting cpcost (equivalent to ropp2ropp) and noaa2cost (equiv. gfz2ropp or ucar2ropp), with appropriate make test support.
• develop a companion bufr2cost tool (time permitting)
• a build system based on the ROPP configure/make/make install system (time permitting) and integration into buildpack and makedistro, etc.

At least initially, ROPP_GG to be completely stand-alone (not dependent on any other ROPP module, though there may be common shared utility code).

[Dave Offiler]

Ian agrees with Day-1 strategy & module name (ROPP_GG). New ROPP component ropp_gg added to Trac.

[Dave Offiler]

Processed towards re-coding more to ROPP standards, but build system not ready for v7.0 code freeze. Postponing to v7.1

[Dave Offiler]

To avoid confusion with ROPP-GG (ROPP Governance Group) suggest to rename this new module ROPP_GBG (ROPP Ground-Based GNSS)

[Dave Offiler]

It has been suggested to divorce a new module supporting GBG from mainstream ROPP. If this strategy is agreed by the ROPP-GG then GBG could have a life of it's own and does not need to be released in sync with ROPP as originally envisaged.

The v4 GWV codebase is now fairly stable and just needs the ROPP-style build system (or move from autotools to the modern cmake system?) and packaging wrappers as an initial release as a prototype (not needing formal beta-testing or DRI this time around) and (see above) might not need to have the same milestones or release schedule as ROPP; the current v8.0 Milestone is therefore a marker not a deadline, and development can continue in parallel with ROPP-8/9.

[Ian Culverwell]

Not for ROPP8.0.

[Ian Culverwell]

This has been incorporated in an entirely new software package, GBGP, the preliminary release of which is available at ​http://www.romsaf.org/ropp/index.php.

So as far as ROPP is concerned, we can consider this work done. Closing ticket.