1. Separation of input tasks from the interpolation tasks removes the complicated code handling many types of input from the relatively straightforward task of interpolation.
2. Access programs could be (and have been) written for individual data sets, keeping the code for the input tasks relatively focused.
3. Data from different sources are easy to combine.  This is most applicable to surface and soil data sets which are not archived in all atmospheric analysis data sets.
4. All fields output from the pregrid programs are interpolated by REGRIDDER and passed along to the rest of the modeling system.
5. Separate programs and the simple intermediate format allow users to readily introduce into the MM5 modeling system data  sets which are not included in the set of supported data sources.
6. Users introducing data from unsupported sources need only be concerned with the parts of the package required to decode their own particular data sets.
7. When user intervention is necessary, the modifications are located solely in an area where the user is a presumed expert: with the new data source.

There are many, many gridded data sets out there, from many different sources, in many different formats, and intented for many different users.  If the MM5 system developers tried to support every data set or every format that comes along, our programs would soon grow to unusable complexity.  Therefore, only a few widely available and frequently used data sets are "officially" supported for use in REGRID.  If a user desires to use a different data set, the user needs only to write a program to put the original data into the intermediate format (i.e., their own pregrid program).  The regridder program can most likely be used as is.

Last modified: Tue Jun 6 13:57:19 MDT 2000