computer science

WXP (software)

WXP (software) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WXP (software) rather than just read about it. In short: WXP, the Weather Processor, is a metrological data manipulation and visualization package originally developed at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University in the 1980s. In 1989, WXP was integrated with Unidata’s Scientific Data Management (SDM) effort and, as part of that SDM package, was distributed to over 40 universities and colleges and ported to a variety of Unix and workstation platf…

Key takeaways

WXP (software) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WXP (software) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WXP (software) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WXP, the Weather Processor, is a metrological data manipulation and visualization package originally developed at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University in the 1980s. In 1989, WXP was integrated with Unidata’s Scientific Data Management (SDM) effort and, as part of that SDM package, was distributed to over 40 universities and colleges and ported to a variety of Unix and workstation platforms. WXP was used within the Unidata ecosystem alongside emerging community standards for data formats and display (for example, integration with the Unidata LDM ingest and later support for netCDF and X Windows). It reflects the program’s involvement with the then-current software and interface practices. In 1992, WXP was copyrighted and sold commercially through the Purdue Research Foundation. WXP version 4 in particular was used by members of the university community to produce weather web site and related educational resources. The primary developer of WXP Dan Vietor developed the wxp.eas.purdue.edu web site, which the WXP project materials describe as one of the early weather-related web sites. According to the current project overview, with Vietor’s move to Unisys, the development of the WXP software continued under Unisys. As of 2020, the WXP website was still up and running, which means the project’s team is likely still maintaining and distributing the software themselves. Although many developers have contributed to WXP over the years, Dan Vietor is generally regarded as the main contributor. His contributions to WXP were recognized at the 2005 American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, where he received the Russell L. DeSouza Award from Unidata. WXP is reported in project documentation as a commercially licensed product. According to the project’s website, WXP has been used to visualize weather data. However, independent proof of its use at schools like College of DuPage and Plymouth State University was not found.

References

External links wxp.vietorweather.net - Main WXP online reference web site

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WXP (software)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WXP (software) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WXP (software) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WXP (software) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WXP (software)

In research: WXP (software) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WXP (software) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WXP (software) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Graphic software in meteorology, Science software, Science software for Linux, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WXP (software) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WXP (software) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WXP (software) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WXP (software) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WXP (software) in simple terms?

Why does WXP (software) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WXP (software)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WXP (software).