AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer containerized build and run instructions for DBNet operators
Liam.Gumley@ssec.wisc.edu
Mar 23, 2023

AAPP version: 8.10                  # NOAA-18/19 and Metop-A/B/C AVHRR/ATOVS Level 1 processing and BUFR conversion
OPS-LRS version: 8.4                # Metop-A/B/C IASI Level 1 processing
Metopizer version: 3.51             # Metop-A/B/C EPS Level 0 conversion

1. OVERVIEW

This guide and the associated scripts and files show how to build, package, and run AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer in a way
that is recommended for DBNet operators. The workflow described in this document uses Apptainer to build these packages in a container.
This results in a highly portable AAPP/OPS-LRS/Metopizer software package that is easy to deploy and run on a variety of Linux
distributions (e.g. Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora, Ubuntu, SUSE, Debian, etc.). 

2. REQUIREMENTS

To run AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer in a container:
- Intel or AMD host computer running a recent version of 64-bit Linux (this workflow was tested on CentOS 7.9)
- Apptainer 1.1.5 or higher

To build AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer in a container:
- In addition to the requirements listed above, the user must have 'sudo' permission to run Apptainer.

NOTE: Apptainer is needed on the host computer in order to build or run AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer. However, sudo permission is
only needed in order to build the software. When the software is deployed for operational use, it can be run in Apptainer by a regular user.

3. SOURCE CODE 

The AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer source code is required to build the software. The required tarfiles are not included in this package.

The tarfiles may be downloaded from these sites:
AAPP and OPS-LRS: https://nwp-saf.eumetsat.int/site/software/aapp/download/
Metopizer: https://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/Data/DataDelivery/Software/

The required tarfile names are:
AAPP_8.10.tgz                               # AAPP v8.10
OPS_V8.4-AAPP-l-20211216.tgz                # OPS-LRS v8.4
metopizer-3.51.1.tar.gz                     # Metopizer v3.51.1

4. BUILD

The build process involves downloading scripts, building AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer in a Apptainer container,
and creating a deployable software package. The steps are shown below.

cd $HOME
mkdir AAPP_BUILD
cd AAPP_BUILD
curl -O https://bin.ssec.wisc.edu/pub/gumley/dbnet/aapp/aapp_8.10_build.tar.gz
tar -xvf aapp_8.10_build.tar.gz
cd build
mkdir tarfiles
# Move the AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer tarfiles to the 'tarfiles' directory before you proceed with the scripts below!
./download_8.10.sh             # Downloads the AAPP build and update scripts
./build_8.10.sh                # Builds AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer (sudo permission is required)
./makedata_8.10.sh             # Creates data directory for AAPP and downloads lookup tables
./package_8.10.sh              # Creates deployable ready-to-run AAPP/OPS-LRS/Metopizer software package

5. DEPLOY AND RUN
To deploy and run the AAPP, OPS-LRS, and Metopizer software, just copy the packaged tarfile (aapp_8.10.tar.gz) to the deployment host.
Note that the deployment host must have Apptainer 1.1.5 or higher installed (sudo permission is not required).
Unpack the software and set the environment as shown below.

cd $HOME
mkdir AAPP_DBNET
cd AAPP_DBNET
tar -xvf aapp_8.10.tar.gz
export AAPP_INSTALL_DIR=$HOME/AAPP_DBNET/aapp_8.10
export PATH=$AAPP_INSTALL_DIR/scripts:$PATH
source $AAPP_INSTALL_DIR/scripts/aapp_station_config.bash

The following commands are used to process NOAA and Metop direct broadcast data and create DBNet-compliant BUFR files.

aapp_station_config.bash  # Station-specific settings for DBNet BUFR files (edit for your station; this script must be 'source'd)

aapp_noaa_level1.bash     # Process a NOAA-18 or NOAA-19 HRPT file to create Level 1B and 1C output for AVHRR, AMSU-A, MHS, HIRS
aapp_noaa_bufr.bash       # Create DBNet BUFR files from NOAA AMSU-A, MHS, and HIRS Level 1C files in current directory

aapp_metop_eps.bash       # Creates a directory containing EPS Level 0 files with each sensor stored in a separate file
aapp_metop_level1.bash    # Process a directory of EPS Level 0 files to create Level 1B and 1C output for AVHRR, AMSU-A, MHS, HIRS, and IASI
aapp_metop_bufr.bash      # Create DBNet BUFR files from Metop AMSU-A, MHS, HIRS and IASI Level 1C files in current directory

aapp_update_aux.bash      # Update IASI auxiliary files needed by OPS-LRS (this should be run weekly)
aapp_update_cal.bash      # Update AMSU-A, MHS, and HIRS calibration files needed by AAPP (this should be run weekly)
aapp_update_tle.bash      # Update two-line elements needed by AAPP (this should be run daily)

aapp_run.bash             # Run a command in the AAPP/OPS-LRS/Metopizer container (normally not needed for regular users)

6. TESTING

Test data for NOAA-18/19 and Metop-A/B/C can be downloaded as shown below and used to test the deployed software package.
NOTE: The test case assumes that the software environment has been configured as shown in step 5 "DEPLOY AND RUN".

cd $HOME
cd AAPP_DBNET
curl -O https://bin.ssec.wisc.edu/pub/gumley/dbnet/aapp/aapp_8.10_test.tar.gz
tar -xvf aapp_8.10_test.tar.gz
cd test
./aapp_test.bash

Examine the test script to see how to run the AAPP scripts.