PySeison - Tutorial 1: FVCOM class


In [1]:
%pylab inline


Populating the interactive namespace from numpy and matplotlib

1. PySeidon - FVCOM object initialisation

Similarly to the "Station class", the "FVCOM class" is a numerical-model-based object.

1.1. Package importation

As any other library in Python, PySeidon has to be first imported before to be used. Here we will use an alternative import statement compared to the one previoulsy presented:


In [2]:
from pyseidon import *

Star here means all. Usually this form of statements would import the entire library. In the case of PySeidon, this statement will import the following object classes: FVCOM, Station, Validation, ADCP, Tidegauge and Drifter. Only the FVCOM class will be tackle in this tutorial. However note should note that the architecture design and functioning between each classes are very similar.

1.2. Object definition

Python is by definition an object oriented language...and so is matlab. PySeidon is based on this notion of object, so let us define our first "FVCOM" object.

Exercise 1:

  • Unravel FVCOM documentation with Ipython shortcuts

Answer:


In [3]:
FVCOM?

According to the documentation, in order to define a FVCOM object, the only required input is a *filename. This string input represents path to a file (e.g. testFvcom=FVCOM('./path_to_FVOM_output_file/filename') and whose file can be a pickle file (i.e. .p) or a netcdf file (i.e. .nc). Additionally, either a local file path or a OpenDap url could be used.

Optionally, one can extract spatial and/or temporal data from the designated file by respectively defining ax and *tx keywords. ax can be defined as a list of min/max longitudes and latitudes (e.g. ax = [minimum longitude, maximum longitude, minimum latitude, maximum latitude]) or as a pre-defined region tag (e.g. ax = 'GP', 'PP', 'DG' or 'MP'). Whereas tx can be defined as a list of date (e.g. tx = ['2012-11-07T12:00:00','2012.11.09T12:00:00']).

One should note that throughout the package, the following conventions apply:

  • Date = string of 'yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss'
  • Coordinates = decimal degrees East and North
  • Directions = in degrees, between -180 and 180 deg., i.e. 0=East, 90=North, +/-180=West, -90=South
  • Depth = 0m is the free surface and depth is negative

Exercise 2:

  • define a FVCOM object named fvcomOD from an opendap url
  • define a FVCOM object named fvcomPartial1 from the same opendap url using ax and tx keywords
  • define a FVCOM object named fvcomPartial2 from the same opendap url using the same ax but a consecutive tx period

Answer:


In [4]:
fvcomOD=FVCOM('http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc')


Retrieving data through OpenDap server...
Initialisation...

In [5]:
ax=[-65.77, -65.75, 44.675, 44.685]
tx1=['2013-06-20 12:00:00', '2013-06-21 12:00:00']
tx2=['2013-06-21 12:00:00', '2013-06-21 18:00:00']
fvcomPartial1=FVCOM('http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc', ax=ax, tx=tx1)
fvcomPartial2=FVCOM('http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc', ax=ax, tx=tx2)


Retrieving data through OpenDap server...
Initialisation...
Re-indexing may take some time...
-Now working in bounding box-
-Now working in time box-
Retrieving data through OpenDap server...
Initialisation...
Re-indexing may take some time...
-Now working in bounding box-
-Now working in time box-

1.3. Object attributes, functions, methods & special methods

The FVCOM object possesses 4 attributes, 4 methods (or 3 for 2D simulations) and 1 special method. They would appear by typing fvcomOD. Tab for instance.

An attribute is a quantity intrinsic to its object. A method is an intrinsic function which changes an attribute of its object. Contrarily a function will generate its own output:

object.method(inputs) output = object.function(inputs)

The FVCOM attributes are:

  • History: history metadata that keeps track of the object changes
  • Data: gathers the raw/unchanged data of the specified *.nc file
  • Grid: gathers the grid related data
  • Variables: gathers the hydrodynamics related data. Note that methods will generate new fields in this attribute

The FVCOM methods & functions are:

  • Util2D: gathers utility methods and functions for use with 2D and 3D variables
  • Util3D: gathers utility methods and functions for use only with 3D variables. Note that this attribut will not appear for 2D simulations.
  • Plots: gathers plotting methods for use with 2D and 3D variables
  • Save_as: save loally the current object and its attributs in a pickle file or a matlab file. Note that the so created pickle file can be use later on to define a FVCOM object and therefore restart your work where you left it...yet be careful what you wish for!!! Be aware that FVCOM runs can be very large in terms of memory when you decide to save anything from OpenDap.

The special FVCOM method permits to stack two FVCOM objects (e.g. fvcom1 and fvcom2) through a simple addition, as such:

fvcom1 += fvcom2

However, fvcom1 and fvcom2 must share the exact same spatial domain and be consecutive in time (e.g. fvcom1 before in time compared to fvcom2).

Exercise 3:

  • check fvcomPartial1's History attribute
  • stack fvcomPartial2 to fvcomPartial1
  • check fvcomPartial1's History attribute
  • save fvcomPartial1 on your machine

Answer:


In [6]:
fvcomPartial1.History


Out[6]:
['Created from http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc',
 'Bounding box =[-65.77, -65.75, 44.675, 44.685]',
 'Temporal domain from 2013-06-20 12:00:00 to 2013-06-21 12:00:00']

In [7]:
fvcomPartial1 += fvcomPartial2

In [8]:
fvcomPartial1.History


Out[8]:
['Created from http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc',
 'Bounding box =[-65.77, -65.75, 44.675, 44.685]',
 'Temporal domain from 2013-06-20 12:00:00 to 2013-06-21 12:00:00',
 'Data from FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc has been stacked']

Note how the History attribute has changed

2. PySeidon - Hands-on (30 mins)

Exercise 4:

  • Plot colormap of fvcomPartial1's bathymetry
  • Plot colormap of fvcomOD's bathymetry

Answer:


In [14]:
fvcomPartial1.Plots.colormap_var(fvcomPartial1.Grid.h, title='Bathymetry (m)', mesh=False)



In [16]:
fvcomOD.Plots.colormap_var(fvcomOD.Grid.h, title='Bathymetry (m)', isoline='none')


Exercise 5:

  • compute the 3D velocity norm for the entire fvcomPartial1
  • compute the time indices ebb and flood for refPoint=[-65.761, 44.68]
  • use np.mean to compute the time-averaged 3D velocity norm for ebb indices, ebbNorm
  • use np.mean to compute the time-averaged 3D velocity norm for flood indices, floodNorm
  • plot a vertical slice of ebbNorm between pointD=[-65.76246, 44.67976] and pointB=[-65.76053, 44.68023]
  • plot a vertical slice of floodNorm between pointA=[-65.76178, 44.68057] and pointC=[-65.76123, 44.67942]
  • check fvcomPartial1's History attribute

Answer:


In [11]:
refPoint=[-65.761, 44.68]
pointA=[-65.76178, 44.68057]
pointB=[-65.76053, 44.68023]
pointC=[-65.76123, 44.67942]
pointD=[-65.76246, 44.67976]

fI, eI, pa, pav= fvcomPartial1.Util2D.ebb_flood_split_at_point(refPoint[0], refPoint[1])
fvcomPartial1.Util3D.velo_norm()
ebbNorm = np.mean(fvcomPartial1.Variables.velo_norm[eI,:,:], 0)
floodNorm = np.mean(fvcomPartial1.Variables.velo_norm[fI,:,:], 0)
fvcomPartial1.Plots.vertical_slice(ebbNorm, pointD, pointB, title='Time-averaged velocity norm (m/s)')
fvcomPartial1.Plots.vertical_slice(floodNorm, pointA, pointC, title='Time-averaged velocity norm (m/s)')
fvcomPartial1.History


-Velocity norm added to FVCOM.Variables.-
Out[11]:
['Created from http://ecoii.acadiau.ca/thredds/dodsC/ecoii/test/FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc',
 'Bounding box =[-65.77, -65.75, 44.675, 44.685]',
 'Temporal domain from 2013-06-20 12:00:00 to 2013-06-21 12:00:00',
 'Data from FVCOM3D_dngrid_BF_20130619_20130621.nc has been stacked',
 'Velocity norm computed']

Exercise 6:

  • Using fvcomOD
  • Plot the vertical shear profile averaged over ebb indices for a point of your own choice
  • Plot rose diagram and exceedance curve for the same point with flow dir at point
  • Plot flow velocity histogram for the same point with speed_histogram
  • Plot a colormap of the bathymetry, add a point at the location of your point

Answer:


In [12]:
point = [-66.0, 45.0] #refPoint
fI, eI, pa, pav= fvcomOD.Util2D.ebb_flood_split_at_point(point[0], point[1])
vp = fvcomOD.Util3D.verti_shear_at_point(point[0], point[1], time_ind=eI, graph=True)
fD, norm = fvcomOD.Util2D.flow_dir_at_point(point[0], point[1], exceedance=True)
fvcomOD.Util2D.speed_histogram(point[0], point[1])
fvcomOD.Plots.colormap_var(fvcomOD.Grid.h, title='Bathmetry (m)', mesh=False)
fvcomOD.Plots.add_points(point[0], point[1], label='Location')


3. PySeidon - to infinity and beyond (30 mins)

PySeidon can easily be coupled to any other Python library and package. For instance, the following script creates a series of *.png which could be then easily turn into an animated GIF with GIMP:


In [ ]:
fvcomPartial1.Util2D.hori_velo_norm()
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
for i in range(fvcomPartial1.Grid.ntime):
    fvcomPartial1.Plots.colormap_var(fvcomPartial1.Variables.hori_velo_norm[i,:], title='Flow speed (m/s)')
    saveName = 'anim{0}.png'.format(i)
    plt.savefig(saveName, bbox_inches=0)
    plt.close()

4. PySeidon - Bug patrol & steering committee

4.1. Bug report

As beta tester, your first assignement is to report bugs...yet not everything is a bug. The first thing to check before to report a bug is to verify that your version of PySeidon is up-to-date. The best way to keep up with the package evolution is to git to clone the repository, use pull to update it and re-install it if needed.

The second thing to check before to report a bug is to verify that the bug is reproducible. When running into a bug, double check that your inputs fit the description of the documentation then turn the debug flag on (e.g. output = fvcomobject.function(inputs, debug=True)) and submit the command again. If the error re-occurs then report it (i.e. copy entire error message + command and send it to package administrator)

4.2. Suggestions & critics

Your second role as beta-tester is to submit suggestions and critics to the developpers regarding the functioning and functionality of the package. Beta testing phase is the best opportunity to steer a project towards the applications you would like to be tackled...