Computer Programming

I have interests in several areas of computer programming, including writing real-time data acquisition and data-processing software, writing small utility programs, and playing with computers in general. I write most of my application software in C, QuickBASIC, and most recently Visual Basic 6.0. I've also been doing a bit of software development for the web, particularly for real-time data delivery and comparison applications. The technology is combinations of client-side Javascript, and XML (commonly known as AJAX), and PHP, PERL, HTML, XML, and DOS/BASH/Cygwin shell-scripting stuff on the server-side. Check out http://dataviewer.atdd.noaa.gov/ for a demo.

Powered by Linux! Recently, I've been writing data acquisition software using gcc running on Linux for work. This has been a fun and rewarding challenge. The software is currently deployed at tower sites throughout the US and provides real-time data access for devices such as ultrasonic anemometers (such as the RM Young 81000), ATDD IRGA (an instrument to measure concentrations of CO₂ and H₂O at high frequencies), Campbell 10x, 21X, and/or 23x data loggers, digital cameras, and dial-up cellular modems. We have also been developing a system to do relaxed-eddy accumulation using a cool serial controller to switch the various sampling valves for the denuder tubes. This software is available for public distribution at ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/dumas/software/sonic.

The other stuff we have been doing lately is re-writing the Mobile Flux Platform (MFP) software in Linux. This has been a fun challenge and is going well. The initial tests with the system show it to be more stable and reliable than the old DOS counterpart. The latest versions of this software are now available for public distribution at ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/dumas/software/batstore.

I have also been getting into object-oriented programming in the Windows environment by developing applications for ArcInfo 8.3 using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). This work is being done to develop a graphical user-interface for atmospheric dispersion models we use at work (again details available at the work web site above). We are using ArcInfo 8.3 for the map generation and ArcIMS 4.01 and ArcIMS 9.1 for the web service.

In addition, I am re-writing my Sailplane Design Progam for use with Visual Basic 6.0. It is rather interesting programming... Nothing like the old sequential stuff I am used to from long ago... I'll have it done one of these years and available for distribution. Check back periodically at the Sailplane Design Program page for more information.

Check out my latest project, an HP-15C calculator simulator.

Visit Ed's Software links page.