Madrigal Data API Exercises - 2016

Exercise 2: Scripting interface

This exercise has three parts:

1. Installing the Madrigal API of your choice (python, Matlab, or IDL)

2. Running the globalDownload script

3. Generate and run the globalIsprint script

Links and scripts to download

• Madrigal sites

• • CEDAR Madrigal archive site: http://cedar.openmadrigal.org/
  • Eiscat Madrigal site: http://www.eiscat.se/madrigal/
  • Millstone Madrigal site: http://madrigal.haystack.mit.edu/madrigal/
  • Madrigal 3 beta site: http://madrigal3.haystack.mit.edu

• OpenMadrigal web site: http://www.openmadrigal.org

Step 1: Download Python, Matlab, and/or IDL Remote APIs

Go to the OpenMadrigal download page, and download one or more version. Available as *.tar.gz or *zip files. The Matlab and IDL installations assumes you have these commercial products already installed; the python version is open-source and can be installed on any computer.  The python module may also be installed via the command: pip install madrigalWeb

Matlab installation: The Matlab version is simply *.m files, so they need to be put in a standard Matlab directory.

IDL installation: The IDL version is simply *.pro files, so they need to to put in a standard IDL directory.

To install the python version:

1. Make sure you have python installed. If not, install it from python.org.

2. Use the command pip install madrigalWeb, or to install the remote python madrigal api from www.openmadrigal.org, you will need to uncompress the file. Then you will need to run python setupMadrigalWeb.py install. If you are installing on Windows, you will need to open a command prompt, and then change directory to where you uncompressed the file. From windows the python command may be something like c:\python25\python.exe setupMadrigalWeb.py install. All the command line scripts (globalIsprint.py, globalDownload.py) will be put into your PATH and so can be called directly from the command line.

Step 2: Create and run a globalDownload script

globalDownload is a simple script that will allow you to download a whole series of files, in any format - ascii, Hdf5, or the old Cedar format. Unlike globalIsprint, there is not a web interface to generate these commands, but in general the commands are simpler. You specify the time range, the instruments, and, optionally, the kinds of data. There is a web interface to generate the command in Madrigal 3 (

• Documention for the python version

• Documentation for the Matlab version

• Documentation for the IDL version

Use one the three scripts above to download all Arecibo linefeed (kinst=20) with MRACF (kindat=2010) for 2010 in Hdf5 format. If you run into problems, see the answers at the bottom of the page for all three languages.

Step 3: Create and run a globalIsprint script

• Download either the python, Matlab, or IDL version of the script to run the globalIsprint example (see top of page).

• Go to the CEDAR Madrigal or Arecibo site, and choose Full data access then Global Madrigal search.

• Choose the Arecibo Gregorian radar and the date range of all of 2012.

• Select Show advanced filters.

• Choose MRACF for kind of data.

• Add three filters:

• Hit the Select parameters button.

• Choose the parameters year,month,day,hour,min,sec,gdalt,gdlat,glon,ne,dne and hit Done.

• Choose Continue at the bottom.

• Select the language you are using, and hit OK.

• Verify the script runs successfully as is. If there is a problem, compare to the scripts at the top.

globalDownload answers

Python command

Matlab command

IDL command