<!--DoNotAutoformat-->
<section><title>What is the bare minimum I have to do to create an NMGF file? </title>

    <para>Create a text file with the following text, replacing the sample data points with
    your own. </para>

<pre>{TITL Grid Vers 2 3}
{DPAL 5
    (-90.02, 45.00) 50.0
    (-90.02, 45.02) 50.0
    (-90.00, 45.02) 50.0
    (-90.00, 45.00) 50.0
    (-90.01, 45.01) 60.0
}
{ENDF}</pre>

    <para>The first and last lines, beginning with {TITL and {ENDF, denote the beginning
    and end of the data set. They must appear exactly as shown. </para>

    <para>The middle seven lines specify the actual data. The line... </para>

    <pre>{DPAL 5</pre>

    <para>...specifies that 5 Data Points with Arbitrary Locations (DPAL) follow.
    Each data point is specified by a location (the numbers in parentheses) and a data value
    at that location (the numbers after the parentheses). The locations are specified in decimal
    degrees of east longitude and north latitude. West longitudes are negative, so the point
    (-90.02, 45.00) is at longitude 90.02 degrees west, latitude 45.00 degrees north. </para>

</section>    <!--  End of Level 2 Section  -->


<section><title>Do I Have To Use Longitude and Latitude to Specify My Data Point Locations? </title>

    <para>No, you can use Cartesian coordinates to specify locations. Add the
    following line just after the line that begins with {TITL. </para>

<pre>{CART -90.0 45.0 0 0 METR 0}</pre>

    <para>This specifies that all locations will be given in meters east and north from
    longitude 90.0 west, latitude 45.0 north. If you want to use feet, replace
    METR with FEET. </para>

    <para>Here is the modified example file. </para>

<pre>{TITL Grid Vers 2 3}
{CART -90.0 45.0 0 0 METR 0}
{DPAL 5
    (  0,   0) 50.0
    (  0, 100) 50.0
    (100, 100) 50.0
    (100,   0) 50.0
    ( 50,  50) 60.0
}
{ENDF}</pre>

</section>    <!--  End of Level 2 Section  -->


<section><title>How Do I Specify The Physical Units of the Data Points? </title>

    <para>Add the following line just before your data points. </para>

<pre>{MTRC "Air Temperature" "F"}</pre>

    <para>The first quoted text string describes what is being measured.
    The second specifies the physical units. </para>

    <para>Here is the modified example file. </para>

<pre>{TITL Grid Vers 2 3}
{CART -90.0 45.0 0 0 METR 0}
{MTRC "Measured air temperature" "F"}
{DPAL 5
    (  0,   0) 50.0
    (  0, 100) 50.0
    (100, 100) 50.0
    (100,   0) 50.0
    ( 50,  50) 60.0
}
{ENDF}</pre>

</section>    <!--  End of Level 2 Section  -->


<section><title>Can I Add More Detailed Notes About My Data? </title>

    <para>Yes. Add the following lines just after the line that begins with {TITL. </para>

 <pre>{SORC "Measured"
    {DESS "Measured air temperature at 1 meter above ground level"}
    {DESL "Measurements made using a ACME model X34 thermocouple"}
}</pre>

    <para>The quoted text after SORC specifies the broad category of the
    data's origin. It can be any text, but it is suggested that "Measured" be
    used for measured data, and "Model" be used for the output of numerical
    models. </para>

    <para>The quoted text after DESS is a short description of the data in the
    file. If possible, it should be kept under 60 characters in length. This text should
    be appropriate for use as, say, the title of a contour plot of the data. </para>

    <para>The quoted text after DESL is a long, detailed description of the data in
    the file and any notes you wish to add. It can be as long as necessary, and
    can contain line breaks. </para>

    <para>Here is the modified example file. </para>

<pre>{TITL Grid Vers 2 3}
{SORC "Measured"
    {DESS "Measured air temperature at 1 meter above ground level"}
    {DESL "Measurements made using a ACME model X34 thermocouple"}
}
{CART -90.0 45.0 0 0 METR 0}
{MTRC "Measured air temperature" "F"}
{DPAL 5
    (  0,   0) 50.0
    (  0, 100) 50.0
    (100, 100) 50.0
    (100,   0) 50.0
    ( 50,  50) 60.0
}
{ENDF}</pre>

</section>    <!--  End of Level 2 Section  -->


<section><title>Where Can I Get Additional Information? </title>

    <para>The NMPlot\NMGF directory contains the NMGF standard documentation,
            C and C++ libraries for creating NMGF files, and several sample
            NMGF files.</para>

</section>    <!--  End of Level 2 Section  -->

