IWXXM-US Modelling
This repository hosts an Enterprise Architect (EA) project file, iwxxm-us-devel.eap, containing the IWXXM-US Unified Modeling Language (UML) model. From this project file, IWXXM-US schemas and documentation are created using Enterprise Architect's capabilities. In addition to the project file, a set of python scripts with configuration files, specific to each product, is needed to further process the EA output to create the final form of the schemas before posting to the IWXXM-US website.
Prerequisites
Enterprise Architect is required to utilize the project file.1 A Python interpreter (v3.7 or better) is needed to run a script that post-processes the schemas generated from the EA application.
Cloning
The following instructions assume you are using a computer with a Unix-based operating system.
$ cd /path/to/install/directory
$ git clone git@github.com:NOAA-MDL/iwxxm-us-modelling.git
IWXXM-US Schema Generation
From the EA application, and after the IWXXM-US UML project file is opened, the schema files are created from the Toolbar 'Specialize->GML->Generate GML Application Schema.' Please make sure the resulting schema files are written to the EA/ sub-directory.
Once Enterprise Architect has written the schema files to the EA/ sub-directory, the python script in py/ sub-directory called postSchemas.py makes additional changes to put the schemas into their final form. The python script's output is written to the schemas/ sub-directory. These files can then be compared to what is posted on the IWXXM-US website to verify the desired changes.
IWXXM-US Documentation Generation
From the EA application, and after the IWXXM-US UML project file is opened, documentation of the UML model in HTML and PDF forms can be generated from the Toolbar 'Publish->HTML Report' and 'Publish->Documentation' respectively. The HTML documentation can be posted on the IWXXM-US website. (The HTML documentation can be found under a specific version, e.g. 3.0, and then sub-directory 'uml').
Further instruction on Enterprise Architect's UML modelling tools is beyond the scope of this documentation.
IWXXM-US Evolution
Any proposed changes to the IWXXM-US will be raised as issues in this repository. On a periodic basis, any pending issues will be managed and vetted by the Committee on Services within the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services. Individuals wanting to kept informed of developments to IWXXM-US should register as a watcher.
Since the Enterprise Architect project file is in binary form, it is not possible to use some of Git features on the file. Comparisons and merging tools will not work, for instance. Hence GitHub issues associated with the EA project file must provide precise details on all changes to the UML model and resulting schema changes in order to verify the changes are as intended before posting to the public website. Changes to the python post-processing scripts and its configuration files can be tracked in the usual manner with git.
Disclaimer
This repository is a scientific product and is not official communication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), or the United States Department of Commerce (DOC). All NOAA GitHub project code is provided on an ‘as is’ basis and the user assumes responsibility for its use. Any claims against the Department of Commerce or Department of Commerce bureaus stemming from the use of this GitHub project will be governed by all applicable federal law. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce seal and logo, or the seal and logo of a DOC bureau, shall not be used in any manner to imply endorsement of any commercial product or activity by DOC or the United States Government.
1Using EA versions before version 16.0 is recommended at this time. Beginning with EA v16.0, the application upgrades the internal format of the project, changing the file's extension. In addition, a feature in prior versions of EA has been discontinued. This removal affects IWXXM and IWXXM-US schema generation and how references to code registries are generated. A ticket has been opened with Sparx Systems. At the time of this writing, the company has not decided whether to continue with this feature or provide an alternative. (18 November 2022)