PDS_VERSION_ID     = PDS3
RECORD_TYPE        = STREAM
OBJECT             = TEXT
  PUBLICATION_DATE = 1999-02-16
  NOTE             = "Description of MPROF software provided with the
    MGS MOLA archive volumes"
END_OBJECT         = TEXT
END

FILES IN THIS DIRECTORY
-----------------------

MPRFINFO.TXT - The file you are reading.

MPROF.PRO    - IDL script to plot MOLA PEDR elevation profiles


MPROF SOFTWARE FOR MGS MOLA ARCHIVE VOLUMES
-------------------------------------------

MPROF is a script written in IDL version 5.0 to plot elevation
profiles using MOLA PEDR data. To use this script, the user must 
already have IDL installed. IDL is commercial software produced by
Research Systems, 2995 Wilderness Place, Boulder, Colorado 80301,
phone 303-786-9900, email info@rsinc.com. The Research Systems
World-Wide Web site is http://www.rsinc.com.

The user should modify the MPROF.PRO file to indicate the location of
the PEDR files on the user's system. Instructions are given near the
top of the file. The user may choose one of two methods: (1) enter the
path to the MOLA CD-ROM volume root in the variable cdpath, or (2)
enter the path to a directory containing PEDR files in the variable
dir, leaving cdpath set to 'NONE'. The method that is not chosen
should be commented out.

Note that two versions of MPROF are provided, one for Sun/UNIX
platforms and one for PC/Windows 95 platforms. The main difference
between the MPROF versions is that the PC/Windows version uses the
IDL function SWAP_ENDIAN to correct the byte order of fields read from
the PEDR file for use on a Windows machine. There are a few other
minor differences which are described by comments in the body of the
file itself. The PEDR files were originally generated on UNIX
platforms using so-called "Big Endian" byte ordering.  The SWAP_ENDIAN
function swaps the byte order of values read from the PEDR files so
that they are interpreted correctly on a PC/Windows ("Little Endian")
machine.

To start the application, at the IDL prompt type as shown below:

   IDL> MPROF

This will open a window in which you can select a PEDR file by double
clicking the file name/icon with the left mouse button. 

Alternatively, you may specify a particular orbit by adding a comma
and orbit number:

   IDL> MPROF, n           (where n is the orbit number)

MPROF will then graph the profile for the selected file. The
longitudes (east) of the end points and the point of maximum latitude
are also displayed.

To zoom in on a portion of the profile, hold down the left mouse
button and drag the mouse. This will draw a box which you can use to
enclose the data you wish to plot. Once your box has been sized to fit
your region of interest, release the left mouse button and MPROF will
plot the area.  This can be repeated.  To go back to a plot of the
entire PEDR, click the right mouse button once.

After selecting a region of interest, you can create an ascii file
containing the longitude (east), latitude (north), and elevation
(meters) of the selected data points by clicking the middle mouse
button once. (Note: on PC/Windows machines that do not have a middle
mouse button, you can simulate this action by holding down the Control
key while clicking the left mouse button.) The ascii file thus created
is called MPxxxxxn.OUT, where xxxxx is the orbit number and n
represents the nth file to be created. The first line of the file
lists the number of output data points and the orbit number, and the
second line contains column headings. The remaining lines are data
points. At the same time this file is created, a Postscript file
containing the plot itself is created in MPxxxxxn.PS. If files already
exist with these names they are overwritten.

To quit or select a new PEDR file, click the right mouse button twice.
That will take you back to the starting PEDR data file choices
panel. Then click CANCEL with the left mouse button once to quit
MPROF. To select another file to plot, double click the selected file
icon with with the left mouse button.

MPROF was written by C. David Brown, Washington University, St.
Louis, Missouri, email dbrown@geoid.wustl.edu.