msymb

This is the visual definition for specifying how symbols (e.g. circles and crosses) are displayed. This can be used with non-gridded data, such as Geopoints() or CSV.

Note

The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

Note

This function performs the same task as the Symbol Plotting icon in Metview’s user interface. It accepts its parameters as keyword arguments, described below.

msymb(**kwargs)

Defines the style for symbol plotting of non-gridded data.

Parameters

• legend ({"on", "off"}, default: "off") – Enables the legend.

• symbol_type ({"number", "text", "marker", "wind"}, default: "number") – Defines the type of symbol plotting required.

• symbol_table_mode ({"off", "advanced", "on"}, default: "off") – Specifies the table mode. Note: the simple table mode (“on”) is not recommended any more, try to use the “advanced” mode instead, this should give you easier control of the plot.

• symbol_format (str, default: "(automatic)") – Specifies the format for value plotting.

• symbol_outline ({"on", "off"}, default: "off") – Adds an outline to each symbol.

• symbol_outline_colour (str, default: "black") – Colour of the outline.

• symbol_outline_thickness (number, default: 1) – Thickness of the outline.

• symbol_outline_style ({"solid", "dash", "dot", "chain_dot", "chain_dash"}, default: "solid") – Line style of the outline.

• symbol_connect_line ({"on", "off"}, default: "off") – Connects all the symbols with a line.

• symbol_connect_automatic_line_colour ({"on", "off"}, default: "on") – If it is “on”, the lines connecting the symbols will have the same colour as the symbols.

• symbol_connect_line_colour (str, default: "black") – Colour of the connecting line.

• symbol_connect_line_thickness (number, default: 1) – Thickness of the connecting line.

• symbol_connect_line_style ({"solid", "dash", "dot", "chain_dot", "chain_dash"}, default: "solid") – Line style of connecting line.

• legend_user_text (str) – If set, this text will be shown for the symbol group in the legend.

• symbol_colour (str, default: "blue") – Colour of symbols.

• symbol_height (number, default: 0.2) – Height (cm) of symbols.

• symbol_marker_mode ({"index", "name", "image"}, default: "index") – Method to select a marker. If it is set to “image” an external image specified in symbol_image_path will be used as a marker.

• symbol_marker_index (number, default: 1) – Marker index. An integer between 0 and 28. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_marker_name (str, default: "dot") – Marker name. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_image_path (str) – Path to the symbol maker image.

• symbol_image_format ({"automatic", "png", "svg"}, default: "automatic") – Format of the image file. If set to “automatic”, the file extension will be used to determine the file type.

• symbol_image_width (number, default: -1) – Width of the image.

• symbol_image_height (number, default: -1) – Height of the image.

• symbol_text_list (str or list[str]) – List of text to plot.

• symbol_text_position ({"right", "left", "bottom", "top"}, default: "right") – Relative position of the text items.

• symbol_text_font ({"arial", "courier", "helvetica", "times", "serif", "sansserif", "symbol"}, default: "sansserif") – Font of the text items.

• symbol_text_font_size (number, default: 0.25) – Font size of text items.

• symbol_text_font_style ({"normal", "bold", "italic", "bolditalic"}, default: "normal") – Font style of text items.

• symbol_text_font_colour ({"background", "automatic"}, default: "automatic") – Font colour of text items.

• symbol_text_blanking ({"on", "off"}, default: "off") – Blanking of the text.

• symbol_legend_height (number, default: -1) – If set, the height will be used to plot the symbols in the legend.

• symbol_min_table (number or list[number]) – Table of minimum values. The table is used in conjunction with symbol_max_table.

• symbol_max_table (number or list[number]) – Table of maximum values. The table is used in conjunction with symbol_min_table.

• symbol_marker_table (number or list[number]) – Table of marker indices. The table is to be used in conjunction with symbol_min_table and symbol_max_table. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_name_table (str or list[str]) – Table of symbol names. The table is to be used in conjunction with symbol_min_table and symbol_max_table. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_colour_table (str or list[str]) – Table of symbol colours. The table is to be used in conjunction with symbol_min_table and symbol_max_table.

• symbol_height_table (number or list[number]) – Table of symbol heights (cm). The table is to be used in conjunction with symbol_min_table and symbol_max_table.

• symbol_advanced_table_selection_type ({"count", "interval", "list"}, default: "count") – Technique to use to calculate the symbol table values.

• symbol_advanced_table_min_value (number, default: -1.e21) – Minimum value to plot.

• symbol_advanced_table_max_value (number, default: 1.e21) – Maximum value to plot.

• symbol_advanced_table_level_count (number, default: 10) – Number of levels to be plotted when symbol_advanced_table_selection_type is “count”. The plotting library will try to find a “nice” set of levels, which means that the number of levels could be slightly different than specified here.

• symbol_advanced_table_level_tolerance (number, default: 2) – Do not use nice levels if the number of levels differs from symbol_advanced_table_level_count by more than symbol_advanced_table_level_tolerance.

• symbol_advanced_table_interval (number, default: 8.0) – Interval in data units between two table values when symbol_advanced_table_selection_type is “interval”.

• symbol_advanced_table_reference_level (number, default: 0.0) – The level from which the symbol table interval is calculated.

• symbol_advanced_table_level_list (number or list[number]) – List of symbol table values.

• symbol_advanced_table_colour_method ({"calculate", "list"}, default: "calculate") – Method of generating the colours for the symbol table entries.

• symbol_advanced_table_max_level_colour (str, default: "blue") – Highest symbol table entry colour.

• symbol_advanced_table_min_level_colour (str, default: "red") – Lowest symbol table entry colour.

• symbol_advanced_table_colour_direction ({"clockwise", "anti-clockwise"}, default: "anti-clockwise") – Direction of colour sampling along the colour wheel for plotting when symbol_advanced_table_colour_method is “calculate”.

• symbol_advanced_table_colour_list (str or list[str]) – List of colours to be used in symbol plotting.

• symbol_advanced_table_colour_list_policy ({"lastone", "cycle"}, default: "lastone") – Specifies what to do if there are fewer colours in symbol_advanced_table_colour_list than there are symbol table intervals.

• symbol_advanced_table_marker_list (number or list[number]) – List of markers to be used in symbol plotting. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_advanced_table_marker_name_list (str or list[str]) – List of symbol names to be used in symbol plotting. The list of available symbol markers can be found here.

• symbol_advanced_table_marker_list_policy ({"lastone", "cycle"}, default: "lastone") – Specifies what to do if there are fewer markers specified than the number of symbol table intervals.

• symbol_advanced_table_height_method ({"calculate", "list"}, default: "list") – Method of generating the height (cm) for symbol table intervals.

• symbol_advanced_table_height_max_value (number, default: 0.2) – Maximum height to use.

• symbol_advanced_table_height_min_value (number, default: 0.1) – Minimum height to use.

• symbol_advanced_table_height_list (number or list[number]) – List of heights to be used.

• symbol_advanced_table_height_list_policy ({"lastone", "cycle"}, default: "lastone") – Specifies what to do if there are fewer entries in symbol_advanced_table_height_list than there are symbol table intervals.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_list (str or list[str]) – Text to display

• symbol_advanced_table_text_list_policy ({"lastone", "cycle"}, default: "cycle") – Specifies what to do if there are fewer entries in symbol_advanced_table_text_list than there are symbol table intervals.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_font_name ({"arial", "courier", "helvetica", "times", "serif", "sansserif", "symbol"}, default: "sansserif") – Font name.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_font_size (number, default: 0.25) – Font size.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_font_style ({"normal", "bold", "italic", "bolditalic"}, default: "normal") – Font style.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_font_colour ({"background", "automatic"}, default: "automatic") – Font colour.

• symbol_advanced_table_text_display_type ({"centre", "none", "right", "left", "top", "bottom"}, default: "none") –

  How to display text:

  • ”none”: do not display it

  • ”centre”: display it instead of the symbol

  • ”right”: attach it to the right of the symbol

  • ”top”: attach it to the top of the symbol

  • ”bottom”: attach it to the “bottom” of the symbol

• symbol_advanced_table_outlayer_method ({"none"}, default: "none") – Outlayer method.

Return type

Request

Gallery examples using metview.msymb

NetCDF - Marine Observations

GRIB, BUFR - Model minus Obs Difference

BUFR - Plotting SYNOP Station Ids

BUFR, Geopoints - Coloured Observation Values

BUFR, Geopoints - Coloured Observation Values in Circles

ODB - AMSU-A Radiance Map

Geopoints - Aircraft observations

Geopoints - Missing Values in Geopoints

Geopoints - Plot Text Labels at Geopoints Locations

GRIB, CSV - Storm Track

GRIB - ERA5 Data Along Ship Track

FLEXTRA - Forward Trajectories

BUFR - Skew-T with Parcel Path and Hodograph

BUFR - Hodograph

GRIB - Windrose

Graph Plot with Double Y Axis

Taylor Diagram

Notebooks using metview.msymb

Difference between gridded field (GRIB) and scattered observations (BUFR)

Analysing data (GRIB)