Enhance Series-Analysis to compute statistics from the GRAD line type

[JohnHalleyGotway]

Describe the Enhancement

MET #3024 adds 4 new columns to the GRAD line type written by Grid-Stat to quantify sharpness. This issue is to enhance Series-Analysis to compute the statistics from the GRAD line type to enable sharpness to be assessed spatially.

Recommend reconfiguring an existing unit test for Series-Analysis to also compute GRAD statistics.

Time Estimate

2 days?

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None needed.

Relevant Deadlines

To be completed by 12/30 and charged to the METplus NRL project.

Funding Source

METplus NRL project (7730022)

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• METplus, MET, METdataio, METviewer, METexpress, METcalcpy, METplotpy
• Enhancement: Enhance the SeriesAnalysis wrapper to compute gradient statistics METplus#2827 to update the SeriesAnalysis wrapper accordingly.

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[JohnHalleyGotway]

@KathrynNewman question for you.

I'm adding the gradient configuration entry from Grid-Stat to the Series-Analysis configuration file to make this configurable:

//
// Gradient statistics
// May be set separately in each "obs.field" entry
//
gradient = {
   dx = [ 1 ];
   dy = [ 1 ];
}

Grid-Stat supports an arbitrary number of gradients being computed. Wondering whether Series-Analysis should do the same or only support a single dx and dy value? The former would require storing more data in memory since the matched pairs for each gradient choice would need to be buffered up. This is doable. I just don't know if multiple gradient choices would actually be used in practice. If so, I can add it. If not, I'd rather not complicate the logic with an extra dimension of information if we don't need to.

---

As we discussed in person, I'll proceed with supporting a list of dx and dy gradient definitions since that option is most consistent with the handling in Grid-Stat and could of scientific use. Recommend sticking with the default setting of dx=[1]; dy=[1];.