Northern
Lighthouse

Software solutions
for environmental
data processing

Why Cipher?

At Northern Lighthouse we are aware of the difficulties and problems in the area of table-driven codes. There are many advantages to using codes such as BUFR or CREX. However, they are technically quite complex, and often scientists or programmers who develop user programs to handle BUFR messages have to spend a considerable amount of time dealing with tedious low-level details.

We decided to take the challenge of developing user-friendly, quality software to handle BUFR, software that would free users from involvement in low-level details. The first version of SoftBUFR was released in 1997, and the first release of T-CREX followed in late 1999. Since then, Cipher products have been used by public organizations (e.g. the Finnish Meteorological Institute) and private companies (e.g. Vaisala).

Cipher SoftBUFR and T-CREX are easy to set up and use. Users can develop their own applications with only a few lines of code, without having to know the internal details of BUFR or CREX.

Cipher products can help you to concentrate your resources on your core activities:

• In operations environments, because Cipher libraries allow user programs to be simple and thus easy to maintain.
• In research environments, because they allow smooth and fast development of user programs.

The Cipher series: commercial products

• SoftBUFR - a universal encoding / decoding library for the table-driven binary code BUFR
• SoftBUFR Decode+ - a universal decoding library for BUFR.
• T-CREX -a universal encoding / decoding library for the table-driven alphanumeric code CREX

The Cipher series: free products

• SoftBUFR Decode, a universal decoding library for BUFR, free for evaluation and non-commercial use.
• BUFRtool and CREXtool - universal encoders / decoders with selected functionality

The Cipher concept. In our experience, quality maintenance and support are essential in the area of table-driven codes. Therefore, to enhance the value of Cipher libraries, we offer:

• friendly and efficient user support
• prompt maintenance

Design goal. Our main design goal has been to create software tools that are

• reliable, efficient, portable and powerful
• easy to learn, easy to use

State-of-the-art, object oriented design and programming - the heart of Cipher products are C++ class libraries.

Simple, expressive and powerful high level API (Application Program Interface), which allows easy and fast development of user programs in C/C++.

Portability: Cipher products can run on Linux and several other Unix environments and also on Microsoft Windows.

Extensive on-line documentation and help.

Flexibility through configuration files and environment variables.

The set of tables that comes with Cipher products covers all WMO BUFR and CREX table versions to date. This means that you can decode any standard BUFR or CREX message from the oldest to the latest.

Table version selection for decoding is automatically done by Cipher software. For encoding, when new tables are introduced, the only change needed is the update of a configuration file - there is no need to modify or recompile your software.

Ability to handle local extensions, i.e. local BUFR and CREX descriptors, local extensions to standard BUFR section 1, BUFR section 2, and CREX section 3.

WMO BUFR editions 3 and 4 are supported by SoftBUFR. For encoding, you can choose between editions 3 and 4.

The current version of T-CREX can handle WMO CREX editions 1 and 2.

Use in oceanography and other disciplines. Although BUFR was originally designed by WMO for meteorological data, it can be easily used in other scientific disciplines if appropriate tables are defined. Cipher products can handle e.g. oceanographic data as well, if appropriate tables are available.

Generic TDCF programming: the same user code can result in an executable that handles either BUFR or CREX, depending on the compiling options, which contributes to the maintainability of user programs.

Cipher uses table files in ASCII format. If you want to create local tables the only tool you need is a text editor.

Flexibility in the access to the meteorological data in BUFR and CREX messages, which makes it easier for you to develop applications truly suitable to your needs.

Multisubset structures are transparent to users by default; Cipher products handle them for you.