Color Setup Overview

The colors in the IRIS graphical displays are configured using the Color Setup utility. The displays use the following color classes:

• Data colors

  For displaying data values as color coded levels.

• Special colors

  Used for overlay lines, text, centroids, wind barbs, and so on.

When configuring the colors, be aware of the following concepts:

• Color set

  A group of up to 16 colors used for displaying data. A color set can be used for several different data types and color scales.

  IRIS supports up to 8 different color sets. For example, one may be used for positive data such as reflectivity or rainfall rate, while another may be used for signed data such as velocity of shear.

• Color scale or legend

  A user defined set of numeric values for the color scale, as well as which color set to use. Each data parameter (dBZ, R, V, TOPS, and so on) can have up to 8 custom color scales.

Typically, you do not need to change the color sets and color scales very frequently. Access to Color Setup requires operator privilege. Observers can select different color scales and make their own uniformly-spaced color scales in the Quick Look Menu.