The Man computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) software was developed over 30 years ago at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to visualize data from the first generation geostationary satellites. Over the years, the software has been kept current by including access to data from new instruments and by adapting to changing computing hardware and display platforms. The last major effort was during the 1990s when McIDAS was moved into Unix, X Windows, and the use of ADDE (Abstract Data Distribution Environment) for data access. That effort has taken McIDAS-X into the 21st century.

New imaging and sounding sensors under development for future operational satellites will exceed the design of the current data structures and the visualization capabilities of the McIDAS-X software. Innovative techniques for visualizing and developing algorithms with these new data types are needed. The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), a reference application based on the VisAD system that is being developed by the Unidata Program, demonstrates the flexibility that is needed in this evolving environment, using a modern, object-oriented software design approach.

A project is underway at SSEC/CIMSS to transition the current McIDAS-X users into a VisAD-based, open-source system, to be known as McIDAS-V, and to provide multi-spectral and hyper-spectral researchers and algorithm developers with the data manipulation and visualization tools to work in this data rich environment. NASA EOS MODIS and AIRS data are used in conjunction with other in situ and gridded data to develop new tools, techniques and products in the prototype McIDAS-V environment. A review of the current state of McIDAS-V will be presented as well as plans for future development and public release.