Cross-platform software to continue long-term observations with the Brewer spectrophotometer in the face of changing computer platforms: Implementing the Model-View architecture

Recovery of the ozone layer likely caused by prohibiting some ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol and observed since 1998 is uneven. In this regard, the tasks remain to continue monitoring the ozone layer and to provide the homogeneity of the observations obtained in comparison with the measurements of previous decades. One of the oldest global systems providing ozone data is the network of fully automated Brewer spectrophotometers operated since the earlier 1980s. The existing software for control Brewer spectrophotometer was created more than 35 years ago and is in need of redeveloping to continue long-term observations of in the face of changing computer platforms. A new cross-platform control software for the Brewer is being developed, which is capable of running on computers with modern multitasking operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS), and at the same time it has a one codebase. In the new software, the Model-View architecture is implemented to separate the code of measurement data (models) from the code of their display to the user (views). The model is responsible for data management and provides an interface for reading and writing this data, and the view retrieves the necessary data from the model, reacting to its changes, and sends the data to the user, placing them properly in the GUI of application. The developed database of the new software for storing measurement data and instrumental constants consists of more than 30 tables and stores about 800 pieces of information. Models are developed in the C++ programming language using the cross-platform Qt framework, and the relational database SQLite is used as a persistent storage. This software allows improving the quality and uniformity of TOC and UV radiation measurements on the Brewer spectrophotometers of the global ozone network.