UCAR/Unidata

Collection and Distribution of Weather Information:

Panel 1-Part 2Linda Millerlmiller@ucar.edu

Unidata Program CenterDecember 3-5 2001

University Corp for Atmospheric Research

Boulder, Colorado, USA

http://www.unidata.ucar.edu

UCAR/Unidata

Presenters

Jim Block, Chief Meteorological Officer, Meteorlogix; Chair, AMS Board of Private Sector Meteorology

Dr. Jack Hayes, Director, Office of Science and Technology, NWS

Helen Wood, Director, Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution, NESDIS

Dr. John Armstrong, Chair, NRC Committee on Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services

UCAR/Unidata

Diverse Range of Topics

Managing collection and dissemination of non-homogeneous data from numerous, diverse, geographically scattered sources

NWS outlook for future collection/distribution systems

National Hazards Information Strategy “Meteorological feast”-public use and the need

for education and outreach

UCAR/Unidata

“The need for coordination and collaboration of the atmospheric sciences is increasingly urgent.|”

(from: The Atmospheric Sciences Entering the Twenty-First Century, NRC, 1998)

UCAR/Unidata

Unidata

A Program Enabling Universities to Acquire and Use Meteorological &

Related Data

Operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Boulder, Colorado http://www.ucar.edu

Sponsored by the National Science Foundationhttp://www.nsf.gov

UCAR/Unidata

Principal Activitiesof the Unidata Program Center at UCAR

Providing Tools to visualize, analyze, organize, receive, & share data

Facilitating Data Access to a broad spectrum of observations & forecasts (most in real time)

Supporting Faculty who use Unidata systems at colleges & universities

Building a Community where data, tools, & best practices in education/research are shared

UCAR/Unidata

Two Distributed Collaborative Activities

Internet Data Distribution (IDD) using LDM software

THREDDS (THematic Realtime Earth Data Distribution System)

UCAR/Unidata

IDD: The Community in Action

The Internet-based system is used by universities to acquire large quantities of weather data in near-real time (i.e. ASAP)

Typifies Unidata’s cooperative community

The IDD has no data center -- all tasks are performed on the participants’ own computers

UCAR/Unidata

Internet Data Distribution (IDD)with Multiple Sources (Injecting 20 Gigabytes per Day!)

Using LDM (freely available) software for instant data relaying, ~140 departments “collaborate” to acquire a wide range of real-time global, atmospheric & oceanic observations, model outputs, remotely sensed images..., in a “coordinated”community effort.

Source

LDM

Source

Source

LDM LDM

LDMLDM

LDM LDM

LDM

LDM

Internet

UCAR/Unidata

THREDDSTHematic Realtime Earth Data

Distributed Services

Improving how scientists and educators, publish, find, and use data. Building on the strengths of the community of data providers, visualization tool builders, digital libraries and metadata experts.

UCAR/Unidata

Concept for THREDDS

Building a metadata framework around existing technologies to simplify data access, discovery and use– Direct, remote access via DODS or ADDE protocols, allowing for efficient

subsetting (also traditional data access methods, e.g., FTP)

– Facilitate data discovery Search or browse via DLESE (the Digital Library for

Earth-System Education)

Collaborating with current data providers to implement the THREDDS framework on existing datasets– Offer current & retrospective data to the larger community

Specialized along disciplines, instruments, time series, processing, etc

UCAR/Unidata

Thematic Data Servers (combining IDD “push” with several forms of

“pull” and DL discovery)User applications: e.g., LAS, McIDAS,

MetApps/VisAD, IDL, MatLab...

DLESEDigital Library for

Earth-System Education

HydrologyData, e.g.

Geophysical Data, e.g.

Satellite Images, e.g.Satellite

Images, e.g.Satellite

Images, e.g.Satellite

Imagery...

DODS, ADDE, &FTP protocols

IDD

DLinterchange

protocol

IDD

Discovery

IDD IDD IDD

UCAR/Unidata

Integrated Visualization of Data from Thematic Servers

NOAAportNOAAportIDDIDD

SSECSSECIDDIDD SatelliteSatellite

data serverdata server

ConventionalConventionaldata serverdata server

RadarRadardata serverdata server

Demographic Demographic data serverdata server

Global modelGlobal modeldata serverdata server

StreamflowStreamflowdata serverdata server

LightningLightningdata serverdata server

Client/server Client/server data accessdata access

USGS?USGS?IDDIDD

SUNYSUNYIDDIDD

Local model Local model computation andcomputation and

data serverdata server CONDUITCONDUITIDDIDD

CRAFTCRAFTIDDIDD

UCAR/Unidata

Targeted Initial Sites

UAH NCDCOK at CAPS

FNMOCGODAE

WisconsinSSEC

LDEOIRI

George MasonCDC

NCAR

IRIS

PMEL

NGDC

ARM

DLESE