WWC snapshot of http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/NODC-cdrom.html taken on Sun Jun 4 2:10:17 1995
Summary List of NODC CD-ROMs
In 1990 the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) launched a project to make its archive data files and other ocean data sets available on CD-ROM. This summary lists the CD-ROM data sets released to date. The NODC has also installed a CD-ROM recorder and can now provide customers with data selected from its archive data files on Write Once CD-ROMs (one-offs), as well as on magnetic tape, diskette or over the Internet by FTP.
WORLD OCEAN ATLAS CD-ROM SERIES 1994
The Ocean Climate Laboratory (OCL) at NODC is supported by the NOAA Climate and Global Change program to produce scientifically quality controlled databases of the world ocean. Work to date includes quality control of historical in situ
temperature,
salinity,
oxygen,
phosphate,
nitrate, and
silicate
data and the preparation of one-degree latitude-longitude mean fields for each of these parameters. Specifically, this project has produced four ocean
atlases
describing the global distributions of these parameters and two technical reports ( TR-79 and TR-81) in the NOAA Technical Reports section in NODC Publications, describing the quality control and processing procedures.
Observed and standard level profile data (along with quality control flags) used in the production of these atlases are being made available in a World Ocean Atlas 1994 CD-ROM series (referred to herein as WOA94). In addition, the series contains the objectively analyzed one-degree latitude-longitude mean fields for each of the measured parameters, and two derived parameters (Apparent Oxygen Utilization and oxygen saturation), and five-degree square statistics of standard level values.
Profile data on the WOA94 series are recorded in ASCII format and sorted geographically, so they are easy to access and manipulate. The CD-ROMS are formatted in the ISO 9660 standard. (9 discs)
This
ERRATA
has been issued as of March 1995.
The same errata plus corrected data can be downloaded via FTP.
More details
SEA LEVEL DATA
This CD-ROM, created by the NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), is divided into two main directories. One directory of the disc contains Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) sea level data, the file formats, and associated documentation. The other main directory contains the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) data, documentation, and a few related data sets.
The TOGA sea level data is managed by the TOGA Sea Level Center at the Universitiy of Hawaii in cooperation with the NODC Liaison Officer Pat Caldwell through the Joint Archive for Sea Level. It is a well-documented archive of hourly, daily, and monthly sea level values in standardized formats from 289 sea level stations in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. These data are collected in support of the TOGA project and are primarily in the tropical ocean areas of TOGA interest (30 deg. N - 30 deg. S latitude). This CD-ROM contains the TOGA sea level holdings as of July 1994, as well as quality assessments and an inventory list of all sites, latitudes, longitudes, and time spans.
The PSMSL is based at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Bidston Observatory, United Kingdom and contains monthly and annual mean values of sea level from approximately 1500 tide and gauge stations around the world. Other related data sets are also included such as the IAPSO Tidal Constants dataset and the Revised Local Reference annual mean values. This CD-ROM contains the PSMSL data holdings axJs of August 1994. (1 disc)
More details
COASTAL CHANGE ANALYSIS PROGRAM (C-CAP) - CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION (1984-1989) CD-ROM
The Chesapeake Bay Region (1984-1989) CD-ROM shows changes in land cover for this region over the 5-year interval from 1984 to 1988-89. The data set is the result of a multiyear effort that has focused on the Chesapeake Bay as a prototype for the Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) of the NOAA Coastal Ocean Program's Estuarine Habitat Studies Program. The Coastal Ocean Program has
additional information on C-CAP. The CD-ROM was produced cooperatively by the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, National Geophysical Data Center, and National Oceanographic Data Center.
This Chesapeake Bay data set constitutes one of the largest change detection efforts ever attempted, covering an area of approximately 30,000 square miles with a source data resolution of 30 meters by 30 meters. Its greatest value is in its synoptic coverage and consistent classification over such a large area. The data set is based on an analysis of
Landsat Thematic Mapper
(TM) scenes of the Chesapeake Bay area. GeoVu display software is included on the CD-ROM and will operate on any IBM-PC/AT or compatible personal computer with MS Windows (Version 3.1) and a compatible CD-ROM reader. (1 disc)
More details
GEOSAT GLOBAL WIND/WAVE DATA
This CD-ROM holds global wind/wave data derived from altimeter data collected during the Geodetic Mission of the U.S. Navy Geodetic Satellite (Geosat). The data span the period from March 31, 1985 through September 30, 1986. Although the complete data set from the Geosat Geodetic Mission is classified, in 1988 the Navy released the radar backscatter (from which wind speed is derived) and the significant wave height data. This disc holds these data and includes two wind speed fields that were computed using different algorithms. The README file on this disc also provides three additional wind speed algorithms proposed since 1988 and a bibliography that includes references to papers that discuss the algorithm used to compute significant wave height.
The wind/wave data are recorded as 26-byte binary records in Hewlett-Packard format. A software module to convert the data to binary VAX format is also provided. To fit this entire data set onto one CD-ROM, the files have been compressed. Software to decompress the files is provided on the CD-ROM. (1 disc)
More details
NODC TAXONOMIC CODE VERSION 7.0
The NODC Taxonomic Code is a hierarchical system of numerical codes used to represent the scientific names of organisms. The Code links the Linnean system of biological nomenclature to a numerical schema that facilitates modern methods of computerized data storage and retrieval. Each code contains a maximum of 12 digits partitioned into 2-digit couplets. Each couplet represents one or more levels of the taxonomic hierarchy.
Version 7.0 of the NODC Taxonomic Code contains approximately 206,000 records. Data files on the CD-ROM present the Code in a number of different ways. These files include the Code in different sort orders, subsets of the Code, and other versions modified for special uses or applications. The CD-ROM also contains a separate directory in which the Code is divided into 41 files each of which is small enough to be copied to a high density diskette. These files contain members of a single major group of organisms (e.g., protozoans, fishes, birds) or several different groups of more-or-less closely related organisms. (1 disc)
More details
NOAA MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL BUOY DATABASE
This set of 14 CD-ROMs (plus 6 updates) holds marine meteorological, oceanographic, and wave spectra data collected by moored buoys and C-MAN (Coastal-Marine Automated Network) stations operated by the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). C-MAN stations are located at coastal and nearshore sites on piers, offshore towers, lighthouses, and beaches. The NDBC buoys began reporting in the early 1970s and the NODC archive holds data from October 1972. The first C-MAN stations became operational in March 1983, and the NODC archive of C-MAN data begins in 1985. The data on these discs spans the period through July 1992. The discs are organized by ocean area and provide data for the
Atlantic Ocean
(4 discs),
Gulf of Mexico
(2 discs), Great Lakes (2 discs),
central and western Pacific Ocean(1 disc),
North Pacific Ocean above 50N
(1 disc), and
Eastern Pacific Ocean
(4 discs), updates through August 1994 (6 discs). Each update disc contains buoys and C-MAN stations from all geographical locations.
Principal measured parameters reported by both moored buoys and C-MAN stations include air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction, wind gust, and sea surface temperature. The buoys (and a few C-MAN stations located on offshore platforms) also report wave data, which usually includes wave height, wave period, and wave spectra. Since the late 1980s, some buoys have reported directional wave spectra. The data and information files are recorded in ASCII format. Data files for each buoy or C-MAN station are arranged chronologically in directories by their station identifier. Each file contains data for month for that buoy or station (14 discs plus 6 updates).
More details
OCEANOGRAPHIC STATION PROFILE TIME SERIES
The National Oceanographic Data Center and the World Data Center A for Oceanography have compiled from the NODC Oceanographic Station Data File a set of oceanographic data having repetitive samples along ocean sections or at fixed stations for long time periods. These oceanographic station time-series include temperature, salinity, density, and nutrient data. The total time-series data set contains: 27 North Pacific sections; 56 North Atlantic sections; sections along coastal California from the California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations (CALCOFI); 19 sections from other ocean regions; and data from the 10 Ocean Weather Stations.
The CD-ROM contains both data and inventory files. Each inventory file is sorted by NODC Reference Number. The data on this disc are stored as ASCII records in the NODC Oceanographic Station Data (SD2) format. Also included on the CD-ROM is a conversion program that enables these data to be used with the ATLAST software. (ATLAST is a software package for accessing and displaying hydrographic and tracer section data. Developed by Dr. Peter Rhines of the University of Washington, it is distributed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.) (1 disc)
More details
GEOSAT ALTIMETER DATA (GDRs) FROM THE GEODETIC MISSION, 30 S-72 S
This set of two CD-ROMs contains Geosat geophysical data records (GDRS) collected south of 30 S during the 1985-1986 Geosat Geodetic Mission. Unlike the Geosat Exact Repeat Mission during 1986-1989, the Geodetic Mission was designed to produce a tightly spaced ground track pattern (typically 3 to 4 km at 30 S). Therefore, this dataset provides denser data coverage of the ocean surface than that produced by other satellite altimeters. Data on these CD-ROMs are stored in a binary Hewlett-Packard format, but each disc contains a software module that enables the data to be converted to binary VAX format. Disc 1 contains the data for March 30, 1985 - December 31, 1985; Disc 2 contains the data for January 1, 1986 - September 30, 1986.
[Note: Foreign requesters must follow special procedures when ordering Geosat data. i For further information, contact NODC.] (2 discs)
More details
GEOSAT ALTIMETER CROSSOVER DIFFERENCES FROM THE GEODETIC MISSION
The first 18 months of Geosat operations (April 1985 to September 1986) were referred to as the Geodetic Mission. Except for data south of 30 S that has been declassified and released by the Navy, data from the Geosat Geodetic Mission were collected for military use and are classified. The altimeter crossover differences from the Geodetic Mission are unclassified, however, and are contained on this set of eight CD-ROMs in the form of crossover difference records (XDRs). Although only the 18-month Geodetic Mission data are classified, XDRs were constructed for the first 2.5 years of the Geosat mission, that is, data from the Geodetic Mission plus the first year of the Exact Repeat Mission. This was done to minimize the effect of the 5-week data gap (October 1 to November 8, 1986) between the two missions.
The GEOSAT Altimeter Crossover Difference data are organized by geographic region (see
map).
The data are in a binary Hewlett-Packard format, but each disc contains a module that enables the data to be converted to binary VAX format. The Geosat altimeter crossover difference records are documented in a NOAA handbook, a copy of which is provided with each order. [Note: Foreign requesters must follow special procedures when ordering Geosat data. Please contact NODC for further information.] (8 discs)
More details
GEOSAT ALTIMETER DATA (T2 GDRS) FROM THE EXACT REPEAT MISSION
These six CD-ROMs contain improved geophysical data records (GDRS) from the U.S. Navy Geodetic Satellite (Geosat) Exact Repeat Mission (ERM), November 1986 through December 1989. The original version of these data released by the NODC on magnetic tape were based on operational satellite orbits computed by the Naval Astronautics Group (NAG) and are referred to as the "NAG GDRs". A new satellite ephemeris, more precise by an order of magnitude, has since been computed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. These new orbits have been incorporated in the "T2 GDRs" (so called because the orbits are based on the GEM-T2 gravity model). In addition, the T2 GDRs contain other new fields which significantly increase the overall accuracy of the Geosat data.
The Geosat T2 data on these CD-ROMs are stored in files containing one day of measurements each. Disc 1 of the set contains data from November 8, 1986 through April 9, 1987. The other CD-ROMs cover succeeding time spans of the Geosat mission. The data are in the same binary Hewlett-Packard format as the original Geosat GDRs. (A program that converts the data from Hewlett-Packard to VAX format is included on each disc). Each order is accompanied by a copy of the Geosat GDR user handbook. [Note: Foreign requesters must follow special procedures when ordering Geosat data. Please contact the NODC for further information.] (6 discs)
More details
GLOBAL OCEAN TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY PROFILES
This set of two CD-ROMs contains global ocean temperature and salinity profiles derived from six major NODC archive files:
(1) Oceanographic Station Data,
(2) CTD/STD Data,
(3) Expendable Bathythermograph Data,
(4) Mechanical Bathythermograph Data,
(5) Radio Message Bathythermograph Data, and
(6) Selected Level Bathythermograph Data.
The data span the period from 1900 to 1990. Disc I contains 1.62 million profiles from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans; Disc 2 contains 1.57 million profiles from the Pacific Ocean. The data are in ASCII format. Data access and display software is provided on an accompanying floppy disc. (2 discs)
Maps
displaying the geographic and temporal distribution of the two data types that provide both temperature and salinity in the same profile (SD2 and STD) are available for viewing.
More details
Customized CD-ROM Datasets
Using a Compact Disc Recorder, the NODC is now able to provide customers with data selected from its archive data files on one-off CD-ROMS. The data are provided in the same format as data on magnetic media such as tape and diskette. Because a CD-ROM can hold up to 650 megabytes of data, there is substantial cost savings when large data sets are provided on a single CD-ROM versus multiple tapes or diskettes. The NODC has individual fliers that provide additional information about the CD-ROM data sets listed here.
To place an order, an online order form is provided for your convenience:
NODC Online Order Form
Additional information and prices are listed on the Order Form on the NODC Home Page.
For further information, please contact NODC at:
National Oceanographic Data Center
User Services Branch
NOAA/NESDIS E/OC21
1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20235
Telephone: 202-606-4549
Fax: 202-606-4586
Internet: services@nodc.noaa.gov
NODC Home Page
Last Update: 12 April 1995
Prepared by Natalie Wong (nwong@nodc.noaa.gov) and Judith Snider (jsnider@nodc.noaa.gov)
