NDBC DODS Server

What is DODS?

The Distributed Oceanographic Data Systems (DODS) is a framework for data providers to share data with each other and with end users. It uses Open Source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP) software, which has been adopted by the National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations (OCEAN.US) in its Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Plan.

NDBC has established this DODS server to participate in the DMAC plan for establishing the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), as both a data provider and a Data Assembly Center. In implementing this DODS server, NDBC has chosen the network Common Data Form (netCDF) method to serve the data. NetCDF seems to be the method for which more client access software exists. Go to the OPeNDAP Clients List to learn more about clients for accessing the data. More information is available in the OPeNDAP User Guide. We have followed the Cooperative Ocean/Atmosphere Research Data Service (COARDS) and netCDF CF metadata conventions as much as possible.

Access the NDBC OPeNDAP/DODS Data

Organization of Data

The data are in subdirectories by type, then by station within each type. The data types are listed below. Both historical and "real-time" data are available in collections in the station folders. The collections are in separate files for each year of historical data, plus a file for the latest "real-time" data. The file naming convention is SSSSStYYYY.nc, where SSSSS will have the station's ID, t will be the data type, YYYY will be the year of the historical data or 9999 for the latest "real-time" data, and .nc indicates it is a netCDF file. The "real-time" data have not undergone NDBC's final archival quality processing. The term "real-time" is used to be consistent with the labels used on NDBC's main web site. The "real-time" files will contain up to 45 days of the latest data, to provide a continuous time series when coupled with the current year's historical data. Upon each month's final monthly archival quality processing, that month of historical data will be added to the current year file and removed from the 9999 file. There will be no overlaps.

NDBC serves the station folders in subdirectories labeled for the following data type:

• adcp - Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data
• adcp2 - MMS Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data
• cwind - Continuous Winds data
• dart - Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis data
• mmbcur - Marsh-McBirney Current Measurements data
• ocean - Oceanographic data
• pwind - Peak Winds data
• stdmet- Standard Meteorological data
• swden - Spectral Wave Density data with Spectral Wave Direction data
• wlevel - Water Level data