> Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:26:55 -0700
> From: "Jeffrey F. Painter" <painter1 at llnl.gov>
> Subject: [CF-metadata] standard names for stations
> To: cf-metadata <cf-metadata at cgd.ucar.edu>
> Message-ID: <4E5588BF.2090003 at llnl.gov>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> The draft version 1.6 of the CF Conventions manual recommends use of
two
> standard names which don't exist yet but are needed to describe discrete
> data such as observations from stations or other discrete points. So
> I'd like to propose the following two standard names:
>
> - station_description : variable of character type containing a
> description of a time series station
> - wmo_platform_id : variable of integer type, containing the WMO
> identifier of an observing station or other platform
>
> - Jeff Painter
Hi,
I clearly see the need for this.
Concerning station_description, I think this is useful whether it is a time
series or not. There is a need to describe the actual location for the
station. E.g. describe the surface, horizon, and other aspects that may affect
the observations.
Concerning wmo_platform_id, I think Nan Galbraiths suggestion using an id
and a naming authority is useful and more flexible than specifying a WMO
reference directly. Concerning my institution, all stations operated by us,
whether being WMO stations or not, always have an internal ID. Not all
stations have a WMO id. It may even be useful to be able to use multiple ids
for stations to cover situations like the one I mention.
NACCD is good but it does not have the momentum that CF has. Many other
such discovery conventions for NetCDF files exist and are used, most of
course differing only slightly. I believe they will merge in time, but for now
I think NACDD is less used than CF. I certainly agree it should be promoted
(and we will probably move towards it), but these things take time.
Thus I would prefer put as much information as possible as CF-compliant
variables in the dataset, even if it means duplicating them as global
attributes for discovery purposes.
All the best
?ystein
--
Dr. Oystein Godoy
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
P.O.BOX 43, Blindern, N-0313 OSLO, Norway
Ph: (+47) 2296 3000 (switchb) 2296 3334 (direct line)
Fax:(+47) 2296 3050 Institute home page: http://met.no/
Received on Fri Aug 26 2011 - 01:36:00 BST
