Information about the netCDF data files in the NOAA Marine Environmental Buoy Database

• Information about netCDF data and metadata access options via NODC's THREDDS Data Server:
  • OPENDAP: Access data through a Dataset Access Form (OPenDAP does not currently support netCDF-4 groups)*
  • HTTPServer: Download the entire netCDF data file via HTTP
  • WCS (Web Coverage Service): Interoperable access to geospatial coverages*
  • WMS (Web Map Service): Geo-registered map images (Not Currently Available)*
  • NCML (NetCDF Markup Language): XML representation of netCDF metadata*
  • UDDC (UNIDATA Attribute Convention for Data Discovery): Report on conformance to the Unidata netCDF Attribute Convention for Data Discovery*
  • ISO (International Organization for Standardization): Marine XML metadata record*
• Intstructions for downloading an entire netCDF data file via NODC's FTP server:
  • On the command line, enter "ftp ftp.nodc.noaa.gov"
  • Enter "anonymous" for the User
  • Enter your e-mail address for the password
  • Enter "cd pub/data.nodc/ndbc/cmanwx"
  • There is a directory for each year and month that has data. Change directory to the desired year and month (e.g., "cd 2011/01").
  • "get" the file of your choice, or "mget" multiple files in the directory
  • enter bye to log off.
• Information about NDBC's netCDF server and files. http://dods.ndbc.noaa.gov/ *
• Information about netCDF. http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/ *
• NetCDF data file naming convention: NDBC_<WMO ID>_<YYYYMM>_D<DEPLOYMENT NUMBER>_v<VERSION NUMBER>.nc
  • WMO ID: 5-character alpha-numeric string, which the World Meteorological Organization assigned, to identify C-MAN stations and moored buoys;
  • YYYYMM: numeric year and month that NDBC collected the data;
  • DEPLOYMENT NUMBER: unique number assigned to specific station configuration, sequentially assigned by the NDBC database system

    (lower number = older configuration and a higher number = a newer configuration);

  • VERSION NUMBER: two-digit number that NDBC uses to track their version of the data, starting with 00; and
  • .nc: netCDF (version 4) file extension.
• For more information contact NODC.buoy@noaa.gov