GES DISC Experience with HDF Formats for MeaSUREs Projects by James Johnson NASA/GES DISC (Wyle Inc.) April 17, 2012
What is MEaSUREs? Making Earth Science Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSUREs) ROSES-2006 Proposal with 29 projects Create Earth Science Data Records (ESDRs): long-term, consistent, and calibrated data and products that are valid across multiple missions and satellite sensors GES DISC supports 7 MEaSUREs projects
GES DISC MEaSUREs Projects ProjectPI NameType of DataFile Format Reprocessing and Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) Data Set for Global Water and Energy Cycle Research Chung-Lin ShieL3: 1.0°×1.0° GridsHDF-EOS5 Creating a Long Term Multi-Sensor Ozone Data Record Richard McPetersL3: 5° Zonal Means L2 Nadir ProfilesHDF5 Consistent Long-Term Aerosol Data Records over Land and Ocean from SeaWIFS Christina HsuL3: 0.5°×0.5° Grids L3: 1.0°×1.0° Grids L2: Orbit Swaths HDF5 GOZCARDS: Global Ozone Chemistry and Related trace gas Data Records for the Stratosphere Lucien FroidevauxL3: 10° Zonal MeansnetCDF4 Earth Surface and Atmosphere Reflectivity Since 1979 from Multiple Satellites Jay HermanL3: 2.0°×5.0° Grid L3: 5° Zonal Means HDF-EOS5 A Multi-Sensor Water Vapor Climate Data Record Using Cloud Classification Eric FetzerL2: Co-located (AIRS and Cloudsat) netCDF4 Developing Consistent Earth System Data Records for the global terrestrial water cycle Eric WoodL3: 0.5°×0.5° GridsHDF-EOS5
GES DISC Recommendations GES DISC proposed recommendations for file names, formats (HDF5, HDF-EOS5, netCDF4), and metadata (CF-1 and S4PA) Work with data teams to reach ‘recommended’ requirements Goal to get consistency among the various MEaSUREs data projects Why? Primarily for benefit of users and also for interoperability software such as OPeNDAP Harness full power of 'self-describing' file formats
Problems and Issues Ad-hoc HDF5 implementations cause problems with OPeNDAP handler and other generic tools (particularly if no CF-1 conventions used). HDF-EOS5 has a well described data model for a generic handler. Recommend CF-1/udunits conventions for attributes. netCDF4 implementations have not been tested yet, except classic netCDF implementations using CF-1 conventions. GES DISC would like to remove the HDF5 recommendation to prevent future problems.
GES DISC MEaSUREs Page For further information about these projects: OPeNDAP access to available data at: