As many in the Unidata community are aware, on January 14, 2015 the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) began producing Global Forecast System (GFS) model output with 0.25-degree resolution for use in weather forecasting operations. This output is now available to be added to the Unidata Internet Data Distribution (IDD) system's CONDUIT data stream. So where is it?
Unidata Program Center staff have been testing the 0.25-degree GFS data, and have been working with operators of top-level IDD relay sites to determine whether these operators have the capacity to handle the increased data volume associated with this new data stream. The approximate volume of the 0.25-degree GFS model output is 20 GB per model run, four times each day. For comparison, the current GFS model output delivered via CONDUIT (GFS 0.5-degree, 1-degree, and 2.5-degree) total approximately 5 GB per model run, four times each day.
Given the significant increase in data volume represented by the 0.25-degree GFS model output, the Program Center is moving cautiously before adding the data stream to CONDUIT. In addition to determining whether the top-level IDD nodes have the capacity to handle the new data stream, we are preparing a community survey to gauge interest in receiving this and other data via CONDUIT. We are also investigating ways to make the GFS 0.25-degree model output available via one or more remote-access TDS servers.
We appreaciate that many in the Unidata community are anxious to gain access to the 0.25-degree GFS model output. Please bear with us as we determine the most effective way to make this data stream available, and watch for the community survey we hope to have available very soon.
You can find it at:
http://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds084.1/
and
http://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds084.3/#!description
Posted by Grace on February 18, 2015 at 02:32 PM MST #
Real time "operational" data can be accessed at:
http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/products/gfs/#GFS
Posted by Doug Schuster on February 18, 2015 at 03:12 PM MST #