Adding a service to a remotely served dataset

Ethan Davis edavis at unidata.ucar.edu
Mon Jul 9 13:53:23 MDT 2007


John,

Is this capability available with the netCDF subset service as well?

Ethan

John Caron wrote:
> We made an extension of the WCS Dataset URL format to allow the TDS to 
> serve remote datasets. Identify the dataset by adding the parameter 
> dataset whose value is a URL:
>
>  http://servername:8080/thredds/wcs?dataset=datasetURL&
>
> The URL must be a dataset readable by the NetCDF-Java library, 
> typically an OPeNDAP dataset on another server. It must have gridded 
> data, with identifiable coordinate systems, etc. For example, an 
> OPeNDAP URL might be
>
>  http://las.pfeg.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/nph-dods/data/oceanwatch/nrt/gac/AG14day.nc 
>
> This can be served remotely as a WCS dataset with this URL:
>
>  http://servername:8080/thredds/wcs?dataset=http://las.pfeg.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/nph-dods/data/oceanwatch/nrt/gac/AG14day.nc& 
>
>
>
> This is non-standard WCS; we havent emphasized this feature until we 
> have a chance to review security implications. The WCS service now if 
> off by default, and must explicitly be turned on in threddsConfig.xml, 
> mostly because of this feature. We should probably seperately allow 
> users to enable/disable "remote WCS access".
>
>
> Oliver Newell wrote:
>> Hi Roy -
>>
>> FYI - We're currently experimenting with implementing WCS services, 
>> and the same requirement (wish?) as what you're describing has been 
>> raised. Basically, the need to discover a data set via a cataloging 
>> mechanism (THREDDS, an OGC catalog, a DOD NCES catalog) and then be 
>> able to access it via a WCS that resides somewhere on the network. My 
>> initial take on it is that since WCS data access requests work with 
>> unique identifiers (not URLs), this limits the capabilities of the 
>> service in the sense that the Id-to-resource (data file or db) 
>> mapping is managed locally by the WCS. In other words, the WCS has to 
>> 'know about' the resource in advance of the request, in order to do 
>> the mapping.
>>
>> I think the WCS service should support a mode of operation where a 
>> resource's URL is included in the requests to the service, in order 
>> to support the external WCS concept.  I think it is still important 
>> to maintain the Id as a separate entity, so it is not just a question 
>> of using a URL for the coverage identifier, though that idea might be 
>> tempting.
>>
>> The idea needs flushing out a bit, but it is still early enough in 
>> WCS's development that changes like this can be incorporated into the 
>> spec via the OGC working group (my opinion). It definitely seems like 
>> it would be a useful capability to address the situation you describe.
>>
>> -Oliver
>>
>> Roy Mendelssohn wrote:
>>> Hi Glenn:
>>>
>>> No problem.  But we were interested in the general problem, as there 
>>> are other datasets which also do not have WCS and which we would 
>>> like to add it, rather than trying to get each of them  to add it  
>>> (Some just have an OPeNDAP server, not a THREDDS server).  Yours 
>>> allowed me to give Ethan a concrete example so he could look at the 
>>> catalogs.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> -Roy
>>> On Jul 9, 2007, at 7:52 AM, Glenn.Rutledge wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello Roy-
>>>> That particular dataset will be turned on shortly via WCS.  That 
>>>> was an oversight.  Nice to have users telling us where we need 
>>>> stuff!   Glenn
>>>>
>>>> Ethan Davis wrote the following on 7/6/2007 6:02 PM:
>>>>> Hi Roy,
>>>>>
>>>>> Looks like you are referencing NCDC catalogs rather than serving 
>>>>> the datasets yourself. So, users would get redirected to the NCDC 
>>>>> server and access the data through the NCDC server. So, as things 
>>>>> stand, NCDC would have to add the WCS service.
>>>>>
>>>>> You could point to each NCDC dataset with an NcML wrapper and 
>>>>> actually serve the data from your server rather than redirecting 
>>>>> to NCDC. If you did that, you could add the WCS service. However, 
>>>>> the performance wouldn't be as good as direct from NCDC.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm afraid I don't know about the WCS request for a time range. 
>>>>> So, I'll leave that for others to answer.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ethan
>>>>>
>>>>> Roy Mendelssohn wrote:
>>>>>> Hi Ethan:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am not certain I follow.  To be more specific, look at:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://oceanwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/thredds/catalog.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>> and scroll down to the datasets " Remote test to Nomads THREDDS 
>>>>>> catalog", which is actually on a THREDDS server on an NCDC 
>>>>>> computer.  They are remotely served through catalogs.  Can we add 
>>>>>> the WCS service on our end, or will it only work if NCDC adds the 
>>>>>> WCS service.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> While I have your attention, I have not been able to get a 
>>>>>> straight answer if there is a way to send the WCS request to get 
>>>>>> a time range, rather than a single time, and if so what is the 
>>>>>> syntax for that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -Roy
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jul 6, 2007, at 11:24 AM, Ethan Davis wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Roy,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you are actually serving the dataset through your server 
>>>>>>> (which it sounds like you are since you mention existing NcML 
>>>>>>> for the dataset) rather than providing a link in your catalog to 
>>>>>>> the remote server, I believe you can simply add the WCS service 
>>>>>>> to your TDS configuration catalog and serve the data via WCS. It 
>>>>>>> shouldn't require any changes to the NcML, just to the service 
>>>>>>> element in the catalog.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Of course, this depends on the dataset meeting the WCS server 
>>>>>>> requirements, e.g., evenly spaced grid.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm not sure how it would perform. But I'll leave it for John to 
>>>>>>> respond on that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ethan
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Roy Mendelssohn wrote:
>>>>>>>> Hi:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The question for today is if our TDS is "serving" a dataset 
>>>>>>>> remotely  (ie. the remote site has their own TDS and we just 
>>>>>>>> link indirectly to it), can we add a service to our version 
>>>>>>>> that they don't have  (just like we can aggregate a remote 
>>>>>>>> dataset that is not aggregated).  In particular the remote 
>>>>>>>> dataset only has an OPeNDAP response, but we would like to be 
>>>>>>>> able to respond to both an OPeNDAP and a WCS response.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> If we change our NcML appropriately, will that work?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -Roy
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> **********************
>>>>>>>> "The contents of this message do not reflect any position of 
>>>>>>>> the U.S. Government or NOAA."
>>>>>>>> **********************
>>>>>>>> Roy Mendelssohn
>>>>>>>> Supervisory Operations Research Analyst
>>>>>>>> NOAA/NMFS
>>>>>>>> Environmental Research Division   Southwest Fisheries Science 
>>>>>>>> Center
>>>>>>>> 1352 Lighthouse Avenue
>>>>>>>> Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2097
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> e-mail: Roy.Mendelssohn at noaa.gov (Note new e-mail address)
>>>>>>>> voice: (831)-648-9029
>>>>>>>> fax: (831)-648-8440
>>>>>>>> www: http://www.pfeg.noaa.gov/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
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>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --Ethan R. Davis                                Telephone: (303) 
>>>>>>> 497-8155
>>>>>>> Software Engineer                             Fax:       (303) 
>>>>>>> 497-8690
>>>>>>> UCAR Unidata Program Center                   E-mail:    
>>>>>>> edavis at ucar.edu
>>>>>>> P.O. Box 3000
>>>>>>> Boulder, CO  80307-3000                       
>>>>>>> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
>>>>>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> **********************
>>>>>> "The contents of this message do not reflect any position of the 
>>>>>> U.S. Government or NOAA."
>>>>>> **********************
>>>>>> Roy Mendelssohn
>>>>>> Supervisory Operations Research Analyst
>>>>>> NOAA/NMFS
>>>>>> Environmental Research Division   Southwest Fisheries Science Center
>>>>>> 1352 Lighthouse Avenue
>>>>>> Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2097
>>>>>>
>>>>>> e-mail: Roy.Mendelssohn at noaa.gov (Note new e-mail address)
>>>>>> voice: (831)-648-9029
>>>>>> fax: (831)-648-8440
>>>>>> www: http://www.pfeg.noaa.gov/
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --Glenn K. Rutledge
>>>> Services Team Leader
>>>> Remote Sensing and Applications Division
>>>> NOMADS Project Manager
>>>> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
>>>> National Climatic Data Center
>>>> Asheville NC 28801
>>>> Phone: (828) 271-4097
>>>> Fax: (828) 271-4328
>>>>
>>>> NOMADS: http://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/
>>>>
>>>
>>> **********************
>>> "The contents of this message do not reflect any position of the 
>>> U.S. Government or NOAA."
>>> **********************
>>> Roy Mendelssohn
>>> Supervisory Operations Research Analyst
>>> NOAA/NMFS
>>> Environmental Research Division   Southwest Fisheries Science Center
>>> 1352 Lighthouse Avenue
>>> Pacific Grove, CA 93950-2097
>>>
>>> e-mail: Roy.Mendelssohn at noaa.gov (Note new e-mail address)
>>> voice: (831)-648-9029
>>> fax: (831)-648-8440
>>> www: http://www.pfeg.noaa.gov/
>>>
>>> "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
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-- 
Ethan R. Davis                                Telephone: (303) 497-8155
Software Engineer                             Fax:       (303) 497-8690
UCAR Unidata Program Center                   E-mail:    edavis at ucar.edu
P.O. Box 3000
Boulder, CO  80307-3000                       http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
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