Adding a service to a remotely served dataset

Roy Mendelssohn Roy.Mendelssohn at noaa.gov
Mon Jul 9 13:59:50 MDT 2007


I just wanted to add that this is something we have been looking at  
in a more general framework - providing  "proxy" services to other  
existing services  (or  gateways if you will).  That way any one site  
will only have to provide the data using a single service, while  
"assembly" or  "aggregation" centers aggregate these services and  
provide proxy services for a larger class of web services  (I hope  
this is clear).

-Roy


On Jul 9, 2007, at 12:53 PM, Ethan Davis wrote:

> 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."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> ============================================================== 
>>>>>>>>> ================
>>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
>>>>>>>>> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
>>>>>>>>> ============================================================== 
>>>>>>>>> ================
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --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."
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> =================================================================== 
>>>> ===========
>>>> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
>>>> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
>>>> =================================================================== 
>>>> ===========
>>>
>>> ==================================================================== 
>>> ==========
>>> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
>>> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
>>> ==================================================================== 
>>> ==========
>>
>> ===================================================================== 
>> =========
>> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
>> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
>> ===================================================================== 
>> =========
>
> -- 
> 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/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> -----
>
>
> ====================================================================== 
> ========
> To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
> http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
> ====================================================================== 
> ========
>

**********************
"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."



==============================================================================
To unsubscribe thredds, visit:
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/mailing-list-delete-form.html
==============================================================================



More information about the Thredds mailing list