Support

UnidataProviding World-Class support to its community is at the heart of the Unidata Program.
Software Training

Training WorkshopsUnidata holds annual workshops in Boulder, Colorado to train users in Unidata-supported software.

See the Unidata Calendar of Events for the next scheduled workshop.

The training information and tutorials used during Unidata's training workshops are available online as a resource to our community.

View the training workshop materials
Ways to Get Support
Questions About Support?

Questions or comments about Unidata support can be sent to: support@unidata.ucar.edu

Suggested Support Process

To better serve our community, we request those seeking support to consider the suggested process:

Step 1: Have you reviewed the documentation?

Documentation Please review the existing documentation for the answers to your questions. The documentation contains a wealth of useful information and provides the answers to most operational questions.

List available software documentation

Step 2: Have you utilized our mailing lists and support archives?

Mailing Lists

Archives Query the Unidata community using our topical mailing lists. Our community contains expert users who are happy to share their experience and knowledge with others.

View the mailing lists
Support Archives

Request Support Browse previously answered support questions in our support archives. It is likely the answer to your question has been addressed and is available in the archives.

Go to the support archives

Step 3: Submit a support request to Unidata

Request Support Send your support question directly to Unidata using one of the topic-specific email addresses, or you may use the support request form to compose your queries.

View the ways to submit a support request to Unidata

Questions About the Support Process?

Questions or comments about the suggested support process can be sent to: support@unidata.ucar.edu

Mailing Lists

Archives Unidata provides topical mailing lists to enable Unidata users to exchange information freely on topics of mutual interest.

NOTE: Anyone posting to a list in an attempt to advertise or sell goods/services will be immediately unsubscribed and banned from the list.

Mailing List Information

List Name List Description
bufrtables
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		An informal technical working group for developers of software that read and write WMO BUFR messages. We have a need to share standardized, machine-readable BUFR tables, if BUFR is to be used across institutions or to archive data.
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cf-satellite
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		A mailing list for the discussion to propose a CF Convention for satellite data.
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community
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		Announcements from the UPC concerning advocacy issues, newsletters, software, workshops, special community meetings, equipment awards, and important data issues. (Note: No posting is allowed to this list.
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conduit
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		Working collaboratively with NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (in the early years), and the Unidata Program Center (UPC), and with cooperation from the university community, Unidata's Internet Data Distribution (IDD) has been used for distribution of CONDUIT high resolution model data sets. The data consist of a substantial set of the data made available on servers at the NCEP and at NWS.
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decoders
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		This mailing list is for announcements and discussion of the Unidata decoders package, for converting various kinds of meteorological bulletins into netCDF data. In addition to the GRIB decoder (gribtonc) written in C, the package includes four perl decoders: a synoptic decoder (syn2nc), a buoy decoder (buoy2nc), a METAR decoder (metar2nc), and an upper-air decoder (ua2nc).
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galeon
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		GALEON is an informal interoperability experiment Unidata is initiating with a number of members of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) to determine the feasiblity of using the Web Coverage Service (WCS) interface specification to access netCDF datasets. The goal is to determine whether extensions to the WCS specification are needed in order to facilitate access to netCDF datasets commonly used in atmospheric and ocean sciences communities.
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gembud
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		The gembud (GEMPAK buddy) mailing list is a special interest list for users of the GEneral Meteorological PAcKage (GEMPAK) developed by NASA and NCEP (formerly NMC). Subscribers to gembud include users at Unidata sites, government sites and commercial users, including the developers at NCEP, NASA, and Unidata. gembud is used primarily for discussions of intermediate to advanced GEMPAK issues (most beginner questions come directly to Unidata user support), including topics such as using research datasets, developing local extensions, and customizing for site specific uses. Additionally, gembud is the place to hear about software releases and updates, including new distributions, patches, contributed software, and bug fixes.
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gifsfg
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		The THORPEX Global Interactive Forecast System (GIFS) Focus Groups mailing list. The THORPEX implementation plan envisages the establishment of a future Global Interactive Forecast System (GIFS), to realise benefits of the THORPEX research programme by developing improvements to operational forecasting systems. To develop detailed technical solutions in support of the GIFS, and for the implementation of its various phases (e.g., generation of different products, such as TC, PQPF), focus groups have been created to investigate access to and distribution of real time and archived ensemble data, and to develop ensemble based products and services for high impact events. The THORPEX GIFS mailing list has been created to facilitate discussion and provide announcements regarding GIFS development across the focus groups and interested parties.
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idd-brasil
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		The idd-brasil email list is akin to the ldm-users email list. It was created for South American IDD participants so they could correspond with each other about IDD related issues in their native languages which are either Portugese or Spanish.
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idvdevelopers
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		A special interest list for developers using the Integrated Data Viewer 3D visualization application framework.
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idvusers
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		This mailing list is intended for discussion of IDV software including installation, setup, and use.
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ldm-users
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		This is an unmoderated list for announcements, discussions, bug reports, and questions about the LDM software and Unidata's Internet Data Distribution (IDD) system. It is also the main list for general data requests when data have been missed (other users will help replace the missing data). Typical postings include discussions on using the LDM; discussions of issues related to porting to various platforms; information about changes to stations; and discussion of issues and priorities affecting the further development of the LDM and the IDD.
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libcf
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		Discussion of the NetCDF-CF Library (libCF), a C/Fortran library. The libCF supports the creation of scientific data files conforming to the CF conventions, using the netCDF API.
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mcidas-x
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		This is a mailing list to facilitate user interactions about subjects of mutual interest to McIDAS users. Typical uses of the list include announcements of new McIDAS releases, bug fixes and down times for the McIDAS mainframe at SSEC; verifying that the McIDAS data stream is running; user requests for unusual, historic data sets, information on hardware configurations and for help programming new McIDAS modules, using McIDAS commands, or importing non-McIDAS data. This list also provide the mechanisms for community activities such as contributing scripts and new routines to the community and even posting job openings requiring familiarity with McIDAS.
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needdata
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		This list is used to request missing or retrospective data. In the spirit of community that has made Unidata a success, subscribers help each other by supplying data that they have available (note that you must be subscribed to the list to post a request). Please be reasonable in your requests; don't expect someone to dig out six months of radiosonde data from 20 years ago.
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netcdf-hdf
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		This mailing list is intended for announcements and discussion about the netCDF and NCSA's HDF5 merger.
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netcdf-java
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		This mailing list is intended for announcements and discussion among developers using the Java netCDF packages, including ucar.nc2, ucar.nc2.dods, and ucar.ma2 and the older ucar.netcdf and ucar.multiarray packages.
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netcdf-perl
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		A mailing list for users of the netCDF Perl package. netCDF Perl is a perl extension module for scientific data access via the netCDF API.
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netcdf-porting
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		netcdf-porting is an unmoderated mailing list for questions and discussion of porting netCDF to new platforms. Although we try to support most platforms, it is not possible for Unidata to support all platforms. Currently supported netCDF platforms can be found on the daily testing web pages for netCDF-3 and netCDF-4. All other platforms are unsupported. Since netCDF has already been ported to many platforms, getting it to build and test on a new platform is usually not difficult. Bug reports (including build problems on currently supported platforms) should be sent to support-netcdf@unidata.ucar.edu. General purpose discussion of netCDF should take place in the netcdfgoup mailing list.
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netcdfgroup
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		netcdfgroup is an unmoderated mailing list for announcements, discussions, bug reports, and questions about netCDF software. Typical postings include announcements of new versions, patches, and bug fixes; questions about representing specific data relationships using the netCDF model; general discussions about scientific data access, including the use of other interfaces; and discussion of issues and priorities affecting the further development of the netCDF interfaces and software. Questions and discussion about porting the software to new platforms should be in the netcdf-porting mailing list.
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noaaport
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		This mailing list provides an opportunity for users to exchange information regarding the installation and operation of a local NOAAPORT receiver and data ingestion site. Unidata makes its locally developed downlink and LDM-ingestion software freely available as unsupported software, along with information regarding specific hardware in use.
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nws-changes
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		The nws-changes mail list contains announcements from the National Weather Service (NWS) about changes to NWS data streams. The announcements relate to formats and content and first appear in administrative messages in the data streams being modified. NWS also provides the information directly to Unidata so that we can broadcast the notices and examples over the nws-changes mail list.
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suominet
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		This mailing list consists of individuals participating, or interested in, the SuomiNet project.
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tiggelam
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		The TIGGE Limited Area Model (LAM) Project mailing list. Recently, a TIGGE-LAM Panel of Experts was established to support the development of the Limited Area Model Ensemble Prediction System component of TIGGE. This Panel should work in close coordination with the GIFS-TIGGE WG, in liaison with already existing LAM EPS initiatives and in coordination with the THORPEX regional committees. The TIGGE-LAM mailing list has been established to facilitate discussion and provide announcements regarding TIGGE-LAM development across the panel and interested parties.
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tiggeusers
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		The TIGGE User's Group (TUG) mailing list has been created as an open platform for users to exchange information and ideas to one another regarding the TIGGE project. Messages informing users of newly released features available on the NCAR TIGGE web portal will be presented through this mailing list.
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thredds
@unidata.ucar.edu
High list traffic 		A mailing list for users of the THREDDS Data Server including installation, setup, and use.
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udunits
@unidata.ucar.edu
Low list traffic 		A mailing list for users of the UDUNITS-2 and legacy UDUNITS packages. Questions about installation, use, and general support should be directed to this list. New UDUNITS releases will be announced on this mail list.
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visad
@unidata.ucar.edu
Medium list traffic 		The visad mailing list is a special interest list for users of the VisAD library. Users are encouraged to send questions and problems to the list to get help from others in the VisAD community.
show mailing list actions
Low list traffic
low list traffic 		Medium list traffic
medium list traffic 		High list traffic
high list traffic

Archive of messages exchanged in Unidata's topical mailing lists:

Software-related mailing lists:

Data-related mailing lists:

Mailing lists of interest to software developers:

Mailing lists for Unidata community anouncements and interests:

Inactive mailing list Denotes an inactive mailing list. List archives are made available for historical reasons.

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Mailing Lists*

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Software-related mailing lists:

  • gembud
  • decoders
  • idvusers
  • ldm-users
  • libcf
  • mcidas-x
  • netcdfgroup
  • netcdf-hdf
  • netcdf-java
  • netcdf-perl
  • netcdf-porting
  • thredds
  • udunits

Data-related mailing lists:

  • bufrtables
  • cf-satellite
  • conduit
  • decoders
  • galeon
  • gifsfg
  • idd-brasil
  • ldm-users
  • needdata
  • noaaport
  • nws-changes
  • suominet
  • tiggelam
  • tiggeusers

Mailing lists of interest to software developers:

  • visad
  • idvdevelopers

Mailing lists for Unidata community anouncements and interests:

  • community

Support Archives

Request Support We maintain and archive of answered support questions. Feel free to browse this archive, as it is likely your support question has already been addressed.

Software-Related Support Archives

Data-Related Support Archives

Questions About the Support Archives?

Questions or comments about the support archives can be sent to: support@unidata.ucar.edu

Request Unidata Support

Request Support If you intend to email a support question directly to Unidata, please use one of the following topic-specific addresses below. Also, a support request form is available which will allow you to compose your queries.

Support Topic Email Address (add @unidata.ucar.edu)
CONDUIT Datastream support-conduit
Case Studies Project support-casestudies
Datastream (all products other than CONDUIT) support-datastream
Equipment Awards/Grants support-egrants
GEMPAK support-gempak
IDD (General) support-idd
IDD Antarctica support-idd-antarctica
IDD Brasil support-idd-brasil
IDD Cluster support-cluster
IDD SCOOP support-idd-scoop
IDD TIGGE support-idd-tigge
IDV support-idv
LDM support-ldm
LDM-McIDAS Decoders support-ldm-mcidas
LEAD Project support-lead
LibCF support-libcf
McIDAS support-mcidas
McIDAS-V project support-mcv
Miscellaneous Support Questions support-miscellaneous
NetCDF support-netcdf
NetCDF Java support-netcdf-java
NetCDF Perl support-netcdf-perl
NetCDF and GRIB Decoders support-netcdf-decoders
Unidata News support-news
NOAAPORT Ingest Software support-noaaport
Outreach, Feedback, or Comments for Unidata support-outreach
Platform & OS Questions support-platforms
RAMADDA RAMADDA Users @ SourceForge
ρζητα support-pzhta
SuomiNet Project support-suominet
THREDDS Data Server support-thredds
UDUNITS support-udunits
VisAD support-visad
Web Site Questions and Feedback support-plaza
Workshop Questions support-workshop
General Support (I can't determine) support

Conditions of Support

There are conditions on obtaining support for some Unidata software:

Support to Institutions

Unidata provides direct support via email for its software packages to institutions offering college-level courses for credit, and to non-profit institutions with education or research missions. Institutions must provide a single point of contact for direct support questions. Unidata staff will provide priority support to qualifying organizations with a geoscience focus.

Support for McIDAS software acquired through the UPC is provided under the above-conditions through the Unidata support team. SSEC (the software developers) provides support only to the McIDAS User Group (MUG) members.

Unidata provides training in the use of some of its packages. Priority for enrollment in this training is given to active participants from organizations offering courses for credit in the geosciences.

Support to Individuals

The UPC administers and maintains several topical mailing lists and support archives which act as an excellent source for problem resolution. These tools are freely available for use by any individual identified to the UPC through its registration process. Unidata does not provide direct email support to individuals who are not identified as the direct point-of-contact or technical liason for a given institution.

The UPC maintains web-based information and documentation which are accessible by any individual for any purpose without constraint.

Questions About the Conditions of Support?

Questions or comments about the Unidata conditions of support can be sent to: support@unidata.ucar.edu