[THREDDS #VMY-667165]: Exposing resolution metadata to THREDDS

["Unidata THREDDS Support" <support-thredds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Heejoon,

> This is Heejoon from IU LEAD team.
>
> We are now trying to use additional metadata existing inside of the data
> file for example resolution metadata about NAM file.
> 
> I am just wondering how is thredds extracting file metadata and if it would
> be possible to  easily crack and open the files and expose the additional
> metadata to the THREDDS,
> 
> we could easily get them by crosswalking mechanism we use now.
> 
> So, could you look at this and let us know? Our first priority parameter is
> resolution parameter for NAM file.

Are you running your own THREDDS Data Server (TDS) or are you looking at:

1) http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/catalog.html, or
2) http://lead.unidata.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/catalog.html?

In general, the TDS doesn't support any automated extraction of metadata from datasets. All the metadata that ends up in THREDDS catalogs is either added by hand to the configuration catalogs or extracted from the file names (according to information in the config catalogs).

We do have a few tools that can be used to crack open particular files, extract things like a list of variables contained in the file, and output XML that can be inserted into the config catalogs.

On the motherlode and LEAD TDS, most metadata has been added to homogeneous collections of data (like the NAM CONUS 80km dataset [*]) rather than individual files. Where it is added for individual files, like the time coverage for an individual file (see todays 00Z run of NAM CONUS 80km data [**]), the information iss extracted from the file name rather than any information inside the data file.

In the case of the NAM data, each homogeneous collection should have consistent resolution in time and horizontal directions. Though that is only in the projection plane not necessarily latitude/longitude. In the vertical, the resolution may differ between parameters.

What kind of resolution are you interested in?

Ethan

[*] NAM CONUS 80km data - http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/catalog/fmrc/NCEP/NAM/CONUS_80km/catalog.html?dataset=fmrc/NCEP/NAM/CONUS_80km

[**] NAM CONUS 80km, 23 Feb 00Z run -  http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/catalog/fmrc/NCEP/NAM/CONUS_80km/files/catalog.html?dataset=fmrc/NCEP/NAM/CONUS_80km/files/NAM_CONUS_80km_20090223_0000.grib1

Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: VMY-667165
Department: Support THREDDS
Priority: Normal
Status: Open