Re: [cf-satellite] Initial draft of a C-RDR structure for NPP VIIRS data

• To: Tom Whittaker <whittaker@xxxxxxxx>, Jeff.Privette@xxxxxxxx, Drew.Saunders@xxxxxxxx
• Subject: Re: [cf-satellite] Initial draft of a C-RDR structure for NPP VIIRS data
• From: John.J.Bates@xxxxxxxx
• Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:43:05 -0400

Tom, thanks for valuable input.  Too many questions for a simple email.  
It would probably be better to have a telecon with you and the Wisc 
folks and a wider group at NCDC to have better interaction.  

I'm on my way to London for a CEOS meeting but back next week.  How 
about a telecon next week?  (I'm off to the plane now so may not be able 
to respond...)

Regards, John

----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Whittaker <whittaker@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010 1:48 pm
Subject: Re: [cf-satellite] Initial draft of a C-RDR structure for NPP 
VIIRS data

> Hi Jim...
> 
> Regarding John Bates' note (below) and your post to the cf-satellite
> list,  I wanted to express our interest in this work.  As you may be
> aware, we have been working with the simulated JPSS data to help
> refine it's form.  And, of course, we are working through this
> cf-satellite email list to define a starting CF convention for
> satellite data as part of our GOES-R work (it is moving along, but
> slowly), to provide a baseline for data providers and application
> developers so that little new code has to be written every time some
> new satellite data is made available.
> 
> With regard to your and John's notes, though, we don't really know the
> context and thus several questions come to mind:  is NOAA going to
> coordinate among their data providers to create one "standard format"
> for these data?  Or will there be another step in the process (for
> example, logically combining files via NCML)?
> 
> We also wonder if John's note, and your work, are related to what we
> are already engaged in doing with the simulated data?  It is our
> understanding that this form would be very close to what will be
> available to users.  Is that still the case, or is this a separate
> effort?
> 
> And....is this related to CLASS and/or GRAVITE?
> 
> Let me also comment on the NCML example you posted -- I am very
> disturbed by the use of "groups" -- even worse, nested groups.  While
> this is certainly part of HDF5 and the NetCDF-4 "Model", using nested
> groups makes it extremely difficult to write generic applications that
> will be able to simply open a NetCDF file, gather all the variables
> and then attempt to make sense of them.  It also makes it difficult to
> even inspect the data.  If at all possible, I beg you to reconsider
> this since it will result in people having to write a lot of code
> specific to these data, just to paw their way through the
> forest....instead of just having a "getVariables()" call....
> 
> Let me add that the key to the cf-satellite convention effort is to
> lock in a basic form of the data that can be added to for specific
> needs (for example, adding "engineering data"), so that applications
> have a chance of understanding the basic structure and could, perhaps,
> present a sensible list of choices of parameters to a user....or just
> "know" what to do.
> 
> Finally (for John?) -- Are we talking only about C-RDR level0 or 
> L1B or both?
> 
> Thanks ahead....and definitely count us "in".....
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> tom
> Tom Rink
> Tommy Jasmin
> 
> --------------- Original Message from John Bates -----------------
> From: "John J. Bates" <John.J.Bates@xxxxxxxx>
> Date: July 19, 2010 12:59:51 PM CDT
> To: <itsc17@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: VIIRS Climate-RDR reveiw
> 
> Dear Colleagues, at ITSC-17 I mentioned that we have an effort to
> translate the original form of the NPP-JPSS raw data record (RDR)
> format into something more user friendly that would also contain all
> information needed to process into calibrated, navigated radiance
> data.  We are now at the point where we are considering the specifics
> of how to write out the data (already decided NetCDF 4 CF-compliant)
> and wish to get you input as you are potential users.
> 
> Those who would like to participate in getting information and
> providing feedback, please contact Jim Biard (Jim.Biard@xxxxxxxx) for
> more information.  We will be doing the VIIRS data first, but will be
> doing all sensors on NPP eventually.
> 
> Regards, John
> 
> ----------------------------end----------------------------
> 
> -- 
> Tom Whittaker
> University of Wisconsin-Madison
> Space Science & Engineering Center (SSEC)
> Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
> 1225 W. Dayton Street
> Madison, WI  53706  USA
> ph: +1 608 262 2759
>

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