131
Early electronic relational databases constitute a simple means of storage and
retrieval whereby data is stored in flat files, in essence 2-D data arrays addressable
through the Structured Query Language (SQL). Data transfer was executed through
the well-known 1-D comma separated values files characterized by the .csv extension. Modern multidimensional matrices provide for more efficient data storage and
more versatile file transfer schemes. Formats in current use include the extensible
markup language (XML) and geography markup language (GML), based on XML
grammar. A highly capable format, the network common data format (netCDF),
originally developed for atmospheric and meteorological science, is available from
UNIDATA, a not-for-profit consortium of the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research (UCAR) with US National Science Foundation support. This simple
machine-independent interface allows storage and access of n-dimensional data
arrays together with their metadata through a set of functions supported for programming languages such as C++ and FORTRAN as well as for operating systems
such as UNIX and Windows.
A number of Data Access Protocols (DAP) further facilitate data distribution and
use through the internet and allow data discoverability across multiple computing
platforms. The Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (sustained
by the nonprofit OPenDAP organization) has received wide acceptance for oceanographic data retrieval. Thus, while netCDF files are available through the File Transfer
Protocol (FTP), they may be more expeditiously acquired through the common
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) using OPenDAP. UNIDATA, a community of
US education and research institutions supports the Thematic Real-time Environmental
Distributed Data Services (THREDDS). THREDDS data servers facilitate data discovery through detailed catalogs of the data sets available. Accessing a THREDDS
server will allow discovery of the data subset required and will provide several options
for data download including OpenDAP. Reliable data arising from a distributed sensor
network is effectively served to scientists and advanced users through the above methods allowing use of the investigators operating systems and software package of
choice such as IDL, JAVA, MATLAB, ORIGIN, or EXCEL.
In the USA and within the EU, data retrieval is further facilitated through the
Environmental Research Division’s Data Access Program (ERDDAP) incorporating all the formats and protocols discussed above providing a Unified Access
Framework. Massive environmental data sets from satellite sensors and numerical
model output as well data from in-water assets stored in diverse data servers are not
only available for download but also for graphic display in a number of formats
ranging from area maps to vertical sections and time series.
7.5 Ocean Observing Data Visualization for Environmental
Awareness
The primary mission of an institutionalized ocean observing system is to render
data arising from a local distributed sensor network, from satellite data, and from
numerical model forecast output in forms that heighten the environmental
7.5 Ocean Observing Data Visualization for Environmental Awareness
Early electronic relational databases constitute a simple means of storage and
retrieval whereby data is stored in flat files, in essence 2-D data arrays addressable
through the Structured Query Language (SQL). Data transfer was executed through
the well-known 1-D comma separated values files characterized by the .csv extension. Modern multidimensional matrices provide for more efficient data storage and
more versatile file transfer schemes. Formats in current use include the extensible
markup language (XML) and geography markup language (GML), based on XML
grammar. A highly capable format, the network common data format (netCDF),
originally developed for atmospheric and meteorological science, is available from
UNIDATA, a not-for-profit consortium of the University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research (UCAR) with US National Science Foundation support. This simple
machine-independent interface allows storage and access of n-dimensional data
arrays together with their metadata through a set of functions supported for programming languages such as C++ and FORTRAN as well as for operating systems
such as UNIX and Windows.
A number of Data Access Protocols (DAP) further facilitate data distribution and
use through the internet and allow data discoverability across multiple computing
platforms. The Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (sustained
by the nonprofit OPenDAP organization) has received wide acceptance for oceanographic data retrieval. Thus, while netCDF files are available through the File Transfer
Protocol (FTP), they may be more expeditiously acquired through the common
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) using OPenDAP. UNIDATA, a community of
US education and research institutions supports the Thematic Real-time Environmental
Distributed Data Services (THREDDS). THREDDS data servers facilitate data discovery through detailed catalogs of the data sets available. Accessing a THREDDS
server will allow discovery of the data subset required and will provide several options
for data download including OpenDAP. Reliable data arising from a distributed sensor
network is effectively served to scientists and advanced users through the above methods allowing use of the investigators operating systems and software package of
choice such as IDL, JAVA, MATLAB, ORIGIN, or EXCEL.
In the USA and within the EU, data retrieval is further facilitated through the
Environmental Research Division’s Data Access Program (ERDDAP) incorporating all the formats and protocols discussed above providing a Unified Access
Framework. Massive environmental data sets from satellite sensors and numerical
model output as well data from in-water assets stored in diverse data servers are not
only available for download but also for graphic display in a number of formats
ranging from area maps to vertical sections and time series.
7.5 Ocean Observing Data Visualization for Environmental
Awareness
The primary mission of an institutionalized ocean observing system is to render
data arising from a local distributed sensor network, from satellite data, and from
numerical model forecast output in forms that heighten the environmental
7.5 Ocean Observing Data Visualization for Environmental Awareness