Ancillary Data Sets Used for CSPP Geo Geocat Product Generation --------------------------------------------------------------- Jessica Braun jessica.braun@ssec.wisc.edu Space Science and Engineering Center University of Wisconsin-Madison 1 January 2016 The entire set of leading edge and archived ancillary data sets used by CSPP Geo is available from this web site: https://geodb.ssec.wisc.edu/ancillary/ These files are selected and downloaded automatically if required by any of the CSPP Geo GEOCAT algorithms. Descriptions of files in daily directories follows: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: 6 hourly Global Forecast System (GFS) Numerical Weather Prediction Fields Example File Name: gfs.t06z.150730.pgrb2f12 with the format: gfs.tyy.051201.pgrbfxx where xx is the forecast time step for the yy hour analysis (run) time. Used by CSPP Geo GEOCAT For more information about these models and files, please see: http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/products/gfs These files are created in real time and staged at these realtime sites: ftp://ftp.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/data/nccf/com/gfs/prod/gfs.YYYYMMDD http://www.ftp.ncep.noaa.gov/data/nccf/com/gfs/prod/YYYYMMDD File Type: Binary GRIB2 File Content Description: 6 hourly Global Data Assimilation System T126 resolution analysis from NCEP. File Structure Description: Each file contains fields of z, u, v, temp, vert vel, rh, and absolute vorticity, most of which are on 26 mandatory pressure levels (1000 - 10mb). vv is on 1000-100mb and rh is on 1000-300mb. There are additional single level fields as well, for example, boundary level winds, temps, and rh, trop temp, pressure and winds. The grid is a 1 x 1 deg global grid (GRIB grid #3). The file is in GRIB2 format. Record/Line Format: 26 GRIB records containing atmospheric temperatures (K) at 26 pressure levels 21 GRIB records containing water vapor mixing ratios (g/kg) at 21 pressure levels 1 GRIB record containing a land mask (0=water, 1=land) 1 GRIB record containing surface temperature (K) 1 GRIB record containing pressure (hPa) at mean sea level 1 GRIB record containing precipitable water (g/cm**2) 1 GRIB record containing surface wind u component (m/s) 1 GRIB record containing surface wind v component (m/s) 1 GRIB record containing ice concentration (%) A gfs archive exists at NCDC: ftp://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/GFS/Grid3/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Rapid Refresh (RAP) 2 and 3 Hour Forecast Files Example File Name: Regional 32 km Files: rap.t00z.awip32f02.grib2 CONUS Files: rap.t00z.awp130pgrbf02.grib2 Alaska Files: rap.t00z.awp242f02.grib2 Where: YYYY is the year, MM is the month, DD is the day, HH is the model run time (00,06,12 or 18) Required for CSPP Geo GEOCAT Products For more information about the models and files, please see: http://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov/ Fields required out of the files: PRES:surface MSLMA:mean HGT:surface TMP:2 m above ground RH:2 m above ground TMP:surface PWAT WEASD:surface UGRD:10 m above ground VGRD:10 m above ground TMP:tropopause PRES:tropopause HPBL:surface TMP, HGT, UGRD, VGRD and RH at these levels: 100.0,125.0,150.0,175.0,200.0,225.0,250.0,275.0,300.0, 325.0,350.0,375.0,400.0,425.0,450.0,475.0,500.0,525.0,550.0, 575.0,600.0,625.0,650.0,675.0,700.0,725.0,750.0,775.0,800.0, 825.0,850.0,875.0,900.0,925.0,950.0,975.0,1000.0 File Type: Binary GRIB2 File Content Description: Hourly Rapid Refresh analysis from NCEP. These files are stripped of extra and duplicate files by the CSPP Geo team using the wgrib2 utility. File Structure Description: Each file contains fields of geopotential height, t, rh, u, v, vvp, most of which are on 37 pressure levels (1000 - 10mb). There are additional single level fields as well, for example, storm motion, snow depth, and precipitable water. The grid is a 759x567 mass-point domain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: NOAA Optimum Interpolation (OI) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) V2 Example File Names: avhrr-only-v2.20150310_preliminary.gz avhrr-only-v2.20150210.gz Required for CSPP Geo GEOCAT File Description: Binary files on a 1.0 degree latitude x 1.0 degree longitude global grid (180x360). These files are issued once per day on a 100km grid Information on reading these binary files can be found here: ftp://eclipse.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/OI-daily-v2/IEEE/README These files are distributed through this website: ftp://eclipse.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/OI-daily-v2/IEEE/YYYY/AVHRR/ Where: YYYY is the year The preliminary files are updated when all information is available about 4-5 days after real-time. These files represent a weekly interpolated data set. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: The Near Real-Time SSM/I EASE-Grid Daily Global Ice Concentration and Snow Extent (NISE) Example File Name: NISE_SSMISF17_20150730.HDFEOS Required for CSPP Geo GEOCAT Products File Structure Description: Each file contains NISE snow/ice extent on 721x721 northern and southern hemisphere azimuthal grids. The file is in HDF-EOS format. Record/Line Format: Snow/ice extent for the northern and southern hemispheres stored in separate HDF-EOS Grid objects. Product Description: The Near Real-Time SSM/I EASE-Grid Daily Global Ice Concentration and Snow Extent (NISE) product is generated by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (http://nsidc.org). This data set was originally designed to provide NASA EOS researchers with near real-time, daily, global snow extent and sea ice concentration data. The MODIS Instrument Team uses the NISE data as input to their products. Data access is unrestricted but users are strongly encouraged to register with NSIDC as users of the data. Registered users automatically receive notification of changes in the product-generation algorithm and of modifications in data manipulation and formatting. Registered users automatically receive E-mail notification of any data production problems. NSIDC requests that prospective data users explain how the data will be used and agree to contribute comments regarding the usefulness, relevance, and accuracy of the data. Such feedback is essential to ensure ongoing product improvement. A link to register for the data and read more about the product can be found at: http://nsidc.org/data/nise1.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: NOAA Daily 4km Snow and Ice Files. Example File Names: ims2015309_4km_v1.3.asc.gz Required for CSPP Geo GEOCAT Products File Description: Compressed ASCII files containing 4km snow and ice cover maps for the Northern Hemisphere. Data values are in 1-digit integers. Information on these files can be found here: http://nsidc.org/data/docs/noaa/g02156_ims_snow_ice_analysis/index.html These files are distributed through this website: ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/NOAA/G02156/4km/2015/ These files are updated daily. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name: NOAA Daily 4km Snow and Ice Files. Example File Names: snow_map_4km_151112.hdf Required for CSPP Geo GEOCAT Products File Description: HDF file containing merged NISE and IMS files in a daily gridded product. File Information: These files are created at SSEC and updated daily. The merge code used was writted by the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) GEOCAT group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.