[CF-metadata] CF conventions for storing weather system track data.

[Karl Taylor]

Hi all,

Here is an inquiry from Kevin Hodges.  I think CF would treat these 
something like weather balloons.  Can anyone help?

thanks,
Karl

p.s. please copy Kevin kih at mail.nerc-essc.ac.uk because I think he's not 
on our list.

    
    I was wondering if you know of anyone who has thought about a netcdf
    convention for weather systems tracks. I know there are various conventions
    for chemical tracer trajectories but these are not really suitable for
    weather system tracks.
    
    I have been giving this some thought and have produced something like
    the following CDL produced from one of my track files. This could off coarse 
    be fleshed out further with more attributes. It would be nice to tie this
    to the ability to display weather system tracks in software such as vcdat.
    I've seen GEON IDV can display tracks but again the format is not really
    very suitable for weather system tracks where you can have multiple tracks
    of different lengths and a wide range of information associated with the 
    tracks.
    
netcdf ff_trs.nctrack {
dimensions:
	tracks = 497 ;
	record = UNLIMITED ; // (9706 currently)
variables:
	int TRACK_ID(tracks) ;
		TRACK_ID:add_fld_num = 7 ;
		TRACK_ID:tot_add_fld_num = 21 ;
		TRACK_ID:loc_flags = 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 ;
	int FIRST_PT(tracks) ;
	int NUM_PTS(tracks) ;
	int index(record) ;
	int time(record) ;
	float longitude(record) ;
	float latitude(record) ;
	float intensity(record) ;
	float long_1(record) ;
		long_1:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_1(record) ;
		lat_1:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_1(record) ;
		addfld_1:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_2(record) ;
		long_2:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_2(record) ;
		lat_2:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_2(record) ;
		addfld_2:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_3(record) ;
		long_3:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_3(record) ;
		lat_3:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_3(record) ;
		addfld_3:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_4(record) ;
		long_4:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_4(record) ;
		lat_4:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_4(record) ;
		addfld_4:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_5(record) ;
		long_5:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_5(record) ;
		lat_5:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_5(record) ;
		addfld_5:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_6(record) ;
		long_6:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_6(record) ;
		lat_6:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_6(record) ;
		addfld_6:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float long_7(record) ;
		long_7:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float lat_7(record) ;
		lat_7:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;
	float addfld_7(record) ;
		addfld_7:missing_value = 1.e+12f ;