The NA-ARC web API database

The NA-ARC database can be seen as a mashup of information from different sources built to provide the core information required for effective selection and scientific engagement.

Every day at 0H00 GMT, our system scans all NetCDF profile files on the Coriolis ftp server and selects those located in the NA-ARC region. Only profiles having a POSITION_QC flag of 1, 2, 5 or 8 are selected, meaning that the position in space and time of profiles is very likely good.

A database is then created with relevant information about these profiles. From NetCDF profile files, we extract:

  • The spatio/temporal coordinates
    Those are from NetCDF parameters: LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, REFERENCE_DATE_TIME and JULD
  • The Data Assembly Center name (dac)
    From the NetCDF parameters: DATA_CENTRE
  • The WMO (wmo)
    The World Meteorological Organization unique float ID from the NetCDF parameters: PLATFORM_NUMBER
  • The Cycle number (cyc)
    From the NetCDF parameters: CYCLE_NUMBER
  • The Data Mode (dmode)
    From the NetCDF parameters: DATA_MODE
  • List of station parameters
    From the NetCDF parameters: STATION_PARAMETERS
  • Profiles parameters QC flags
    From the NetCDF parameters: PROFILE_<PARAMS>_QC
    This parameter indicates the percentage of ‘good’ measurements for each of measurement.

The NA-ARC database is original in its nature because then, our system complements those simple properties about profiles with additional information from other sources. Specifically the system gathers more information about:

  • Quality control information (ticket)
    The system retrieves those information from the ftp greylist file, the LPO/Argo quality control database and the CLS/Altimetry last test results.
    Floats or profiles reported by one of these sources are flagged as having a “ticket” in the database.
    More information will be incorporated in the future, such as the Objective Analysis Warning report.
  • Descriptive information (file)
    The system gathers information all around the web about measurements: primarily URL pointing to figures produced by Coriolis for each parameters and profiles.
  • Float Deployment Plan (plan)
    Using the AIC float deployment ftp text file, the system also collects information about future float deployment in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea.