NetCDF Subset Service Reference

Overview

The NetCDF Subset Service (NCSS) is a web service for subsetting CDM scientific datasets. The subsetting is specified using earth coordinates, such as lat/lon or projection coordinates bounding boxes and date ranges, rather than index ranges that refer to the underlying data arrays. The data arrays are subsetted but not re-sampled or reprojected, and preserve the resolution and accuracy of the original dataset.

NCSS supports spatial and temporal subsetting on collections of grids, stations and points. A Dataset is described by a Dataset Description XML document, which describes the dataset in enough detail to enable a programmatic client to form valid data requests.

NCSS may return netCDF binary files (using CF Conventions), XML, ASCII, or WaterML2 depending on the request and the dataset.

NCSS uses HTTP GET with key-value pairs (KVP) which may appear in any order. The service interface follows REST design, as well as Google/KML, and W3C XML Schema Datatypes when applicable.

Dataset Descriptions

Each dataset has an XML document called the Dataset Description Document. These are intended to perform the same function as OGC GetCapabilities or Atom Introspection , that is, provide clients with the necessary information to formulate a valid request and send it to the server. The content of these documents is still evolving.

Grid Dataset

A Grid Dataset is a collection of Grids which have horizontal (x,y) coordinates, and optional vertical, time, and ensemble coordinates. Grid data points next to each other in index space are next to each other in coordinate space.

Example of a Grid Dataset document:

• DGEX CONUS 12km Data

Station Dataset

Station datasets contain a collection of point features representing time-series of data points at named locations.

Example a Station Dataset document:

• Metar Station Data

Station datasets also support station list requests. This request will return all the stations within a specified bounding box.

Point Dataset

Point datasets contain a collection of point features which can be subset by space and time.

Example Point Dataset document:

• Surface Buoy Point Data

Subsetting Parameters For NCSS

• Grid datasets
• Point and Station (Discrete Sampling Geometry) datasets

Variable Subsetting

For all types, you must specify a list of valid variable names.

Horizontal Spatial Subsetting

• stations: you may specify a lat/lon bounding box, a point location, or a list of stations. If none, do not filter.

• points: you may specify a lat/lon bounding box. If none, do not filter.

• The lat/lon bounding box declared in the dataset description is an approximated rectangle to the actual lat/lon boundaries so there may be valid points within the data but outside of the declared bounding box in the dataset description

Vertical Spatial Subsetting

• Variable with vertical levels will be returnd as profiles, unless a specific level is chosen.

Temporal Subsetting

• For all types, you may specify a time range or a specific time. If none, return the time closest to the present.

• A time range will request all features that intersect the range.

• A time point will request the feature that is closest to that time.

• If you include temporal=all, then return all times.

Output Format (accept Parameter)

• csv: Comma-separated values, one feature per line
• xml: Collection of feature elements
• netCDF: CF/NetCDF-3
• netCDF4: CF/NetCDF-4 classic model
• netCDF4ext: NetCDF-4 extended model
• WaterML2: OGC WaterML 2.0 Timeseries (station only)

Use Cases

Spatial And Coordinate Subsetting

NCSS provides two types of bounding boxes to subset the data:

1. Lat/lon bounding box is specified with the parameters north, south, east and west. The north and south parameters are latitude values, and must be in units of degrees_north and lie between +/- 90. The east and west parameters are longitude values with units of degrees_east, and may be positive or negative, and will be interpreted modulo 360. The requested subset starts at the west longitude and goes eastward until the east longitude. Therefore, when crossing the dateline, the west edge may be greater than the east edge. For grids, if the underlying dataset is on a projection, the minimum enclosing projection bounding box will be calculated and used. The data contained in the intersection of this rectangle with the data is returned. To use, inspect dataset.xml for the <LatLonBox> elements, which indicate the min and max extensions of the grid.

   For example:

   <LatLonBox>
     <west>-153.5889</west>
     <east>-48.5984</east>  
     <south>11.7476</south>
     <north>57.4843</north>
   </LatLonBox>
   

   Example request:

   &north=17.3&south=12.088&west=140.2&east=160.0
   

2. Projection bounding box (only on grid datasets with projections) is specified with the parameters minx, miny, maxx and maxy. These are projection coordinates in kilometers on the projection plane; the data contained in the intersection of this rectangle with the data is returned. To use, inspect the dataset.xml for the <projectionBox> elements, which indicate the min and max extensions of the grid.

   For example:

   <gridSet name="time layer_between_two_pressure_difference_from_ground_layer y x">
     <projectionBox>
       <minx>-4264.248291015625</minx>
       <maxx>3293.955078125</maxx>
       <miny>-872.8428344726562</miny>
       <maxy>4409.772216796875</maxy>
     </projectionBox>
   ...
   

   Example request:

    &minx=-500&miny=-1600&maxx=500&maxy=0
   

   By default, if no spatial subsetting is specified, the service returns all the features in the dataset.

Single-Point Requests

The NetCDF Subset Service allows the user to extract data for a point of interest by specifying its latitude and longitude. The result differs depending on the underlying dataset.

If it’s a grid dataset, that means we are using the grid-as-point service. NCSS will find the grid cell in which the lat/lon falls and return its data as if it were a point feature. The supported output formats are netCDF, netCDF4, XML, and CSV.

If it’s a station dataset, NCSS will return data for the station nearest the specified lat/lon. The supported output formats are netCDF, netCDF4, XML, CSV and WaterML2.

Point datasets do not support single-point requests.

For example:

?req=station&var=temp&latitude=40.2&longitude=61.8

This finds the station nearest to (lat=40.2, lon=61.8) and returns its temperature data.

Temporal Subsetting And Valid Time Ranges

There are several ways to do temporal subsetting requests:

• Default: If no temporal subseting is specified, the closest time to the current time is returned.
• All time range: A shorthand to request all the time range in a dataset is setting the parameter time=all. This can also be done by providing a valid temporal range containing the entire dataset time range.
• One single time: Passing the parameter time will get the time slice closest to the requested time if it is within the time range of the dataset.
• Valid time range: A valid time range is defined with two of the three parameters: time_start, time_end, and time_duration.

Times (time, time_start, and time_end) must be specified as W3C Date or present and time_duration as a W3C time duration.

Examples of time query strings with valid temporal ranges:

• time_start=2007-03-29T12:00:00Z&time_end=2007-03-29T13:00:00Z (between 12 and 1 pm Greenwich time)
• time_start=present&time_duration=P3D (get 3 day forecast starting from the present)
• time_end=present&time_duration=PT3H (get last 3 hours)
• time=2007-03-29T12:00:00Z
• time=present
• time=all

Vertical Coordinate Subsetting

Subsetting on the vertical axis of a variable or variables with the same vertical levels may be done with the vertCoord parameter.

By default, all vertical levels are returned.

Single Variable Requests

Note that these single variable requests can be easily extended to multi-variable request by simply passing a comma separated list of variables in the var= parameter. Please note that for grid datasets, each variable in the request must have the same vertical levels.

Examples:

URL Construction

http://{host}/{context}/{service}/{dataset}[/{description} | ?{query}]

Where: