BALTEX Data Centres
Data relevant to BALTEX cover a wide range of disciplines, data types, periods, geographical extent, frequency and horizontal resolution. Also, the BALTEX region includes more than 10 countries with different structures regarding the collection, distribution and archiving of relevant information. Therefore, it is necessary to have a well-defined data management structure in order to facilitate data preparation and exchange within BALTEX.
As the practical requirements for meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic data are rather different, it has been decided to establish BALTEX Data Centers at different national agencies. From 1994 until 2002, the DWD in Offenbach, Germany, hosted the BALTEX Meteorological Data Center which is now administered by the World Data Center for Climate (WDCC) at the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg. The outstanding task, among others, of this Data Center is to make precipitation data from all existing stations in the BALTEX region available. SMHI in Norrköping, Sweden, hosts the BALTEX Hydrological Data Center with the special duty, among others, to make the runoff data from all available runoff stations in the BALTEX region accessible. SMHI also operates the BALTEX Radar Data Center which is now regularly producing and archiving weather radar data and products from the BALTRAD radar network in northern Europe. In 2002/2003, SMHI has also confirmed to establish and maintain the Oceanographic Data Center for BALTEX .
The BALTEX Secretariat (IBS) will closely co-operate with the BALTEX Data Centers in order to co-ordinate aspects of data storage, the data exchange policy within the BALTEX research community and the contents of data bases.
It is expected that the exchange of data will frequently take place using the internet system, directly between the originator and the user of the data. The Data Centers should, however, help to standardize data formats, and should assist in development and use of common analysis software. As an example, systems such as GRIB, handling 2-dimensional field data, or the BUFR-code, handling general data formats, have been proven quite useful and are approved by WMO. Access to advanced non-commercial software packages for visual display (such as GrADS or FERRET), which have been specifically designed for climate research purposes, could also be facilitated through the Data Centers.
Links to BALTEX Data Centers:
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