Unidata's demonstration THREDDS Data Server (TDS) at http://thredds.ucar.edu/thredds/ is currently running version 4.5 of the TDS server software. On May 18, 2015, this server will be updated to use TDS version 4.6.
Many of the changes in TDS version 4.6 are “under the hood” and are not easily visible. Some of the things users will notice are:
- Forecast models, products, and analysis are no longer sorted by originating center in the catalogs. The NCEP models, FNMOC models, and “other” models can now be found under two new catalogs: Forecast Model Data and Forecast Products and Analyses. Note that this change only affects the web view when browsing datasets; dataset access URLs are unchanged, so scripts and IDV bundles should not need updating. Other catalogs have been updated to for clarity (for example, see the satellite collection catalog).
- Forecast Analysis grids are now available as a separate dataset collection, alongside the usual Forecast grids. Note that these analysis grids are only available for certain resolution / projections of certain model suites (currently the GFS and HRRR).
- The “Best Forecast Time Series” has been changed such that runtimes are monotonically increasing. This means grids from older model runs will no longer appear interweaved with grids from newer model runs.
To help in the transition:
- A “release candidate” server is currently running at http://threddsRC.ucar.edu/thredds/. Please take the time to test the release candidate and give us feedback at support-thredds@unidata.ucar.edu sooner rather than later.
- A TDS version 4.5 server will continue to be available at http://threddsBackup.ucar.edu/thredds/ for at least a week after the switch, in case there are any mission-critical issues that arise.
- IDV users can use a special plugin that will automatically remap their bundles for testing purposes; there is also a plugin to remap to the threddsBackup server if issues arise. Both plugins can be found in the IDV plugin manager under the “Data Sources” category. For information on how to use plugins in the IDV, please see https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/idv/docs/userguide/misc/Plugins.html. Please note that IDV users will need to update to at least IDV 5.1 to access the TDS 4.6 data server.
Again, please take the time to test it and give us feedback at support-thredds@unidata.ucar.edu sooner rather than later — this will make everyone's lives easier in the end.
