National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) model output with 0.25-degree resolution will be added to the Internet Data Distribution (IDD) CONDUIT data stream on July 28, 2015.

Update: GFS 0.25-degree output is now available via the CONDUIT data stream.

NCEP began producing the GFS model output with a 0.25-degree resolution for use in weather forecasting operations in January, 2015. Unidata Program Center staff have tested the 0.25-degree GFS model output internally and have been working with operators of top-level IDD relay sites to ensure that they have the capacity to handle the increased data volume associated with this new data stream. The approximate volume of the 0.25-degree GFS model output is 20 GB per model run, four times each day. For comparison, all of the current GFS model output delivered via CONDUIT (GFS 0.5-degree, 1-degree, and 2.5-degree) total approximately 5 GB per model run, four times each day.

The High Impact Weather Prediction Project (HIWPP) team has announced that output from the experimental, high-resolution NAVGEM model has been added to the HIWPP Open Data Initiative Real-time Data service.

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. Read on for details on the new version and transition options.

Students at Colorado State University

The Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University (CSU) has a long history of research and education in all aspects of the atmospheric sciences. Faculty, students, and staff use a wide variety of datasets in their research and teaching, from numerical models to gridded reanalyses to radar and satellite observations to measurements collected in the field and lab. However, the students in the department recognized issues that were preventing these large datasets from being used to their full potential.

With a grant from the Unidata Community Equipment Awards program, along with a grant from the College of Engineering, the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science acquired a data storage server that makes many of these data sources readily and easily accessible to students.

As many in the Unidata community are aware, on January 14, 2015 the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) began producing Global Forecast System (GFS) model output with 0.25-degree resolution for use in weather forecasting operations. This output is now available to be added to the Unidata Internet Data Distribution (IDD) system's CONDUIT data stream.

We would like to better understand the level of interest in receiving this model output among Unidata community members. We are also soliciting information on Unidata sites' capacity to receive this volume of data via the CONDUIT “push” mechanism. We have created a short online questionnaire to collect community input; read on for details.