gov.noaa.ncdc:C00568 National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Unknown tabular digital data http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov Global Aircraft Reports is historical digital data set DSI-6380, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). DSI-6380 is a historical collection of many types of meteorological upper air reports that NCDC has received from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Data are global. The different types of reports are: A. PIREPS (pilot reports) were produced from a pilot talking to a ground observer. There were no latitude and longitude for location. Instead, there were a radial direction and distance from an observing site. NCEP decoders (computer and human) translated the location to latitude and longitude. B. AIREPS (air reports) had multiple sources, but were primarily from Air Traffic Control (ATC). These were semi-automatic reports from aircraft to ground and were encoded by ATC personnel. These reports were a free code and were primarily for over ocean reporting. Aircraft using this reporting procedure had Inertial Navigation System (INS) equipment, so the winds were usually of high quality. Instead of latitude/longitude, location was provided by a three or four letter identifier. NCEP decoders translated the letter identifiers to lat/long. NCEP received AIREPS from different countries over the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) sponsored Global Telecommunications System (GTS). C. Aircraft to Satellite Data Relay (ASDAR) was used on a few widebody aircraft of British, Continental, and Quantas Airlines flying predominately between Europe and North America or within these regions. However, others flew to destinations in Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. Reports were communicated from the aircraft via geostationary meteorological satellites. Because of the automation characteristics, data was usually of high quality. D. Australian Reports were restricted to line of sight transmission. Since almost every commercial aircraft in Australia had reporting equipment, there were a tremendous number of Australian reports. Frequency of reports was one every 7 minutes during level flight, and one every 10hPa or 50hPa during ascent and descent (with the higher frequency applying to the lower part of the atmosphere). Because of the automation characteristics, data was usually of high quality. Reports were received by NCEP over the GTS. E. Global Weather Intercept (GWIP) network was PIREPS and AIREPS received by the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) at Offutt AFB, NE and sent to NCEP. These reports were from the Southern Hemisphere, South America, and the Western Pacific. F. ARINC Communications Addressing Reporting System (ACARS) provided reports over the continental United States and Alaska. Frequency of reports was every 5 to 10 minutes at flight level and during ascents and descents around major airports. Because of the automation characteristics, data was usually of high quality. NCEP collected these reports from ARINC (Aeronautical Radio Incorporated). Aircraft reports are sorted by marsden square and date: 10 degree marsden square, 1 degree Marsden box, tenth of degree Marsden subbox, year, month, day, hour, minute, receipt hour, and receipt minute. Possible major parameters include: barometric height, temperature, relative humidity, dew point depression, wind direction and speed, aircraft in clouds code, and turbulence code. To make a wide range of climatic data available to researchers and the public. data set C00568 ALTIMETERS ANEMOMETERS BAROMETERS HUMIDITY SENSORS HYGROMETERS TEMPERATURE SENSORS THERMISTORS TURBIDITY METERS AIRCRAFT National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce 19730101 19971231 Ground Condition Complete As Needed -180.0 180.0 90.0 -90.0 ISO 19115 Topic Category climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere 004 elevation 006 DIF Discipline Keyword Thesaurus Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Meteorology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Climatology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Weather GCMD Sciences Keyword Valids EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ALTITUDE > BAROMETRIC ALTITUDE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ALTITUDE > GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > AIR TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > DEW POINT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > HUMIDITY EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > TURBULENCE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > UPPER LEVEL WINDS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD AMOUNT/FREQUENCY EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD HEIGHT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > PRESSURE THICKNESS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > SURFACE PRESSURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > TEMPERATURE PROFILES EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > SURFACE WINDS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > VERTICAL WIND MOTION EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > WIND PROFILES GCMD Location Valids GLOBAL GCMD Location Valids STRATOSPHERE TROPOSPHERE AIRCRAFT BAROMETERS AIRCRAFT ALTIMETERS AIRCRAFT HYGROMETERS AIRCRAFT HUMIDITY SENSORS AIRCRAFT ANEMOMETERS AIRCRAFT TEMPERATURE SENSORS AIRCRAFT THERMISTORS AIRCRAFT WIND VANES 1 None None Not provided Unknown Completeness information not available. Unknown Unknown http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/documentlibrary/tddoc/td6380.doc None National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Customer Service Mailing and physical

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Asheville North Carolina 28801-5001 USA 828-271-4800 828-271-4876 NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov DSI-6380 Every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of current NOAA quality control procedures. NOAA can only certify that the data provided to its customers is an authentic copy of the records which were accepted for inclusion in NOAA archives. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. 20060627 20060627 National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Customer Service Mailing and physical

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Asheville North Carolina 28801-5001 USA 828-271-4800 828-271-4876 NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata: Extensions for Remote Sensing Metadata FGDC-STD-012-2002