Coastal challenges for altimeter data dissemination and services

Abstract

The production, formatting, and dissemination of altimeter data products have long been focused on users interested in the open ocean domain. The volume of that data set and the historical constraints on computer resources and storage media have been the driving forces behind the philosophy of the data formatting. As a result, we have dense products with a focused goal: ocean applications. Development of higher-level products has taken advantage of the consensus of approach possible over ocean domains to provide simplified, even further condensed products. As computing resources become increasingly less expensive and more regional users have entered the realm of altimetry, new data requirements have arisen: the need for standardization of products across the altimeter missions and applications, the full internal description of the data, and the flexibility to extend the products with local model information. One approach to answer these requirements is to move from a simple data product concept, to a more extensive data service approach. Projects like COASTALT, PISTACH, and RADS are already providing standardization in formats and more extensive metadata, required to underpin this concept. RADS and the JPL Access07 project take a further step in allowing generation of either standard or user defined products at the time of data delivery. A fully developed service, as envisioned here, would be capable of offering a range of specialized, tailored products, on demand, for a range of coastal users, who could select and combine altimeter data and models from various services simultaneously and then assimilate those data directly into their own application. These services alleviate the historical requirement of needing vast knowledge and time to understand the intricacies of the data products of each individual altimeter mission and would benefit all altimetry users. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.