The AOML GDP launched their ERDDAP™ server on May 19, 2023, in an effort to increase access to drifter data for the scientific community. ERDDAP™, or Environmental Research Division Data Access Program™, is a scientific data server using free and open-source software created by the Environmental Research Division of NOAA's Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
Currently, the AOML GDP ERDDAP™ features nine datasets, including the 6-hour and hourly quality-controlled interpolated datasets, as well as near real-time drifter data from the Global Telecommunications System. Users can quickly retrieve these datasets in their desired file format, as well as filter their query by constraining drifter variables such as time, location, drifter identification number, and/or World Meteorological Organization number.
Distributing publicly-available data through ERDDAP™ provides many advantages, including compliance with NOAA's Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) standards, the flexibility of offering numerous output file formats, and the minimal need to reformat data on the user's end. ERDDAP™ provides an additional benefit for data analysts, web application developers, and numerical modelers interested in retrieving drifter data through computer programs, rather than the ERDDAP™ webpage interface.
Datasets within the AOML GDP ERDDAP™:
The Global Drifter Program at AOML plans to add additonal datasets to the ERDDAP™!
The AOML GDP ERDDAP™ belongs to a federation of ERDDAP™ servers. A federated system describes an efficient and decentralized data distribution approach in which multiple ERDDAPs reference a shared dataset, or datasets. Specifically, one ERDDAP™ hosts a dataset, and another ERDDAP™ references the dataset from the host ERDDAP™.
The AOML GDP ERDDAP™ Federation includes our own ERDDAP™, as well as NOAA's OSMC ERDDAP™ and Ifremer's Coriolis ERDDAP™.
Representation of the AOML GDP Federated ERDDAP™
A federated ERDDAP™ provides multiple benefits to data users and data providers, championing the FAIR data standards! Aside from minimizing data storage costs, a federated ERDDAP™ also eliminates the need to transfer data files from OSMC to the AOML GDP, and from the AOML GDP to Ifremer/Coriolis and to OSMC.
GDP metrics report available on the ERDDAP™ Dashboard
The AOML GDP has created tutorials and step-by-step instructions to guide you through the ERDDAP™ data request process.
See available resources below:
For additional data related questons, visit the GDP Data Homepage and/or the Data FAQs webpage.
For specific questions related to ERDDAP™, contact Samantha Ouertani.