Data Analysis and Visualization Workflows for the Easy Integration of Satellite and In-situ Biogeochemical Data via the PolarWatch ERDDAP Data Server
Jennifer Patterson Sevadjian, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, La Jolla, United States, Cara Wilson, NOAA/NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, United States and Dr. Dale H Robinson, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
Abstract:
Scientists, software developers and managers often face many challenges when trying to find the best data for their needs and then accessing and integrating that data into their projects. These challenges are further amplified when integrating different types of data such as combining satellite data and in-situ data which are collected at different scales, have different spatio-temporal coverages, and different data management standards. The ERDDAP data server provides solutions to these common problems and makes it easier to find, access and integrate data. ERDDAP acts as middleman between disparate remote data servers, providing a single unified pathway for data access that offers 1) a simple, consistent way to access data, 2) subsetting by area and time, and 3) over 30 data, image, and metadata output formats that are compatible with analysis tools such as R, MATLAB, and Python. The PolarWatch ERDDAP server hosts an array of satellite ocean color data products as well as in-situ data from the Biogeochemical Argo program, which is global network of biogeochemical sensors on Argo profiling floats.
We will demonstrate programming workflows in R that use ERDDAP to enable the integration of these biogeochemical satellite and in-situ datasets. We will also provide examples of how these programming workflows including user-friendly tools like rerddapXtracto are used by NOAA SouthWest Fisheries in ecosystem based fisheries projects.
NOAA PolarWatch is the newest data distribution portal of NOAA's CoastWatch program. PolarWatch was established in September 2017 and is hosted by NOAA Fisheries, in the Southwest Fisheries Science Center's Environmental Research Division.The ERDDAP servers at CoastWatch Regional Nodes and other NOAA offices provide access to thousands of satellite data, model output, and climatology products, as well as ocean-related ancillary datasets (e.g. buoy, shipboard oceanographic, animal track, and in situ data).
