> DATA SERVICE CHARGESGo to Dataset:
There will be a data service charge associated with your order. We
often engineer (e.g. subset) our products when possible, to suit the specific
needs of the customer. However, for many of our larger datasets, the cost of making
a subset can actually be as much as ten times higher than obtaining all the data. A
comparison of our Standard and Direct Copy Rates illustrates this. Very
few of our products have "off-the-shelf prices". Our quotes are based on how we
engineer the products for the customer's needs. We compute the costs for each
dataset separately, and then sum these for an order's total cost.
SERVICE CHARGE RATES
The data service charge incurred when data are ordered is generally based upon the
volume of data moved from our archive. The main charging rates follow. Each
dataset home page, in its COST: section, will identify
the applicable rate(s). Others may not be documented here.
In the past, we often recommended subsetting. As our archive has grown, to reduce
the committment of staff time to subsetting, we decided to offer simple "direct copies"
at substantially reduced rates. However, we have a $120 minumum on these rates, as
contrasted with just $36 under the standard rate. We will help you decide. Note that
our volume computation is based on the file sizes in "deep storage" (the NCAR MSS).
Please discuss these rates with the DSS specialist shown in each dataset's
CONTACT: section.
Standard Rate:
All datasets can be priced at our standard rate of $2 per 10 Megabytes of input data
(the data read from our archive) PLUS $2 per 10 Megabytes of data output (the data that
you receive). For some datasets, special interpretations of the data volume apply. For
example, we may gzip the output, making smaller files, but still charge for the original
volume. The output charges will be the same as the input charges except in cases where
subsetting is performed, which makes the output charge lower. There is a minimum charge
of $36 per dataset ($18 each for the input and output). For each dataset, a discount of
30% of the portion of the charge that exceeds $400 will be applied to the charge.
Direct Copy Rate:
This rate applies to certain large, popular datasets where exact copies of our archive
files are written to media or our FTP server. The charge is $30 per Gigabyte of data
copied to tape, with a minimum of $120 per dataset. Output media charges may be additional.
Half Direct Copy Rate:
The terms for this charge are the same as the Direct Copy Rate, except that the
charge is $15 per Gigabyte of data copied to media or our FTP server, with a minumum of
$60 per dataset. Output media charges may be additional.
Double Direct Copy Rate:
The terms for this charge are the same as the Direct Copy Rate, except that the
charge is $60 per Gigabyte of data copied to media or our FTP server, with a minumum of
$120 per dataset. Output media charges may be additional.
Note: Volumes are rounded up to the next whole value
when computing charges (i.e. - 567 Megabytes at the Standard Rate is charged as 57 x $2;
4128 Megabytes at the Direct Copy Rate is charged as 5 x $30)
Some datasets involve pre-recorded CD-ROM(s). These CD-ROMs have fixed prices that can
range from $10 to $150. The cost for a particular CD-ROM will be noted on the web page
of the dataset. When we make a CD-ROM, there are charges as shown in the media charges.
If you use data provided by us in published research, we request that you acknowledge the original source (or sources) of the data. This information is located on the dataset pages. We also request that you acknowledge NCAR as follows:
The data were provided by the Data Support Section of the Scientific Computing Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NCAR is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation.
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| Updated 22 July 2005 |
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