MADIS Datasets

MADIS currently supports these datasets. (Click on the link for each dataset to get details.)

• Observations
• Meteorological Surface
• METAR
• SAO
• Maritime
• Modernized NWS Cooperative Observer
• UrbaNet
• Integrated Mesonet
• Observations from local, state, and federal agencies and private mesonets
• Radiosonde
• NOAA Profiler Network
• Hydrological Surface
• Automated Aircraft
• Automated Aircraft Reports
• Profiles at Airports
• Multi-Agency Profiler
• Radiometer
• Satellite Wind
• GOES Operational 3-Hour
• GOES Experimental 1-Hour
• Satellite Sounding
• NOAA POES
• Satellite Radiance
• NOAA POES
• Snow
• WISDOM Balloon Wind
• Grids
• RSAS Surface Analyses

Some of the datasets are restricted to certain users. Click here for details.

The datasets in the ESRL/GSD database are stored in netCDF files. While users can write their own programs to read the files, to access the observations they are encouraged to use the MADIS Applications Program Interface (API) or its related utility programs, which allow easy access to the data and hide most of the details required to write a data ingest program to access variables from the netCDF files. For the RSAS grids, the MADIS RSASDUMP program can be used to output the grids in plain text.

At ESRL/GSD, the observations are acquired from a variety of sources including NOAAPORT, Aeronautical Radio INCorporated (ARINC), and ESRL/GSD's Demonstration Branch NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) and ground-based Global Positioning System data hubs. Mesonet data is decoded and stored for thousands of stations from local, state, and federal agencies and private firms. Wherever possible, multiple redundant sources are used to maximize data availability.

While many of the datasets are global, observations with the highest spatial and temporal density exit in North America. Click here to see a map of the MADIS data available in this domain at 0000 UTC on 12 September 2005. For more specific information on geographic coverage, refer to the pages for the individual datasets.

Typical daily volume for all MADIS datasets can be seen here.

^*The Meteorological Surface dataset also includes GPS Precipitable Water Vapor.

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