ACIS Products
This map is an example of a spatial climate product, using data derived from the ACIS system, as produced by the High Plains Regional Climate Center. Several map products are available, and updated on a daily basis at the Current Climate Summary Maps Page.
All output delivered via ACIS to an end user is classified as a product. This can be a simple tabular data listing, a complicated statistical analysis, a station metadata summary, or a graphical display. ACIS includes a wide array of standard products that adhere to rigid standards for data quality, use of certified statitical analysis routines, compliance to rules for interpreting data flags, and commonly accepted output formatting. New products submitted for inclusing to ACIS must undergo a review process that ensures compliance with these quality standards.
User Interfaces
ACIS provides three distinct types of user interfaces that include standard or custom web browser access to data and products, a scripting interface using XML-RPC (eXtensible Markup Language - Remote Procedure Call), and direct programming to the ACIS application programming interface (API). Most users find the browser interface sufficient to meet their needs. Current browser interfaces to ACIS include CLIMOD (CLimage Information for Management and Operational Decisions), NOAA On-line Weather Data (NOWData), xmACIS(a custom interface for National Weather Service offices), and others.
The XML-RPC interface provides an intermediate level of access to ACIS that allows for more options for product specification than the web interfaces used in xmACIS or CLIMOD. A user wishing to summarize rainfall records for all stations in a specific state or hydrologic region might use this interface to produce custom input files for a modeling application.
At the advanced access level a user can utilize the ACIS API to dynamically link decision support m odels to ACIS data resources. Direct access to ACIS through the API is the most efficient method to obtain data when operational needs require frequently updated climate information.
National Weather Service - NOWDATA
Powered by ACIS, the National Weather Service NOWDATA page available at each NWS forecast office website offers many climate products commonly requested.
CLIMOD - CLimate Information for Management and Operational Decisions
The CLIMOD subscription-based system is geared toward users who need climate data on an ongoing monthly or daily basis, and is built upon the ACIS framework.
- Temperature, precipitation and snowfall observations, normals and records for a day
- Daily temperature, precipitation and snowfall data for a month
- Daily data lister
- Daily degree day listing
- Monthly time series summary
- Precipitation summary and historical context
- Monthly and seasonal temperature and precipitation distributions
- Activity Planner (one day for a period of years)
- Frost Statistics (time series of first and last temperature occurrences)
- Frost Summary (distribution of first and last freeze dates)
- 1971-2000 Monthly temperature, precipitation and degree day normals
- Seasonal ranking for a period of years
- Multiple station summarized temperature and precipitation data
- Multiple station summarized snowfall and snow depth data
CLIMOD Servers
http://rcc-acis.org is hosted by the High Plains Regional Climate Center
HPRCC supports a three-tiered national climate services support program.
The partners include: National Climatic Data Center, Regional Climate Centers, and State Climate Offices.
Contact
© 2009 NOAA Regional Climate Centers