nowCOAST Info Depot: Map Services Information

Link to LayerInfo Web Service Information

Information on NOAA Ocean Service's nowCOAST's Map Services

NEW: LayerInfo Web Service allows retrieval of layer descriptions, legends, icons and time labels

Publicly Available Map Services:

nowCOAST presently provides public access to its observations, forecasts, imagery and geo-referenced hyperlink layers in three ways. Most commonly, users access nowCOAST data through its public web interface located at http://nowcoast.noaa.gov. Here, the map viewer allows users to display nowCOAST data by interacting with the map and zooming/panning to their area of interest. A layer list and pull-down menus are provided to give the user full control of what data is displayed.

Other users that require further map customization and/or the ability to overlay their own layers on top of nowCOAST layers (constructing a mash-up) have two additional connection options: Connecting directly to nowCOAST's ArcIMS* Image Service or to its OGC-compliant Web Map Services (WMS).

nowCOAST's map viewer and web mapping services are monitored for reliability Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 5:00pm ET.

nowCOAST was developed and is operated by NOS' Coast Survey Development Laboratory.

Integration of OpenGIS Standards:

As of March 31, 2010, nowCOAST provides Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)-compliant access to its data through the use of ESRI's ArcIMS* WMS Connector. Web Map Services (WMS) provide open standards-based access to GIS data that can be leveraged by a wide variety of applications. In addition to compatibility with many end-user desktop applications (including Open Source and freely available applications such as uDig), Web Map Services can be ingested by various web mapping application frameworks, such as OpenLayers. By enabling WMS access to nowCOAST map services, every user is given another option for connecting to and working with nowCOAST's data using any client platform that supports WMS. For more information about OGC and WMS, see: http://www.opengeospatial.org.

Connecting to nowCOAST's Web Map Services (WMS):

In an effort to eliminate the complexity of including layers of all types in a single service, nowCOAST data has been organized into six individual Web Map Services (WMS) grouped by data type. For each service a short description, the associated GetCapabilities URL, and a list of available layers is listed below.

When using this data in your own mapping application, we would appreciate credit being given to nowCOAST (e.g. "NOAA/NOS nowCOAST").

The layers included in the following Web Map Services are available as a result of the hard work of various data providers, including NWS, NOS, NESDIS and OAR. We recognize and appreciate their efforts to provide data and forecast products to all of their users, including nowCOAST.

Service Name:	obs
Description:	Near Real-Time Observations
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/obs?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
NWS RIDGE Radar	RAS_RIDGE_NEXRAD	Radar Mosaic for CONUS, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam	NWS
Cloud Imagery (GOES Visible)	RAS_GOES	Visible Satellite Cloud Imagery	NESDIS/OSDPD
Cloud Imagery (GOES Infrared)	RAS_GOES_I4	Infrared Satellite Cloud Imagery	NESDIS/OSDPD
Surface Air Temperature	OBS_MET_TEMP	Surface Air Temperature point observations (degrees Fahrenheit)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Dewpoint Temperature	OBS_MET_DP	Dewpoint Temperature point observations (degrees Fahrenheit)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Wind Speed & Direction	OBS_MET_WIND	Wind Velocity (Speed & Direction) point observations (Knots)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Mean Sea Level Pressure	OBS_MET_PRES	Mean Sea Level Pressure point observations (millibars)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Visibility	OBS_MET_VIS	Visibility point observations (miles)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Sea Surface Temperature	OBS_MAR_SSTF	Sea Surface Temperature point observations (degrees Fahrenheit)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Significant Wave Height	OBS_MAR_SWHFT	Significant Wave Height point observations (feet)	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group
Station ID	OBS_MET_ID	Identifier for Meteorological/Oceanographic Observing Station	NESDIS/OSDPD & OAR/MADIS Group

Service Name:	wwa
Description:	Watches, Warnings and Advisories
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/wwa?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
Tornado Warnings	WARN_SHORT_TOR	Short-Duration Storm-Based Tornado Warning Polygons	NWS
Extreme Wind Warnings	WARN_SHORT_EWW	Short-Duration Storm-Based Extreme Wind Warning Polygons	NWS
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings	WARN_SHORT_SVR	Short-Duration Storm-Based Severe Thunderstorm Warning Polygons	NWS
Flood Warnings	WARN_SHORT_FLW	Short-Duration Storm-Based Flood Warning Polygons	NWS
Flash Flood Warnings	WARN_SHORT_FFW	Short-Duration Storm-Based Flash Flood Warning Polygons	NWS
Special Marine Warnings	WARN_SHORT_SMW	Short-Duration Storm-Based Special Marine Warning Polygons	NWS
Tropical Cyclone Cone of Uncertainty	NHC_TRACK_POLY	Cone of Uncertainty for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track Lines	NHC_TRACK_LIN	Forecasted Tropical Cyclone Track Line	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track Points	NHC_TRACK_PT	Forecasted Tropical Cyclone Point Locations	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Watches & Warnings	NHC_TRACK_WWLIN	Coastal Areas Under Tropical Cyclone Watch/Warning	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Storm Valid Times - 72hr	NHC_TRACK_PT_72DATE	On-map time labels for forecasted Tropical Cyclone Track - +0 to +72hr	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Storm Valid Times - 120hr	NHC_TRACK_PT_120DATE	On-map time labels for forecasted Tropical Cyclone Track - +72 to +120hr	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Storm Name & Valid Times - 0hr	NHC_TRACK_PT_0NAMEDATE	On-map storm name and time labels for 0hr Tropical Cyclone Track forecast	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track - MSLP Labels	NHC_TRACK_PT_MSLPLABELS	On-map Mean Sea Level Pressure labels for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track - 72hr Wind Labels	NHC_TRACK_PT_72WLBL	On-map Wind Speed labels for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast - +0 to +72hr	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track - 120hr Wind Labels	NHC_TRACK_PT_120WLBL	On-map Wind Speed labels for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast - +72 to +120hr	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track - 72hr Wind + CAT Labels	NHC_TRACK_PT_72CAT	On-map Wind Speed + Saffir-Simpson Category labels for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast - +0 to +72hr	NWS/NHC
Tropical Cyclone Track - 120hr Wind + CAT Labels	NHC_TRACK_PT_120CAT	On-map Wind Speed + Saffir-Simpson Category labels for Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast - +72 to +120hr	NWS/NHC
Notes: To obtain a complete, symbolized view of the National Hurricane Center's Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast, all layers listed above whose titles start with "Tropical Cyclone" should be requested simultaneously. Additionally, because of the way WMS handles layer ordering, the layer identifiers should be requested in the same order they are defined in the list above. Thus, the list of Layer IDs sent in your Tropical Cyclone Track Forecast WMS request should be specified as follows: NHC_TRACK_POLY,NHC_TRACK_LIN,NHC_TRACK_PT, NHC_TRACK_WWLIN,NHC_TRACK_PT_72DATE,NHC_TRACK_PT_120DATE,NHC_TRACK_PT_0NAMEDATE, NHC_TRACK_PT_MSLPLABELS,NHC_TRACK_PT_72WLBL,NHC_TRACK_PT_120WLBL,NHC_TRACK_PT_72CAT,NHC_TRACK_PT_120CAT

Service Name:	analyses
Description:	Gridded Weather & Oceanographic Surface Analyses
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/analyses?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
NCEP Sea Surface Temperature Analysis	NCEP_RAS_ANAL_RTG_SST, NCEP_POLY_ANAL_RTG_SST	Daily Gridded Global Sea Surface Temperature Analysis	NWS/NCEP
RTMA Surface Air Temperature Analysis	RTMA_RAS_AIRTEMP, RTMA_POLY_AIRTEMP	Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis - Gridded Surface Air Temperature	NWS/NCEP
RTMA Surface Wind Speed Analysis	RTMA_RAS_WSPD, RTMA_POLY_WSPD	Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis - Gridded Surface Wind Speed	NWS/NCEP
RTMA Surface Wind Velocity Analysis (Wind Barbs)	RTMA_PT_WIND_01, RTMA_PT_WIND_05, RTMA_PT_WIND_10, RTMA_PT_WIND_15	Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis - Gridded Surface Wind Velocity (Wind Barbs)	NWS/NCEP
RTMA Surface Wind Velocity Analysis (Vectors)	RTMA_PT_WINDVECT_01, RTMA_PT_WINDVECT_05, RTMA_PT_WINDVECT_10, RTMA_PT_WINDVECT_15	Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis - Gridded Surface Wind Velocity (Vectors)	NWS/NCEP
RTMA 1-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	RTMA_RAS_QPE_1HR	Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis - Quantitative Precipiation Estimate - 1-hr Accumulation	NWS/NCEP
NSSL 1-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_1HR	1-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 3-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_3HR	3-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 6-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_6HR	6-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 12-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_12HR	12-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 24-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_24HR	24-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 48-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_48HR	48-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL
NSSL 72-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis	NSSL_RAS_QPE_72HR	72-hr Precipitation Accumulation Analysis (Experimental)	OAR/NSSL

Service Name:	forecasts
Description:	On-Map Gridded Surface Forecasts
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/forecasts?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
NDFD Significant Wave Height Fcst	NDFD_RAS_WAVEH_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_WAVEH_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Significant Wave Height Forecast	NWS
NDFD Wind Speed Fcst	NDFD_RAS_WSPD_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_WSPD_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Wind Speed Forecast	NWS
NDFD Wind Gust Fcst	NDFD_RAS_WGUST_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_WGUST_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Wind Gust Forecast	NWS
NDFD Minimum Surface Air Temperature Fcst	NDFD_RAS_MINT_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_MINT_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Minimum Daily Surface Air Temperature Forecast	NWS
NDFD Maximum Surface Air Temperature Fcst	NDFD_RAS_MAXT_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_MAXT_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Maximum Daily Surface Air Temperature Forecast	NWS
NDFD Relative Humidity Fcst	NDFD_RAS_RHM_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_RHM_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Relative Humidity Forecast	NWS
NDFD Quantitative Precipitation Fcst	NDFD_RAS_QPF_X_YY, NDFD_POLY_QPF_X_YY	NDFD Gridded Quantitative Precipitation Forecast	NWS
NDFD Wind Fcst (Vector)	NDFD_POLY_WINDVECT_X_YY, NDFD_PT_WINDVECT_X_YY_GZZ	NDFD Gridded Wind Velocity (Vectors) Forecast	NWS
NDFD Wind Fcst (Barb)	NDFD_POLY_WIND_X_YY, NDFD_PT_WIND_X_YY_GZZ	NDFD Gridded Wind Velocity (Barbs) Forecast	NWS
Notes: X represents the number of days and YY represents the number of hours from the forecast reference time for which the layer is valid. ZZ represents the point-sampling level of the gridded wind velocity forecast layers ("_G01" means the layer includes every grid point, "_G05" means the layer includes every 5th grid point, etc.). When all four sampling levels are turned on, only the most appropriate sampling level is drawn at any one time to prevent too many points from being plotted at once. In order to ensure the proper sampling level is displayed regardless of your view scale, make sure to include all four "_G##" layers for the desired forecast projection in your WMS requests . For example, to display the +3 day, 0 hr wind velocity (vector) forecast, specify all four layer IDs for this projection: NDFD_PT_WINDVECT_3_00_G01,NDFD_PT_WINDVECT_3_00_G05,NDFD_PT_WINDVECT_3_00_G10,NDFD_PT_WINDVECT_3_00_G15 Layers with identifiers beginning with "NDFD_POLY" should not be used with a GetMap request for map display. Instead, use the "NDFD_RAS" or "NDFD_PT" layers when viewing the map. The "NDFD_POLY" layers are included in this service only for the purpose of obtaining actual data values at a certain point with a GetFeatureInfo or Identify request.

Service Name:	guidance
Description:	Forecast Model Guidance
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/guidance?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
NCOM Surface Water Currents w/Speed	NCOM_RAS_SPD_OVER_<projID>, NCOM_RAS_SPD_DETAIL_<projID>	Navy Coastal Ocean Model Guidance - nowcast and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 hours - Surface Water Currents w/Speed background for Northern Atlantic and Eastern Pacific regions	NAVOCEANO
NCOM Surface Water Currents w/Sea Sfc Temp	NCOM_RAS_SST_OVER_<projID>, NCOM_RAS_SST_DETAIL_<projID>	Navy Coastal Ocean Model Guidance - nowcast and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 hours - Surface Water Currents w/Sea Surface Temperature background for Northern Atlantic and Eastern Pacific regions	NAVOCEANO
NCOM Surface Water Currents w/Water Levels	NCOM_RAS_WL_OVER_<projID>, NCOM_RAS_WL_DETAIL_<projID>	Navy Coastal Ocean Model Guidance - nowcast and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 hours - Surface Water Currents w/Water Level background for Northern Atlantic and Eastern Pacific regions	NAVOCEANO
Estuarine Surface Water Currents w/Speed	EOFS_RAS_SPD_<projID>	NOS Estuarine Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Speed background for New York/New Jersey Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware River and Bay, Saint Johns River, Tampa Bay and Galveston Bay	NOS/CO-OPS
Estuarine Surface Water Currents w/Sea Sfc Temp	EOFS_RAS_SST_<projID>	NOS Estuarine Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Sea Surface Temperature background for New York/New Jersey Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware River and Bay, Saint Johns River, Tampa Bay and Galveston Bay	NOS/CO-OPS
Estuarine Surface Water Currents w/Water Levels	EOFS_RAS_WL_<projID>	NOS Estuarine Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Water Level background for New York/New Jersey Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware River and Bay, Saint Johns River, Tampa Bay and Galveston Bay	NOS/CO-OPS
Great Lakes Surface Water Currents w/Speed	GLOFS_RAS_SPD_<projID>	NOS Great Lakes Operational Forecast Systems Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Speed background for the 5 Great Lakes	NOS/CO-OPS
Great Lakes Surface Water Currents w/Sea Sfc Temp	GLOFS_RAS_SST_<projID>	NOS Great Lakes Operational Forecast Systems Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Sea Surface Temperature background for the 5 Great Lakes	NOS/CO-OPS
Great Lakes Surface Water Currents w/Water Levels	GLOFS_RAS_WL_<projID>	NOS Great Lakes Operational Forecast Systems Model Guidance - nowcasts and forecast guidance from +0 to +48 - Surface Water Currents w/Water Level background for the 5 Great Lakes	NOS/CO-OPS
Estuarine OFS Coverage Areas	eofs_coverageareas	NOS Estuarine Operational Forecast Systems Coverage Area Polygons	NOS/CSDL
Great Lakes OFS Coverage Areas	glofs_coverageareas	NOS Great Lakes Operational Forecast Systems Coverage Area Polygons	NOS/CSDL
Estuarine OFS (w/Speed background) On-map Labels	EOFS_SPD_STATICLABELS, EOFS_SPD_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Estuarine OFS Surface Water Currents w/Speed Layers	NOS/CSDL
Estuarine OFS (w/Sea Sfc Temp background) On-map Labels	EOFS_SST_STATICLABELS, EOFS_SST_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Estuarine OFS Surface Water Currents w/Sea Surface Temperature Layers	NOS/CSDL
Estuarine OFS (w/Water Level background) On-map Labels	EOFS_WL_STATICLABELS, EOFS_WL_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Estuarine OFS Surface Water Currents w/Water Levels Layers	NOS/CSDL
Great Lakes OFS (w/Speed background) On-map Labels	GLOFS_SPD_STATICLABELS, GLOFS_SPD_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Great Lakes OFS Surface Water Currents w/Speed Layers	NOS/CSDL
Great Lakes OFS (w/Sea Sfc Temp background) On-map Labels	GLOFS_SST_STATICLABELS, GLOFS_SST_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Great Lakes OFS Surface Water Currents w/Sea Surface Temperature Layers	NOS/CSDL
Great Lakes OFS (w/Water Level background) On-map Labels	GLOFS_WL_STATICLABELS, GLOFS_WL_DYNAMICLABELS_<projID>	On-map labels for NOS Great Lakes OFS Surface Water Currents w/Water Levels Layers	NOS/CSDL
Notes: <projID> is an identifier that relates to each nowcast or forecast guidance projection's valid time. For the +0-hour nowcast, <projID> will be "NC0"; for the +12-hour forecast, <projID> is "FC12", etc. The projected hour represents the number of hours from the model's cycle time at which the nowcast or forecast guidance is valid. Current valid projection identifiers for NCOM are: NC0, FC12, FC24, FC36, and FC48. For EOFS and GLOFS, valid projection identifiers are: NC0, FC6, FC12, FC18, FC24, FC30, FC36, FC42 and FC48. The Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) incorporates Tides The NOS Estuarine Operational Forecast Systems incorporate Tides Layer IDs ending in "_OVER" represent "Overview" imagery, which provides a coarse-resolution image for viewing at large scales (zoomed out) Layer IDs ending in "_DETAIL" represent "Detail" imagery, which provides a higher-resolution image for viewing at small-to-medium scales Layer IDs ending in "_REG" represent "Regional" imagery, which provides a very high-resolution image for viewing at small scales (zoomed in)

Service Name:	geolinks
Description:	Geo-Referenced Hyperlinks
GetCapabilities URL:	http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/geolinks?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetCapabilities

Available Layers:
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description	Source
Observations - In-Situ Stations
Meteorological	obs_pt_wx	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Meteorological Observing Stations	NWS, NOS/CO-OPS, USGS
Ocean/Estuary/Lake	obs_pt_oc	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Oceanographic, Estuarine and Limnological Observing Stations	NWS, NOS/CO-OPS, USGS
River	obs_pt_riv	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to River Observing Stations	USGS, IFLOWS & others
Water Quality	obs_pt_wq	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Water Quality Observing Stations	USGS & others
Air Quality	obs_pt_aq	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Air Quality Observing Stations	EPA AirNOW
Observations - Remote Sensors
Weather Radars	obs_pt_wr	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to regional weather radar loops	NWS
Wind Profilers	obs_pt_blp	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to NOAA and non-NOAA Wind Profiler plots	NOAA Profiler Network, OAR/MADIS Group
Upper Air Soundings	obs_pt_rs	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Upper Air Sounding plots	NWS/SPC
Web Cameras	obs_pt_wc	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to operational webcam pages showing full or partial sky views	Various Providers
Predictions
Astronomical Tidal	pred_pt_at	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Astronomical Tidal Predictions for point locations	NOS/CO-OPS
Forecast Model Guidance
Meteorological	fcst_pt_wx	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Meteorological Point Forecasts	NWS
Ocean/Estuary/Lake	fcst_pt_oc	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Oceanographic, Estuarine and Limnological Point Forecasts	NWS & NOS/CO-OPS
River	fcst_pt_riv	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to River Point Forecasts	NWS AHPS
Surface Forecasts
Surface Weather	fcst_pg_cfz	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to surface weather forecasts for U.S. Counties/WFO Zones	NWS
Terminal Aerodrome Weather (TAF)	fcst_pt_taf	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Terminal Aerodrome Weather Forecasts for airports around the globe	NWS/NCEP/AWC
Surf Zone	fcst_pg_sz	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Surf Zone forecasts for selected U.S. Coastal Areas	NWS/WFOs
Coastal and Offshore	fcst_pg_coz	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Coastal and Offshore Marine Forecasts	NWS/WFOs, OPC, TPC
High Seas	fcst_pg_hsz	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to High Seas Forecasts	NWS/OPC + TPC
Harmful Algae Blooms Bulletins	fcst_pg_hab	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Harmful Algae Blooms Bulletins for selected U.S. Coastal Areas	NOS/CO-OPS
Air Quality	fcst_pt_aq	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Air Quality Point Forecasts	EPA AirNOW
Forecast Discussions
Coastal Marine and Regional Weather	fcstdis_pg_wx	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Coastal & Regional Meteorological Forecast Discussions	NWS/WFOs
Regional Hydrometeorological	fcstdis_pg_riv	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Hydrologic Forecast Discussions	NWS/RFCs
Offshore Marine Weather	fcstdis_pg_mar	Geo-referenced hyperlinks to Offshore Marine Weather Forecast Discussions	NWS/OPC + TPC

Map Background Layers

In addition to the layers listed above, each service also contains a set of Map Background layers designed to be displayed underneath the data or forecast layers to provide the user with geographic reference. Using certain clients (such as Google Maps or OpenLayers web mapping APIs), nowCOAST map layers can be overlaid with base map data from other sources, such as Google's Satellite Imagery, Aerial Photography or Terrain datasets. However, if a client is unable to overlay data from multiple sources, nowCOAST's map background layers define an alternative combined base map that provides the user with scale-dependent rendering of geographic features such as world country borders, lakes and rivers, major roads, urban areas, and several others. The iPhone/iPod Touch WMS client WhateverMap, for example, only allows a connection to one WMS at any one time. In order to provide a geographic basemap to such clients, the nowCOAST background layers have been included in each Web Map Service listed above. A list of all available Map Background layers along with their layer IDs and short descriptions for each can be found below:

Map Background Layers (Available in all services):
Layer Name	Layer ID(s)	Layer Description
World Countries	world_countries	World Country Boundaries
World Rivers	world_rivers	World Rivers
World Lakes	world_lakes	World Lakes
Great Lakes	great_lakes	Great Lakes
U.S. States - General	us_states_gen	U.S. State Borders & Labels
US/Canada Background	us_canada_back	U.S. & Canada Background
Canadian Provinces	provinces	Canadian Province Boundaries & Labels
US County Borders	counties	U.S. County Boundaries
Air Route Traffic Ctrl Ctr Boundaries	artcc	Air Route Traffic Control Centers - Areas of Responsibility
Rivers	rivers	U.S. Rivers
Lakes	lakes	U.S. Lakes
Watersheds	watersheds	U.S. Watershed Boundaries
Coastal Labels	coastal_labels	Coastal Area of Interest Labels
Urban Areas Fill	urban_areas_fill	U.S. Urban Area Boundaries (color-filled polygons)
Urban Areas Outline	urban_areas_outline	U.S. Urban Area Boundaries (polygon outline only)
Major Roads	major_roads	U.S. Major Roads
US Interstates	us_interstates	U.S. Interstates
Airport Runway Footprints	us_runways	Locations/Footprints of U.S. Airport Runways
US Cities	us_cities	U.S. City Locations & Labels
Coastal Watch/Warning Breakpoints	tc_warn_breakpoints	Coastal City Breakpoint Locations & Labels for NHC Tropical Cyclone Watches & Warnings
National Marine Sanctuaries	marine_sanctuaries	National Marine Sanctuaries
Exclusive Economic Zone	eez	U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone Boundaries
Latitude/Longitude Grid Lines	lat_halfdeg, lon_halfdeg, lat_onedeg, lon_onedeg, lat_fivedeg, lon_fivedeg	Latitude/Longitude Grid Line Overlays with Decimal Degrees Labels
Notes: The Latitude/Longitude Grid Lines layers are designed to be requested simultaneously, as each layer (5-degree, 1-degree, 1/2-degree) will only be drawn at appropriate scales. When zoomed out, grid lines will be displayed at 5-degree intervals, but as you zoom in, 1-degree interval will be shown, followed eventually by 1/2-degree intervals. Requesting all six layer IDs (lat_halfdeg, lon_halfdeg, lat_onedeg, lon_onedeg, lat_fivedeg, lon_fivedeg) at the same time will result in a smooth transition in detail as you zoom in/out.

Notes

Obtaining Legends, Timestamps, Layer Descriptions, and Layer Icons
Due to limitations of the ArcIMS platform, nowCOAST is not able to provide legends through the WMS "GetLegendGraphic" request. To solve this problem, the nowCOAST team has created a "LayerInfo" web service that can be queried to obtain various additional information about our WMS layers. For each on-map data layer (for example, Surface Weather/Ocean Observations, Weather Radar Mosaic, GOES Satellite Imagery, NDFD Forecasts, etc.) found in nowCOAST's map services, the LayerInfo service provides access to its Legend Graphic (if applicable), Layer Icon, Layer Description, and valid Timestamp information.

For more information about the LayerInfo web service, including query instructions, see our informational page at:

http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/help/layerinfo.shtml
WMS Layer Ordering
The order in which layers are specified in a WMS request defines the order in which they will be drawn in the resulting map image. For this reason, it is important to make sure the bottom-most layers occur first in your list of layer IDs. Map Background layers, for example, should usually be listed first in your layer ID list, so that any requested data layers are drawn on top instead of below them.

Example: The following WMS Request URL is properly formed so that the GOES layer will be drawn on top of the world countries layer and the Radar layer will be drawn on top of the GOES layer:

http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/obs?service=wms&version=1.1.1&request=GetMap&format=jpeg&BBOX=-140.25,10.46,-64.7,65.68&SRS=EPSG:4269&width=800&height=600&Layers=world_countries,RAS_GOES,RAS_RIDGE_NEXRAD

Note the list of Layers in the URL: "Layers=world_countries,RAS_GOES,RAS_RIDGE_NEXRAD". If the order had been reversed, the Radar and GOES layers would have been obscured by the world countries background.
WMS Image Output Formats & Transparency
The WMS standard requires that every request must include a "format" parameter, which specifies the desired output format for the generated map image. There are three possible image formats that can be requested: gif, png, and jpeg. GIF images do not support as many colors as JPEG and PNG, so its use should be limited. If JPEG is specified as the desired output format, the resulting image will be of similar quality to the PNG image, but will be smaller and size and thus can be downloaded more quickly. One downside to requesting images in JPEG format is that transparency is not allowed. If the resulting image will be overlaid on top of other imagery and requires transparency, PNG must be used instead. PNG offers excellent image quality and supports transparency, but results in a larger image file that takes longer to download.

In order to enable transparency for a WMS request, append "&transparent=true" to the end of the WMS URL. You must also specify "format=png" to request the image in PNG format (GIF also supports transparency, but there may be a loss of color if used).
Scale-Dependent Layer Rendering
Many of nowCOAST's map layers are configured in such a way that they are only drawn on the map when viewing from a relevant scale/zoom level. By only drawing layers at relevant scales, clutter is reduced when zoomed out, but details are still shown when zoomed in. One example of scale-dependent rendering is the "U.S. County Borders" background layer. Since the county borders are only really visible when zoomed in to the Contiguous U.S., the layer will only be drawn when zoomed in past this level. For this reason, if all map backgrounds are included in a WMS request, only the layers relevant to the current zoom level will be drawn. This practice minimizes the need to toggle individual layers on and off as the map scale changes.
Connecting to nowCOAST's WMS from Flex and Silverlight Clients
Recently, there have been several web mapping platforms released for the Flex and Silverlight platforms, including the ESRI ArcGIS Server Flex and Silverlight APIs. Due to the way cross-site resources are loaded in these platforms, explicit permissions are required when connecting to a third-party server (e.g., nowcoast.noaa.gov) from your own website. To address this requirement, two XML files ('crossdomain.xml', for Flex clients, and 'clientaccesspolicy.xml', for Silverlight clients) have been created to allow connections from the following top-level domains: .mil, .gov, .noaa, .com, .net, .org and .us. If you require the addition of another domain, please contact the nowCOAST Team at: nowcoast.team@noaa.gov. These XML files are accessible at the following addresses: http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/crossdomain.xml and http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/clientaccesspolicy.xml
Troubleshooting Service Exceptions
If you are attempting to load imagery from one of nowCOAST's WMS and instead encounter a Service Exception error (for example, "[ERR0952] No requested images (map, legend, or separate layer) were generated"), the cause may be that you have requested a blank image. Ensure that you have specified the proper value(s) for the LAYERS parameter, and that your BBOX (bounding box) is within the range of your target dataset. For example, the Weather Radar Mosaic shown in the 'obs' WMS is only available for the Contiguous U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and Alaska. If you attempt to draw this or any other layer where no data is available, you will encounter the error message specified above.
WMS Map Projections & Spatial Reference Systems (SRS)
The WMS standard requires that every request must include the "SRS" parameter, which specifies the identifier of the desired Spatial Reference System (projection) of the requested map image. In addition to the standard geographic projections, nowCOAST map services allow requests to be made in the Web Mercator projection, which is used by many popular online mapping services such as Microsoft Bing and Google Maps. When overlaying nowCOAST data with Google Maps or Microsoft Bing imagery, it is recommended to use either the "EPSG:3857" or "EPSG:102113" SRS values in your requests. Otherwise, the most commonly used projections are NAD83 ("EPSG:4269") and WGS84 ("EPSG:4326").

NOTE: Due to differences between versions 9.2 and 10.0 of ArcIMS, nowCOAST's Web Map Services no longer support the "EPSG:900913" projection identifier as of June 5th, 2012. For those users who were previously using this identifier, the replacement identifiers of "EPSG:3857" or "EPSG:102113" should be used instead, and all client applications should be modified accordingly. These identifiers all represent the same projection, so no further changes should be required.

SRS values can be specified in a WMS request by including "&SRS=IDENTIFIER" in the target WMS URL, where "IDENTIFIER" is replaced with one of the supported SRS Identifier values, listed below:

SRS Identifier	Projection Name
EPSG:3857	Web Mercator (New ESRI Identifier)
EPSG:4267	North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27)
EPSG:4269	North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83)
EPSG:4326	World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84)
EPSG:102113	Web Mercator (Old ESRI Identifier)

Connecting to nowCOAST's WMS from an iPhone or iPod Touch:

Due to the nature of the WMS open standard, connectivity to nowCOAST's map layers is now available to any WMS-enabled client. An application called WhateverMap, which can be downloaded & installed for free through the iTunes AppStore, brings WMS support to the iPhone and iPod Touch for the first time. Instructions on how to view nowCOAST WMS map layers through WhateverMap are outlined below:

While viewing the list of Data Sources, click on the '+' symbol in the top-left corner of the screen to add a new WMS resource
Enter the GetCapabilities URL of the desired service into the WMS Address input box (see service descriptions above), then hit 'Next'
Enter a title of your choosing that describes the service, then hit 'Next'
Select the blue/white arrow to the right of the target service name in the list shown. This should give you a full listing of all available layers in the service. After choosing the layers you want displayed, hit 'Save'. This will take you back to the list of data sources.
Select the new service you just added from the list of data sources. This will load an interactive map that can be panned and zoomed to view the target data & imagery for any geographic region.

Screenshot of nowCOAST's 'guidance' WMS service as viewed through WhateverMap

Map layer displayed: surface water currents model guidance from NOS' New York Harbor Operational Forecast System (NYOFS)

Connecting to nowCOAST's WMS with Google Earth:

Google Earth, a freely available mapping and data visualization application, is also capable of connecting to nowCOAST's Web Map Services. The process for displaying nowCOAST WMS data on Google Earth is outlined below:

From the "Add" menu item at the top of the screen, select "Image Overlay"
In the dialog box that appears, select the tab titled "Refresh", then click the "WMS Parameters" button located near the right side of the window
In the new dialog box that appears, click the "Add" button and enter the GetCapabilities URL of the desired service (see service descriptions above) and hit OK.
Add the desired layers by selecting them from the list on the left and hitting the "Add ->" button. Layer order can be modified by moving layers up or down to optimize the data display. Make sure that Map Background layers are below data layers for optimal drawing order.
Hit OK to close the dialog box. Here, parameters such as image transparency (opacity) and refresh interval can be adjusted. Hit OK to close this dialog box, and the requested data should be drawn on the map. New imagery will be requested and displayed according to the refresh interval preferences you defined.

Tips for improving image quality when viewing in Google Earth:

By default, Google Earth requests WMS imagery with a width and height of 512 pixels. Due to the large geographic area being requested, 512 pixels isn't usually enough to provide a sharp image. To force Google Earth to request a larger image, right-click on the layer you just added (under "My Places") and select "Properties". In the dialog box that appears, locate the input box next to "Link:" that contains the WMS URL being requested. Scrolling right until you find the "WIDTH=512&HEIGHT=512" directives, replace them with "WIDTH=1024&HEIGHT=1024". After hitting OK, Google Earth should re-request the WMS imagery and you should see an improvement in image clarity. If 1024 doesn't look right to you, experiment with new values until you get a clearer image. Currently, the largest image that can be requested from the nowCOAST WMS is 1773x1773. Additionally, the "FORMAT=image/png" parameter can be changed to "FORMAT=image/jpeg" or "FORMAT=image/gif". However, while JPEG may produce a smoother image than GIF, GIF supports transparency and JPEG does not. PNG also supports transparency, but the current version of Google Earth does not support transparency in 24-bit PNGs, which is the PNG format currently used by nowCOAST's WMS.
Google Earth will by default request an image that is smaller than your view extent. To ensure that the requested nowCOAST WMS image fills your entire view, on the Refresh tab of the New Image Overlay window, the "View Bound Scale" parameter should be changed from "0.75" to "1"

Creating a KML File:

Alternatively, nowCOAST WMS layers can be overlaid in Google Earth by generating a KML file containing a GroundOverlay definition. Creating a KML file for distribution will allow even inexperienced GIS users to easily overlay nowCOAST layers in Google Earth. The following example KML definition uses the <GroundOverlay> tag to create a link to nowCOAST's "forecasts" WMS to display the latest +0-day NDFD Maximum Surface Air Temperature forecast for the Contiguous United States (Click here to download the example KML):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
										<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
										<GroundOverlay>
										  <name>nowCOAST - NDFD Max Temp - +0 Day</name>
										  <color>7fffffff</color>
										  <drawOrder>1</drawOrder>
										  <Icon>
										    <href>http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/wms/com.esri.wms.Esrimap/forecasts?SERVICE=WMS&amp;REQUEST=GetMap&amp;FORMAT=image%2Fgif&amp;TRANSPARENT=TRUE&amp;STYLES=&amp;VERSION=1.1.1&amp;LAYERS=NDFD_RAS_MAXT_0_00&amp;WIDTH=1500&amp;HEIGHT=637&amp;SRS=EPSG:4326&amp;BBOX=-126,24,-66,49.5</href>
										    <refreshMode>onInterval</refreshMode>
										    <refreshInterval>3600</refreshInterval>
										    <viewBoundScale>1</viewBoundScale>
										  </Icon>
										  <LatLonBox>-126,24,-66,49.5
										    <north>49.5</north>
										    <south>24</south>
										    <east>-66</east>
										    <west>-126</west>
										    <rotation>0</rotation>
										  </LatLonBox>
										</GroundOverlay>
										</kml>

Screenshot of nowCOAST's 'obs' WMS service as viewed through Google Earth

Connecting to nowCOAST's WMS with uDig Open Source Desktop GIS Client:

uDig is a freely available open source desktop GIS mapping application that allows data connections to be made through a variety of protocols, including OGC-compliant standards such as WMS. Instructions on connecting to nowCOAST WMS layers through uDig are outlined below:

Using a new or existing uDig project, create a New Map (right-click on the project and select 'New Map') or load an existing one.
Right click on the target Map entry and select "Add..."
In the dialog box that appears, select 'Web Map Server' and hit 'Next'
Enter the GetCapabilities URL of the desired service (see service descriptions above) and hit 'Next'
Select the layers you would like to load from the service, and hit 'Finish' to add your selections to the map.
Your data should now be displayed on the map, but due to the way uDig handles layer ordering, you may have to move layers up or down in the layer list to get the best data view possible (Some of the Map Background layers may be above some of the data layers, which could obscure their view. With the 'obs' service, for example, for the best view make sure that the GOES layers are above the Map Background layers, the Weather Radar Mosaic is shown above the GOES, and the surface observations are shown above the Radar)

Screenshot of nowCOAST's 'obs' WMS service as viewed through uDig

Connecting to nowCOAST's ArcIMS* Image Service:

For those users who prefer to work within the ESRI environment, connectivity to nowCOAST's ArcIMS* Image Service is readily available as an alternative to WMS. However, in order to ingest an ArcIMS* Image Service, an ESRI-based client must be used. Licensed versions of ArcMap* allow ArcIMS* data to be plotted, but if no license is available, much of the same functionality can be utilized in ArcGIS Explorer*, ESRI's free desktop GIS application.

When using this data in your own mapping application, we would appreciate credit being given to nowCOAST (e.g. "NOAA/NOS nowCOAST").

ArcGIS Explorer* can be downloaded for free from ESRI's website.

The following instructions can be used with either ESRI's ArcMap* or ArcGIS Explorer* applications to connect to and view data from nowCOAST's ArcIMS* Image Service.
  1) In a new or existing project, click the Add Data button (the big "+" sign).
  2) In the "Look In" dropdown menu, select "GIS Servers".
  3) Double click "Add ArcIMS Server".
  4) For "URL of server:", type "http://nowcoast.noaa.gov" and click "Get List" button.
  5) In the list that appears, check the box next to the "nowcoast" service and hit "OK".
  6) Double click on the "nowcoast.noaa.gov" entry that has appeared in the list.
  7) Select the "nowcoast" entry that has appeared in the list and hit "Add". The nowCOAST Image Service should appear as a new layer in your Active Data Frame.

Screenshot of nowCOAST's ArcIMS Image Service as viewed through ArcMap

The nowCOAST layers included in the WMS are available as a result of the hard work of various data providers, including NWS, NOS, NESDIS and OAR. We recognize and appreciate their efforts to provide data and forecast products to all of their users, including nowCOAST. A list of acronyms and full names of data providers can be found below:

List of Acronyms used in Source Column:
Acronym	Full Name
AWC	Aviation Weather Center
CO-OPS	Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
EPA	Environmental Protection Agency
IFLOWS	Integrated Flood Observing and Warning System
MADIS	Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS)
NCEP	National Centers for Environmental Prediction
NESDIS	National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service
NHC	National Hurricane Center
NOS	National Ocean Service
NWS	National Weather Service
OPC	Ocean Prediction Center
OSDPD	Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution
SPC	Storm Prediction Center
TPC	Tropical Prediction Center
USGS	U.S. Geological Survey

* Any mention of a commercial product is for informational purposes and does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Government or any of its employees or contractors.
iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone and AppStore are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.
Microsoft Bing is a registered trademark of Microsoft, Inc.
Google Maps and Google Earth are registered trademarks of Google, Inc.
ArcMap, ArcGIS Explorer and ArcIMS are registered trademarks of ESRI, Inc.


Web site owner: Office of Coast Survey