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At least 19 records

A data model of the Climate and Forecast metadata conventions (CF-1.6) with a software implementation (cf-python v2.1)

Abstract. The CF (Climate and Forecast) metadata conventions are designed to promote the creation, processing, and sharing of climate and forecasting data using Network Common Data Form (netCDF) files and libraries. The CF conventions provide a description of the physical meaning of data and of their spatial and temporal properties, but they depend on the netCDF file encoding which can currently only be fully understood and interpreted by someone familiar with the rules and relationships specified in the conventions documentation. To aid in development of CF-compliant software and to capture with a minimal set of elements all of the information contained in the CF conventions, we propose a formal data model for CF which is independent of netCDF and describes all possible CF-compliant data. Because such data will often be analysed and visualised using software based on other data models, we compare our CF data model with the ISO 19123 coverage model, the Open Geospatial Consortium CF netCDF standard, and the Unidata Common Data Model. To demonstrate that this CF data model can in fact be implemented, we present cf-python, a Python software library that conforms to the model and can manipulate any CF-compliant dataset.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Extending CF Conventions to Enhance Data FAIRness for Atmospheric Composition Observations

The Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) and Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) are data file formats created to aid users in the creation or use of scientific data. These file formats are useful for handling large data volumes and hosting extensive metadata as global, group, or variable attributes and are popular with the modeling community. HDF and NetCDF files are widely used with atmospheric remote sensing data and have been used to support measurements from numerous field campaigns, from satellite to aircraft or ground and mobile based measurements. The files from airborne field studies, however, vary greatly in terms of the file structure and the amount and content of their metadata. Information relevant to the file that can be useful to the user such as the data producer, location where data was taken, variable descriptions, or information about the instrument might not be included in the file. Recently, the Measurements of Aerosols, Clouds, and their Interactions for Earth System Models (MACIE) group started a grassroots effort to develop a CF-based template for the HDF and NetCDF files for field studies, with the aim of making the data products more interoperable and usable. This template seeks to make the files more compliant to Climate and Forecast (CF) metadata conventions and to standardize the file structure and the global and variable attributes. The template would help to ensure that HDF and NetCDF files contain adequate metadata to better support their use for research, e.g., the modeling community, and to enhance the usability and interoperability of data for research communities at large. The draft template has been applied to recent field studies for various instruments and their merge files in support of the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) project. The details of the revised template are to be presented, as well as examples of the implementation of these requirements for merge files and lidar observation data files and issues revealed during the implementation process.

Sean Leavor↗

A technique for constraining the driving scale of turbulence and a modified Chandrasekhar–Fermi method

The Chandrasekhar–Fermi (CF) method is a powerful technique for estimating the strength of the mean magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky. In this paper, we present a technique for improving the CF method in which we take into account the averaging effect arising from independent eddies along the line of sight (LOS). In the conventional CF method, the strength of fluctuating magnetic field divided by √(4π ρ-bar ), where ρ-bar is average density, is assumed to be comparable to the LOS velocity dispersion. However, this is not true when the driving scale of turbulence L{sub f}, i.e., the outer scale of turbulence, is smaller than the size of the system along the LOS L{sub los}. In fact, the conventional CF method overestimates the strength of the mean plane-of-the-sky magnetic field by a factor of ∼√(L{sub los}/L{sub f}). We show that the standard deviation of centroid velocities divided by the average LOS velocity dispersion is a good measure of √(L{sub los}/L{sub f}), which enables us to propose a modified CF method.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

CROCUS Urban Fluxes of CO₂, H₂O, and Turbulence at University of Illinois Chicago

As of May 12, 2026 this dataset is currently being versioned to include data up to April 2026. Once the versioning process is complete, new data files will be available for access. The dataset metadata will also be updated to reflect the data availability of the new data being versioned. This dataset was collected at the UIC Plant Research Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS) Urban Integrated Field Laboratory (UIFL) project, led by Argonne National Laboratory. The site provides continuous atmospheric flux measurements, focusing on CO₂, H₂O, and heat and momentum transport in an urban setting. The data is processed at 30 minutes interval using the Eddy Covariance method and includes quality control and diagnostic data generated by EddyPro software. The data is stored in the netCDF files following CF conventions. The UIC Plant Research Laboratory is located near major highways and urban infrastructure, including buildings and parking areas. The surrounding landscape consists of a mix of turf, plants, trees, and impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt, making it ideal for studying urban at for studies on urban sustainability, air quality, and the effects of urbanization on atmospheric processes on urban climate dynamics, air quality, and surface-atmosphere exchanges within the city of Chicago. This dataset is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Monthly Quality-filtered Aggregation of NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of AVHRR Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), Version 5

This dataset contains gridded monthly Leaf Area Index (LAI) derived from the daily NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of AVHRR Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR), Version 5. This data record spans from 1981 to 2018 using data from eight NOAA polar orbiting satellites: NOAA-7, -9, -11, -14, -16, -17, -18 and -19. The data are projected on a 0.05 degree x 0.05 degree global grid, as in the original CDR. The original CDR is one of the Land Surface CDR Version 5 products produced by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland (UMD), which is accompanied by algorithm documentation, data flow diagram and source code for the NOAA CDR Program. This dataset is in the netCDF-4 file format following ACDD and CF Conventions. This dataset has applied quality assurance information to only include "OK" data from the original CDR in the monthly aggregation.

Vermote, Eric [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (G↗

Monthly Quality-filtered Aggregation of NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of AVHRR (Version 5) and VIIRS (Version 1) Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR)

This dataset contains gridded monthly Leaf Area Index (LAI) derived from the daily NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of AVHRR (Version 5) and VIIRS (Version 1) Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). This data record spans from 1981 to 2024 using data from NOAA polar orbiting satellites: NOAA-7, -9, -11, -14, -16, -17, -18, -19 and S-NPP. The data are projected on a 0.05 degree x 0.05 degree global grid, as in the original CDR. The original CDR is one of the Land Surface CDR products produced by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland (UMD), which is accompanied by algorithm documentation, data flow diagram and source code for the NOAA CDR Program. This dataset is in the netCDF-4 file format following ACDD and CF Conventions. This dataset has applied quality assurance information to only include "OK" data from the original CDR in the monthly aggregation.

Vermote, Eric [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (G↗

Data Access Services that Make Remote Sensing Data Easier to Use

This slide presentation reviews some of the processes that NASA uses to make the remote sensing data easy to use over the World Wide Web. This work involves much research into data formats, geolocation structures and quality indicators, often to be followed by coding a preprocessing program. Only then are the data usable within the analysis tool of choice. The Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center is deploying a variety of data access services that are designed to dramatically shorten the time consumed in the data preparation step. On-the-fly conversion to the standard network Common Data Form (netCDF) format with Climate-Forecast (CF) conventions imposes a standard coordinate system framework that makes data instantly readable through several tools, such as the Integrated Data Viewer, Gridded Analysis and Display System, Panoply and Ferret. A similar benefit is achieved by serving data through the Open Source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP), which also provides subsetting. The Data Quality Screening Service goes a step further in filtering out data points based on quality control flags, based on science team recommendations or user-specified criteria. Further still is the Giovanni online analysis system which goes beyond handling formatting and quality to provide visualization and basic statistics of the data. This general approach of automating the preparation steps has the important added benefit of enabling use of the data by non-human users (i.e., computer programs), which often make sub-optimal use of the available data due to the need to hard-code data preparation on the client side.

Lynnes, Christopher↗

OPeNDAP and HDF5 in the Cloud: Techniques and Best Practices for Serving HDF5 Data

In our talk we will discuss considerations and best practices for organizing data and metadata in HDF5 files when serving ESDIS products in S3 with OPeNDAP. The first part of the talk will be devoted to the best practices for organizing data and user-defined metadata including CF conventions in HDF5. We will also address interoperability with netCDF-4 and its role in accessing data in HDF5. In the second part of the talk we will go over OPeNDAP considerations for S3 access to HDF5 data.

HDF5↗

A User-Focused Renovation of CERES Metadata

Production software and public data products for Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) continue to evolve as the project extends its climate data record. The data management team for CERES is currently undertaking major renovations of both code and data products, the latter of which is, of course, in service of improving user experience. A major mode of CERES’ data product improvement is in renovating products’ metadata. Metadata standards have evolved since CERES began producing its data products in 2000. In its twentieth year, CERES essentially asked the question: how would the project design its data products if it could start all over again? With forthcoming editions, this rebirth will be realized. CERES has redesigned its metadata standards to best position itself for data discoverability. The project has used the latest standards being developed in NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information Systems (ESDIS) Project’s Unified Metadata Model (UMM) documentation; collaborated with the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC) to ensure compliance with Common Metadata Repository compatibility, and continued compliance with Climate and Forecast (CF) Conventions. In doing so, the team created its own, internal document for proper metadata creation and metadata verification software that is deployed prior to all code deliveries. This presentation will discuss this redesign process, as well as needs met and those that are still outstanding in the search for an improved user experience with CERES data products.

Kathleen Dejwakh↗

Pypromice: A Python Package for Processing Automated Weather Station Data

The pypromice Python package is for processing and handling observation datasets from automated weather stations (AWS). It is primarily aimed at users of AWS data from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), which collects and distributes in situ weather station observations to the cryospheric science research community. Functionality in pypromice is primarily handled using two key open-source Python packages, xarray (Hoyer & Hamman, 2017) and pandas (The pandas development team, 2020). A defined processing workflow is included in pypromice for transforming original AWS observations (Level 0, L0) to a usable, CF-convention-compliant dataset (Level 3, L3) (Figure 1). Intermediary processing levels (L1,L2) refer to key stages in the workflow, namely the conversion of variables to physical measurements and variable filtering (L1), cross-variable corrections and user-defined data flagging and fixing (L2), and derived variables (L3). Information regarding the station configuration is needed to perform the processing, such as instrument calibration coefficients and station type (one-boom tripod or two-boom mast station design, for example), which are held in a toml configuration file. Two example configuration files are provided with pypromice , which are also used in the package’s unit tests. More detailed documentation of the AWS design, instrumentation, and processing steps are described in Fausto et al. (2021).

pypromice↗

The Value of Data and Metadata Standardization for Interoperability in Giovanni Or: Why Your Product's Metadata Causes Us Headaches!

Giovanni is a data exploration and visualization tool at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information Services Center (GES DISC). It has been around in one form or another for more than 15 years. Giovanni calculates simple statistics and produces 22 different visualizations for more than 1600 geophysical parameters from more than 90 satellite and model products. Giovanni relies on external data format standards to ensure interoperability, including the NetCDF CF Metadata Conventions. Unfortunately, these standards were insufficient to make Giovanni's internal data representation truly simple to use. Finding and working with dimensions can be convoluted with the CF Conventions. Furthermore, the CF Conventions are silent on machine-friendly descriptive metadata such as the parameter's source product and product version. In order to simplify analyzing disparate earth science data parameters in a unified way, we developed Giovanni's internal standard. First, the format standardizes parameter dimensions and variables so they can be easily found. Second, the format adds all the machine-friendly metadata Giovanni needs to present our parameters to users in a consistent and clear manner. At a glance, users can grasp all the pertinent information about parameters both during parameter selection and after visualization.

interoperability↗

Interoperability and Other Aspects of Guiding Data Producers for the Benefit of End Users

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Conventions and netCDF standard have influenced the recommendations and guidance provided to producers of data products based on NASA’s Earth observations. It has been long-recognized that interoperable datasets and use of standards and conventions are beneficial to the users of these datasets, especially those who make use of multiple datasets for their research and applications. The Dataset Interoperability Working Group (DIWG), one of NASA’s Earth Science Data System Working Groups (ESDSWGs), was established in 2013, and has developed and published many recommendations. The Data Product Development Guide (DPDG) Working Group, established in 2018 as another of the ESDSWGs, has published a DPDG for Data Producers and a Quick Start Guide, incorporating guidance from many sources, including the recommendations from the DIWG. The DPDG includes recommendations regarding data formats (prominently netCDF-4) and metadata based primarily on the CF Metadata Conventions and the Attribute Convention for Data Discovery (ACDD). In early 2023, it was decided that the Resource Center for Data Producers (RCDP) Working Group be established as another ESDSWG, with the goals of providing all the information relevant and helpful for data producers via an easily accessible website, and of recommending how the DPDG and QSG could be maintained as living documents, given the rapidly changing technologies, and the need for incorporating the experience and feedback from the users of these documents.

Data product development↗

Progress towards high-power Li/CF x batteries: electrode architectures using carbon nanotubes with CF x

Carbon monofluoride (CF x ) has a high energy density, exceeding 2000 W h kg –1 , however its application in primary lithium batteries is limited by its power capability. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are appealing additives for high-power batteries, due to their outstanding electronic transport properties, high aspect ratio necessitating low volume fraction for percolation, and high tensile strength. This perspective describes the current state of the art in lithium–carbon monofluoride (Li/CF x ) batteries and highlights the opportunities for the development of high-power Li/CF x batteries via utilization of carbon nanotubes. In this report, we generated several electrode architectures using CF x /CNT combinations, and demonstrated the effectiveness of CNTs in enhancing the rate capability and energy density of Li/CF x batteries. First, we investigated the resistivity of CF x combined with CNTs and compared the CF x /CNT composites with conventional carbon additives. Second, we built CF x –CNT electrodes without metallic current collectors using CNTs as substrates, and compared their electrochemical performance with conventional CF x electrodes using aluminum foil as a current collector. Furthermore, we fabricated multi-layered CNT–CF x –CNT composite electrodes (sandwich electrodes) and studied the impact of the structure on the performance of the electrode. Our work demonstrates some of the opportunities for utilization of CNTs in CF x electrodes and the resultant implementation of CF x as a battery cathode in next-generation high-power batteries.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Clinical Pathways: A Catalyst for the Adoption of Hypofractionation for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Purpose: Hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (HF-WBI) remains underutilized in the United States despite support by multiple clinical trials. We evaluated the success of iterative modifications of our breast cancer clinical pathway on the adoption of HF-WBI in a large, integrated radiation oncology network. Methods and Materials: The breast clinical pathway was modified in January 2011 (Amendment 1) to recommend HF-WBI as the first option for women ≥70 of age with stages 0 to IIA, while maintaining conventional fractionation (CF) as a pathway-concordant secondary option. In January 2013 (Amendment 2), the pathway's HF-WBI recommendation was extended to women ≥50 years of age. In January 2014 (Amendment 3), the pathway mandated HF-WBI as the only pathway-concordant option in women ≥50 years of age, and all pathway-discordant plans were subject to peer review and justification. Women ≥50 years of age with ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer who underwent breast conserving surgery and adjuvant WBI were included in this analysis. Results: We identified 5112 patients from 2009 to 2014 who met inclusion criteria. From 2009 to 2012, the overall HF-WBI use rate was 8.3%. Following Amendments 2 and 3 (2013 and 2014, respectively), HF-WBI use significantly increased to 21.8% (17.3% in the community, 39.7% at academic sites) and 76.7% (75.5% in the community, 81.4% at academic sites), respectively (P<.001). Compared to 2009 to 2012, the relative risk of using HF-WBI was 7.9 (95% confidence interval: 7.1-8.6, P<.001) and 10.7 (95% CI: 10.3-11.0, P<.001), respectively, after Amendments 2 and 3, respectively. Age ≥70 and treatment at an academic site increased the likelihood of receiving HF-WBI in 2009 to 2012 and following Amendment 2 (P<.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the transformative effect of a clinical pathway on patterns of care for breast radiation therapy. Although our initial HF-WBI use rate was low (8%-22%) and consistent with national rates, the clinical pathway approach dramatically increased adoption rate to >75%. In contrast to passive guidelines, clinical pathways serve as active tools to promote current best practices.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Quantitative Assessment of Breast Cosmetic Outcome After Whole-Breast Irradiation

Purpose: To measure, by quantitative analysis of digital photographs, breast cosmetic outcome within the setting of a randomized trial of conventionally fractionated (CF) and hypofractionated (HF) whole-breast irradiation (WBI), to identify how quantitative cosmesis metrics were associated with patient- and physician-reported cosmesis and whether they differed by treatment arm. Methods and Materials: From 2011 to 2014, 287 women aged ≥40 with ductal carcinoma in situ or early invasive breast cancer were randomized to HF-WBI (42.56 Gy/16 fractions [fx] + 10-12.5 Gy/4-5 fx boost) or CF-WBI (50 Gy/25 fx + 10-14 Gy/5-7 fx). At 1 year after treatment we collected digital photographs, patient-reported cosmesis using the Breast Cancer Treatment and Outcomes Scale, and physician-reported cosmesis using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale. Six quantitative measures of breast symmetry, labeled M1-M6, were calculated from anteroposterior digital photographs. For each measure, values closer to 1 imply greater symmetry, and values closer to 0 imply greater asymmetry. Associations between M1-M6 and patient- and physician-reported cosmesis and treatment arm were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Among 245 evaluable patients, patient-reported cosmesis was strongly associated with M1 (vertical symmetry measure) (P<.01). Physician-reported cosmesis was similarly correlated with M1 (P<.01) and also with M2 (vertical symmetry, P=.01) and M4 (horizontal symmetry, P=.03). At 1 year after treatment, HF-WBI resulted in better values of M2 (P=.02) and M3 (P<.01) than CF-WBI; treatment arm was not significantly associated with M1, M4, M5, or M6 (P≥.12). Conclusions: Quantitative assessment of breast photographs reveals similar to improved cosmetic outcome with HF-WBI compared with CF-WBI 1 year after treatment. Assessing cosmetic outcome using these measures could be useful for future comparative effectiveness studies and outcome reporting.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Five-Year Longitudinal Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Cosmesis in a Randomized Trial of Conventionally Fractionated Versus Hypofractionated Whole-Breast Irradiation

There are limited prospective data on predictors of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after whole-breast irradiation (WBI) plus a boost. We sought to characterize longitudinal PROs and cosmesis in a randomized trial comparing conventionally fractionated (CF) versus hypofractionated (HF) WBI.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Evolution of cellular dislocation structures and defects in additively manufactured austenitic stainless steel under ion irradiation

Here, the evolution of irradiation-induced defects in additively manufactured (AM) austenitic stainless steel was explored in situ by 1 MeV Kr ion irradiation at 450 and 600 °C in a transmission electron microscope. Cellular dislocation structure in AM steel act as sink/trap sites for the irradiation-induced defects, resulting in the lower density and smaller dislocation loops in AM steel than conventional forged (CF) steel at 450 °C. The higher stacking fault energy and local stress concentration induced by cellular dislocation structure in AM steel promotes the unfaulting process and the formation of network dislocation at 600 °C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗