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NCEI Standard Product: Global Ocean Currents Database (GOCD)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: May 06, 2026 at 06:46 AM | Dataset Last Updated: April 18, 2025 at 12:00 AM
This collection contains the Global Ocean Currents Database (GOCD). The GOCD is an NCEI Standard Product, and is derived from datasets archived at NCEI that contain in situ ocean current data from a diverse range of instruments, collection protocols, processing methods, and data storage formats. For acceptance into the GOCD, the data meet quality control requirements and have thorough documentation. The GOCD merges the variety of original formats into an NCEI standard network common data form (netCDF) format. From the shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler sets, the GOCD creates files that hold single vertical ocean currents profiles. The GOCD includes data collected from 1962-09-30 to 2016-04-30. NCEI decommissioned the GOCD in April 2025 with no further updates.

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0093183 0171666 CURRENT DIRECTION CURRENT METER - EAST-WEST COMPONENT (U) CURRENT SPEED CURRENT SPEED - EAST/WEST COMPONENT (U) CURRENT SPEED - NORTH/SOUTH COMPONENT (V) ADCP

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
                                            {
  "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.info@noaa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description This collection contains the Global Ocean Currents Database (GOCD). The GOCD is an NCEI Standard Product, and is derived from datasets archived at NCEI that contain in situ ocean current data from a diverse range of instruments, collection protocols, processing methods, and data storage formats. For acceptance into the GOCD, the data meet quality control requirements and have thorough documentation. The GOCD merges the variety of original formats into an NCEI standard network common data form (netCDF) format. From the shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler sets, the GOCD creates files that hold single vertical ocean currents profiles. The GOCD includes data collected from 1962-09-30 to 2016-04-30. NCEI decommissioned the GOCD in April 2025 with no further updates.
distribution 
                                            [
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "FTP",
    "accessURL": "ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data.nodc/ncei/gocd/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "HTTPS",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/ncei/gocd/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "THREDDS",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/thredds-ocean/catalog/ncei/gocd/catalog.html",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "These data are available through a variety of services via a THREDDS (Thematic Real-time Environmental Distributed Data Services) Data Server (TDS). Depending on the dataset, the TDS can provide WMS, WCS, DAP, HTTP, and other data access and metadata services as well. For more information on the TDS, see http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/thredds/current/tds/.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Dataset Landing Page",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/NCEI-GOCD",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Reference Manual for Quality Control of Subsurface Currents Data (QCSCD)",
    "format": "PDF",
    "mediaType": "application/pdf",
    "description": "documentation",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0171666/about/qcscd_manual_v1.pdf",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "GCMD Keyword Forum Page",
    "accessURL": "https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Contact Information",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Information for contacts at NCEI.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  }
]
identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/NCEI-GOCD.xml
issued 2012-07-26T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
                                            [
  "0093183",
  "0171666",
  "CURRENT DIRECTION",
  "CURRENT METER - EAST-WEST COMPONENT (U)",
  "CURRENT SPEED",
  "CURRENT SPEED - EAST/WEST COMPONENT (U)",
  "CURRENT SPEED - NORTH/SOUTH COMPONENT (V)",
  "ADCP",
  "buoy - drifting buoy",
  "current meter",
  "current meter - PCM",
  "radar - high frequency oceanographic",
  "derived products",
  "physical",
  "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "World-Wide Distribution",
  "oceanography",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS",
  "ADCP > Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler",
  "CURRENT METERS",
  "DRIFTING BUOYS > DRIFTING BUOYS",
  "OSCR > OCEAN SURFACE CURRENT RADAR",
  "BUOYS",
  "C-MAN > Coastal Marine Network",
  "MOORINGS",
  "NDBC MOORED BUOY",
  "OCEAN PLATFORMS",
  "SEAGLIDER",
  "SHIPS",
  "TAO > TROPICAL ATMOSPHERE OCEAN",
  "GEOGRAPHIC REGION > GLOBAL OCEAN"
]
landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
                                            []
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2025-04-18T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
                                            {
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
references 
                                            [
  "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0171666/about/qcscd_manual_v1.pdf"
]
rights otherRestrictions
spatial 180.0,-78.6762,-180.0,73.8287
temporal 1962-09-30T00:00:00+00:00/2016-04-30T00:00:00+00:00
title NCEI Standard Product: Global Ocean Currents Database (GOCD)

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