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    • Surface Airways Observations (SAO) Hourly Data 1928-1948 (CDMP)

    Metadata Updated: September 19, 2023

    The dataset consists of hourly U.S. surface airways observations (SAO). These observations extend as far back as 1928, from the time when commercial aviation began in the United States and meteorological observing stations were established at many airports (although occasionally, early-period SAO's were taken at U.S. Weather Bureau city offices). For most stations, this dataset extends through June of 1948. The major data variables are as follows: WBAN Station Identification Number, observational type, ceiling and cloud, visibility, present weather data, temperature, wind and pressure. The observations are generally recorded for the 24-hour period midnight to midnight, although many stations did not record 24-hour observations, especially early in the period when commercial aviation was just getting started. Two output keying formats were created to adjust to an observational form change during the period. One format was generally used for years 1928-33, and the other for sets from around 1934 through June of 1948. Each keying format was designed to reflect the data as entered on the observational form for ease of keying by key entry personnel, who were not trained meteorological technicians. The "raw" observations which comprise the DSI-3851 dataset were quality checked, to include data adjustments, and converted to NCDC's Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH) format.

    The complimentary data to this collection can be found in the Surface Weather Observation 1001 Forms (Keyed) collection.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) February 3, 2005 (publication), February 3, 2005 (creation)
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from ncdc

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date June 23, 2023
    Metadata Created Date October 28, 2022
    Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
    Reference Date(s) February 3, 2005 (publication), February 3, 2005 (creation)
    Responsible Party NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ncdc:C00623
    Access Constraints Cite this dataset when used as a source., Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -66.0
    Bbox North Lat 72.0
    Bbox South Lat 18.0
    Bbox West Long 172.0
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update notPlanned
    Harvest Object Id ee35bb6f-2d54-4c95-bb06-3334c7752f22
    Harvest Source Id 2cb3ef77-1683-4c2a-9119-dc65e50917c6
    Harvest Source Title ncdc
    Licence These are "raw" keyed data, and have undergone limited quality control or quality assurance checks. A pre-keying check of the original data forms was performed to correct obvious errors, and some internal bounds checking was performed on the data at keying.
    Lineage Data in this dataset were keyed by contract staff under the Climate Database Modernization Program (CDMP) and sent to NCDC via FTP. Data were also sent to the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NeRCC) in Ithaca, New York, where staff applied automated quality control (QC) routines and sent QC'd data files back to NCDC.
    Metadata Language eng; USA
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[172.0, 18.0], [-66.0, 18.0], [-66.0, 72.0], [172.0, 72.0], [172.0, 18.0]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1928-01-01
    Temporal Extent End 1948-12-31

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