Multi-network Metadata System

MI³ system has been renamed to the Multi-network Metadata System (MMS).

About MMS

Metadata are critical to quality assessment, interpretation and utilization of data. MMS, the Multi-network Metadata System, is a long term strategy with the goal of improving consistency of and access to our critical metadata. While metadata include station histories, data inventories, data catalogs and directories and documentation of individual datasets, the initial focus has been on station histories.

MMS system function and content - The MMS user interface accessible from this page provides access to detailed configuration history for stations with data archived at the NCDC. Users may search for stations according to a variety of criteria, display summary information for stations matching the criteria and drill down to high levels of detail for each individual station.

Subject Areas

• Identity - such details as a station's name and aliases, various IDs (Coop, WBAN, WMO, FAA, etc), station type and networks

• Updates - sources of information used to update the station, and the dates which the updates were applied

• Location - information dealing with a station's physical environment, including latitude, longitude, elevation, geographic boundaries, topography and relocation details

• Involved Parties - observers, operators , contacts, administrators and other parties involved with the station

• Data Programs - observing programs a station participates

• Data Products - datasets and various products derived from a station's observations (will eventually provide linkage to inventories)

• Equipment - the equipment installed at the station, along with its locational and siting details

• Phenomena Observed - the observing protocols used at a station, including phenomena observed, observation times, reporting methods and parties who receive the data

• Remarks - miscellaneous remarks pertaining to any aspect of a station

• Administration, status & miscellaneous details - a broad category which includes administrative organizations, changes to the station's operating status, commissioning dates and other parameters that may be dynamically defined to meet new requirements

Current Contents

• NWS Cooperative: Detailed information for more than 30,000 NWS Cooperative stations in operation after 1948 (more recent stations contain the greatest level of detail)

• US NEXRAD: Basic identity and location information for all currently operating US NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar, WSR-88D) sites

• US AWOS: Basic identity and location information for most AWOS sites whose data are archived at the NCDC

• US ASOS: Basic identity and location information for most ASOS sites whose data are archived at the NCDC

• Miscellaneous historical US Surface stations: Sparser detail for about 5000 other surface stations in the US, its possessions and some other countries

• Miscellaneous foreign stations: a small number of non-US surface stations, mostly historical, with few details currently entered

Enhancement Plans

• Integration of Pre-1948 Cooperative station histories (roughly 65,000 records for more than 20,000 stations, about 6000 of which are not currently present in MI³ ) (2005)

• Initial and ongoing ingest of NWS Hydrometeorological Automated Data System (HADS) stations (2005)

• Entry of historical non-Cooperative surface stations, US and some non-US

• WMO GCOS stations, both domestic and international