[Go-essp-tech] CMIP5 Version directory structure update

[Bentley, Philip]

Hi Martin, 

> 
> I think there are a couple of issues that need to be resolved 
> here, but which can be addressed after Stephen has 
> implemented his versioning
> system:
> 
> (1) How does a modelling system provide annotation of a new 
> data version? E.g. if they find that the institute name has 
> been misspelt in one of the attributes of the netcdf files, 
> there should be a brief comment lodged somewhere. I suppose 
> the logical way to do this is for a comment placed in the ESG 
> data node in such a way that it can subsequently be harvested 
> into the METAFOR CIM by the gateway.
> 

That's a pertinent question, and one that we will be interested to see
the answers to :-)

To the best of my knowledge we can compile and publish metadata to
describe our models and CMIP5-compliant simulations using the
METAFOR/CMIP5 questionnaire. And we can use our interface to the CMOR
library to attach metadata to the atomic datasets that we submit to the
CMIP5 archive.

But we have no way (currently) of recording or providing metadata (your
annotations) at the ESG realm-dataset version level. So if, say, we
update a single atomic dataset in an ESG realm-dataset -- perhaps cos we
got the output units wrong -- then it's not clear to me how that change
information will be provided to, and published by, the ESGF. Perhaps
there will be a screen/page in the ESG web portal interface in which the
owning modelling centre can create and update the appropriate metadata.

But I think I'm right in saying that this capability will *not* be
provided by the METAFOR/CMIP5 questionnaire since that application has
no knowledge of the concept of a realm-dataset. Metaforians can set me
straight on this one if it's wide of the mark :-)

Regards,
Phil