[Go-essp-tech] standard_name to variable mapping in CMIP5

[Karl Taylor]

Dear Stephen,

Here's some information that might provide a partial explanation:

1.  all 10 variables you list do indeed have the same same standard name 
(area_fraction).  The standard_name alone is *not meant to* uniquely 
identify a variable (you need other metadata attributes to do this).

2.  All but 1 (prveg) of the 22 standard names listed were not agreed 
until early November 2010.  So the CMOR tables did not include a 
standard name for these variables prior to that time.  [Note inclusion 
of the standard_name attribute is not required for CF compliance.]  If 
IPSL wrote this output before November 2010 (or subsequent to that time 
used out-dated CMOR tables), then the standard_name attribute will not 
appear in their files.

Because of the above (and for many other reasons), a user should be able 
to discover variables not only by searching on the standard_name, but 
also the long_name or the variable name itself (i.e., netCDF variable 
name).  Does someone know whether anyone is working on improving the 
search capability?

We should at least make user's aware that only variables with 
standard_names will appear in the current search.

Best regards,
Karl

On 5/27/11 4:15 AM, stephen.pascoe at stfc.ac.uk wrote:
>
> I've noticed the mapping between standard_name and variable name isn't 
> 1-to-1 for some IPSL data in the BADC Gateway.  This may be a Gateway 
> configuration error or it might be a standard_name issue.  Details below:
>
> The dataset 
> "cmip5.output1.IPSL.IPSL-CM5A-LR.historical.mon.land.Lmon.r4i1p1" has 
> 49 variables but only 18 show up on the faceted search.  If I 
> investigate the Gateway database I see that :
>
> * 10 variables are given the standard name "area_fraction":
>
>       cropFrac c4PftFrac residualFrac  grassFrac  landCoverFrac 
> treeFracPrimEver   treeFracPrimDec treeFrac  baresoilFrac c3PftFrac
>
>  * 22 variables don't have a standard_name:
>
>       fLuc, fLitterSoil, nppWood, nep, cSoilMedium, nppLeaf, fHarvest, 
> rGrowth, nppRoot, cLitterBelow, nbp, cSoilSlow, cRoot, cSoilFast, 
> cLeaf, prveg, cWood, rMaint, cLitterAbove, fFire, cMisc, cProduct
>
> Is this how it should be?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Stephen.
>
> ---
>
> Stephen Pascoe  +44 (0)1235 445980
>
> Centre of Environmental Data Archival
>
> STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK
>
>
> -- 
> Scanned by iCritical.
>
>
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