OVERVIEW

The Atmospheric Composition Data and Information Services Center (ACDISC) is a portal to the Atmospheric Composition (AC) specific, user driven, multi-sensor, on-line, easy access archive and distribution system employing data analysis and visualization, data mining, and other user requested techniques for the better science data usage.

ACDISC provides convenient access to AC data and information from various remote-sensing missions, from heritage TOMS, UARS, MODIS, and AIRS datasets, to the most recent data from Aura OMI, MLS, HIRDLS (once these datasets are released to the public), as well as AC datasets residing at other remote archive sites.

It fully supports the Atmospheric Composition Roadmap.

The goals of the ACDISC are:

1. Serve as a one-stop shopping data center for Atmospheric Composition (AC) Scientists, guided by Atmospheric Composition Scientists - be absolutely responsive to the data and data service needs of the AC community.
2. Provide services and expertise for effortless and convenient access to and usage of AC data.
3. Collaborate with AC scientists to establish a framework for seamless utilization of data from multiple sensors for long-term atmospheric research.

ACDISC is based on the following approach:

• AC scientist guided - AC community representatives make suggestions and evaluate results 
• Multi-sensor - Will archive and distribute AC data from multiple sensors to facilitate long term, discipline specific research.
• On-line archive - Allows for direct retrieval of data via ftp.
• Web-based access - Reuses popular and easy to use GES DISC home grown interface
• On-line analysis and visualization - Reuses popular customizable tool (Giovanni) for on-line analysis and visualization.
• Subsetting tools - Allows retrieval of smaller volume data (only data needed).
• Data mining tools - Removes data reduction burden from scientist - run your algorithm next to the data and retrieve results only.
• Data safely stewarded - Ensures all data and documentation is safely kept for long term science objectives - leveraging expertise with UARS, TOMS, GOME, LIMS, SSBUV.

ACDISC Release 0.5 notes:

1. This beta release presents the first attempt for the ACDISC portal. Some of the pages and services are still under development.
2. For Science Team members, we provide restricted access to an online MLS Level 2 spatial subsetting.
3. Current implementation of Data Access is based on the existing components not yet fully integrated into a single streamlined interface. In the future releases, we intend to reduce significantly the number of "clicks" needed to acquire the desired geophysical parameters.