In the CF-1.6 and CF-1.7 draft doc, in section H.2, we have: "It is recommended that there should be station variables with standard_name attributes " platform_name ", " surface_altitude " and “ platform_id ” when applicable."
Why is this "surface_altitude" instead of "platform_altitude"? In the ocean, we have lots of upward-looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), where the instrument with transducer and other sensors is located some distance below the ocean surface. While velocity and other properties are measured in vertical bins above the instrument (timeSeriesProfile), other properties like pressure and temperature are measured at the instrument. Since the instrument is not at the surface, it seems misleading to use the standard_name "surface_altitude" instead of "platform_altitude", particularly when we already have "platform_name" and "platform_id". In this example CF_1.6 ADCP dataset: http://geoport.whoi.edu/thredds/dodsC/usgs/data2/rsignell/data/adcp/7201adc-a_cf16.nc.html the variable "platform_altitude" has a value of -10.4522 m: http://geoport.whoi.edu/thredds/dodsC/usgs/data2/rsignell/data/adcp/7201adc-a_cf16.nc.ascii?platform_altitude but we are forced to use a standard_name of "surface_altitude". Why not "platform_altitude"? Thanks, Rich -- Dr. Richard P. Signell (508) 457-2229 USGS, 384 Woods Hole Rd. Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598 _______________________________________________ CF-metadata mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
