CDMP logo

CDMP


Climate Database Modernization Program
of the
National Climatic Data Center

The CDMP is a partnership between NCDC and private industry to image and key paper and microfilm records and to make them available on the Web to members of the climate and environmental research community.

forms waiting to be imaged

Currently there are more than 52 million images and over seven terabytes of data available through the contractor developed WSSRD (Web Search Store Retrieve Display) software. Access to this web-based software is available to U.S. government employees and their contractors, educational institutions doing environmental research, and other researchers associated with NOAA projects. An overview of NCDC CDMP Data rescue projects is available here.

NCDC also provides funding under CDMP for other NOAA agencies with a need to place images online and/or digitize data. Funding is provided through a proposal process, which culminates each November at CDMP's Data Access Workshop. CDMP's fifty-eight tasks for FY 2008 are spread over seven NOAA organizations.

data being keyed

Two of CDMP's largest projects involve integrating U.S. data into the sources of data already available to researchers and scientists. The goal of the "Forts Project" is to image and key surface observations from the 19th century, mainly 1820-1892. This data, collected mainly by the Smithsonian Institution and US Army Signal Service, will extend climate records from stations across the country back scores of years.

The second major data integration project is the SAO (Surface Airways Observations) project. This task aims to capture and key Weather Bureau and National Weather Service data from major city offices and airports since 1893.

searchable image

CDMP is also coordinating several international projects. Data from Uruguay and Mexico are being imaged and keyed, as are upper air data from several countries in Africa. The program is collaborating with the British government to rescue European ship logs. Information on these and the many other CDMP tasks is available on our FY 2007 proposals page.

Since the inception of the program in 2000, CDMP has produced an annual report each year. The 2007 annual report also includes a DVD highlighting the goals and progress of the program.

To receive a copy of the CDMP annual report, including the DVD, please contact Tom.Ross@noaa.gov.