Articles | Volume 9, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-383-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-383-2016
Methods for assessment of models
 | 
29 Jan 2016
Methods for assessment of models |  | 29 Jan 2016

Distributed visualization of gridded geophysical data: the Carbon Data Explorer, version 0.2.3

K. A. Endsley and M. G. Billmire

Abstract. Due to the proliferation of geophysical models, particularly climate models, the increasing resolution of their spatiotemporal estimates of Earth system processes, and the desire to easily share results with collaborators, there is a genuine need for tools to manage, aggregate, visualize, and share data sets. We present a new, web-based software tool – the Carbon Data Explorer – that provides these capabilities for gridded geophysical data sets. While originally developed for visualizing carbon flux, this tool can accommodate any time-varying, spatially explicit scientific data set, particularly NASA Earth system science level III products. In addition, the tool's open-source licensing and web presence facilitate distributed scientific visualization, comparison with other data sets and uncertainty estimates, and data publishing and distribution.

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Short summary
The Carbon Data Explorer is presented as a prototype application for data management, analysis, visualization, and sharing of Earth system science data sets, particularly gridded spatiotemporal data sets (e.g., NASA Level III data products) such as gridded climate model predictions and reanalysis data. In response to CMIP6, the Carbon Data Explorer provides a framework for the distributed analysis of climate model outputs. It is hoped that it will inspire the future development of similar tools.