What is the Unified Access Framework (UAF)?

UAF is a NOAA-wide effort to make environmental datasets easy to find and use. It is an important contribution to realizing the vision of NOAA's Global Earth Observation - Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) Initiative.

UAF follows the design philosophy: Don't solve problems - Copy success.

In its first year it has been exploiting the opportunities for gridded data access and interoperability that have been created by wide-spread use of a suite of open standards and technologies.

Highlighted Data Set and Data Provider:

Group for High-Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) data sets are now available as part of the UAF project courtesy of the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

GHRSST provides high-resolution (<10km) sea surface temperature products to the oceanographic, meterological, climate and general scientific community.

Learn more about NODC

Start exploring GHRSST data

Four samples of gridded global sea surface temperature maps.

What is GEO-IDE?

NOAA's Global Earth Observation - Integrated Data Environment (GEO-IDE) is framework for engaging NOAA’s environmental data management communities through sharing expertise, experience, and information.

Vision

NOAA’s GEO-IDE is envisioned as a “system of systems” – a framework that provides effective and efficient integration of NOAA's many quasi-independent systems.

Foundation

Built upon agreed standards, principles and guidelines.

Approach

Evolution of existing systems into a service-oriented architecture.

Result

Users are able to find, access, and use the environmental information they need to address significant societal questions.