CHARMe

CHARMe: Characterization of metadata to enable high quality climate observations and monitoring.

A major difficulty faced by users of climate data is how to judge whether the data are fit for purpose. This is a serious barrier to widening the use of climate data by non-expert users. Different users require different information, such as reports of validation campaigns, the robustness of algorithms used, etc. We term this information "Commentary" metadata. Much work has been done on producing aspects of Commentary metadata, but there is no robust and consistent mechanism to link it to the datasets themselves. CHARMe will provide these essential links.
CHARMe will create a repository of Commentary metadata and a set of interfaces and tools through which users can interrogate the information over the internet.
The lasting legacy of the project will be: robust and re-usable frameworks for linking datasets with Commentary metadata wherever it is held; re-usable software tools that allow climate scientists and users to exploit this information in their own applications; improved search, intercomparison and time-series analysis tools for large and diverse datasets; development of best-practice procedures for owners of data archives.

The project consortium comprises of The University of Reading, Infoterra Ltd, STFC, DWD, ECMWF, KNMI, Astrium, SIH and UK Met Office. This partnership is uniquely qualified to ensure that the CHARMe system is suited to the needs of diverse user groups, and that these innovations are exploited to the maximum effect.