README

Last updated 14 October 2013
ds461.0 (NCEP ADP Global Surface Observations, daily Oct1999-continuing)

Description and instructions to use the included extraction program:
=================================================================================

These individual programs can be used to extract general 
atmospheric variables from adp BUFR files into simple text 
files.  

To compile the BUFR libraries and extraction code, go to the 
install directory. Execute the install.sh script to complete the compilations.

The executables will be placed in the exe directory.  Execute
the desired executable and enter the BUFR input file name to extract
the basic meteorological varibles into text format.  A file named
bufrtext.out will be created containing the text data.

exe/bufr_sfc2ob.x:  used to convert gdas.adpsfc.tHHz.YYYYMMDD.bufr files to obs format.
exe/bufr_ship2ob.x  used to convert gdas.sfcshp.tHHz.YYYYMMDD.bufr files  to obs format.
exe/runob2lit_imd_obs.x  used to convert/combine obs format files into one littlr format file.
exe/files.txt  edit to include desired obs files to be input into the runob2lit_imd_obs.x program.
               example files are currently listed in the files.txt file.

** To convert muliple files, place input BUFR data in "bufrdecodelr/bufrobs",
and edit and run the exe/convert.csh script accordingly. **

References:
================================================================================

A guide to the BUFR libraries can be found at:
http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/sib/decoders/BUFRLIB/

Definitions for BUFR MNEMONIC headers can be found in the doc directory
or at:
http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/data_processing/bufrtab_tableb.htm