VDM+: The Enhanced Vortex Message Dataset: Structure, Intensity, and Environmental Parameters from Tropical Cyclones (Version 1.100)
VDM+ Dataset
A Vortex Data Message (VDM) is a succinct summary of crucial vortex parameters sampled by aircraft as it flies through a tropical cyclone (TC). The Enhanced Vortex Data Message Dataset (VDM+) includes intensity, thermodynamic, and structure parameters derived from 6448 VDMs transmitted by aircraft from 298 TCs in the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific basins during the period 1989-2015. VDMs include several parameters that are difficult to characterize from other data sources, such as the location and velocity of the maximum flight level winds, the location and velocity of the maximum surface winds measured by the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) instrument, the diameter and character of the eye (if present), the coverage of the eyewall (open, closed, partial), the minimum central pressure, and the maximum flight level temperatures in the eyewall and eye. VDMs also contain information about many other structural aspects in the free-form remarks. The VDM+ Dataset aggregates nearly all of the data contained in the VDMs along with the full set of Best Track parameters contained in the Hurricane Dataset (HURDAT2). It supplements the Best Track parameters with the non-best-tracked radius of maximum wind (RMW) parameter from the Extended Best Track and Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecast System (ATCF) b-decks. Finally, for the TCs in the covered period, the VDM+ Dataset includes the full set of environmental and model-based diagnostic parameters, and remote sensing-based parameters of the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) Development Dataset. By making all of these data easily accessible in one structured NetCDF dataset (~592 MB), VDM+ offers the research community a wealth of data useful for research on wind risk applications, the TC life cycle, and the challenging problems of rapid intensification and structure change.
dataset
en
VDM+ was built using the NCAR Command Language (NCL), a powerful and free data & visualization language similar to Matlab or IDL: The NCAR Command Language (Version 6.2.1) [Software]. (2014). Boulder, Colorado: UCAR/NCAR/CISL/TDD. http://dx.doi.org/10.5065/D6WD3XH5. An example code set (written in NCL) is provided on the dataset download page to aid users in reading the dataset products. The example code contains a module that reads all 355 dataset parameters into memory, including the VDM, SHIPS, and HURDAT2 parameters. Then the code illustrates how to do several simple analysis tasks, such as printing out a subset of VDM parameters for a given storm or finding the overall maximum wind speed across all storms in the dataset. Users may adapt this code to undertake new analysis tasks or to translate the data into a different format.
climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
Dataset
publication
2017-07-17
AIRCRAFT
WP-3D ORION > Lockheed WP-3D Orion
WC-130J > Lockheed-Martin WC-130J Hercules
STEP FREQUENCY RADIOMETERS
DROPSONDES
ROSEMOUNT PROBES
GPS SONDE
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > PEAK INTENSITY
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > PEAK INTENSITY > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > LANDFALL INTENSITY
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > LANDFALL INTENSITY > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM 1-MINUTE SUSTAINED WIND
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM 1-MINUTE SUSTAINED WIND > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM SURFACE WIND
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM SURFACE WIND > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM WIND GUST
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MAXIMUM WIND GUST > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE RADIUS
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE RADIUS > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE FORCE WIND EXTENT
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE FORCE WIND EXTENT > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE MOTION
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE MOTION > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE TRACK
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > TROPICAL CYCLONE TRACK > HURRICANES (N. ATLANTIC/E. PACIFIC)
EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > TROPICAL CYCLONES
EARTH SCIENCE > HUMAN DIMENSIONS > NATURAL HAZARDS > TROPICAL CYCLONES > HURRICANES
OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA
OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO
OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN
OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN
revision
2018-07-18
-168.95
-44.25
44.4167
9.9333
1989-07-12T19:30:00
2015-10-23T20:32:00
publication
2015-01-01
Use of these data is subject to a data user agreement and license. Copyright 2015 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Research Applications Laboratory, Joint Numerical Testbed. (See http://verif.rap.ucar.edu/tcdata/vortex/dataset/data_user_agreement_and_license.php)
A short user registration is required, mainly for the purpose having a way to contact dataset users if bugs are found or new versions are released, and also for tracking user metrics. Dataset access is currently subject to U.S. Export Control regulations.
UCAR/NCAR - Research Applications Laboratory
pointOfContact
UCAR/NCAR - Research Applications Laboratory
principalInvestigator
UCAR/NCAR - Research Applications Laboratory
pointOfContact
2018-10-08T18:34:25