NCAR/ATD not only fields equipment for atmospheric research experiments, but also manages the data collected by those systems. The data management is performed in the context of treating the data as a long-term community resource, coupled with the desire to ensure maximum return from that resource. This coupled mission encourages ATD to take an extremely comprehensive view of data management. This includes assuring the collection of high quality data, maintaining a long-term open archive of those data, providing meta-data to facilitate data selection for display and analysis, and supporting software tools for the use of ATD (and similar) data sets.

Recent developments in ATD Data Management include a renewed support for real-time field project access and display of ATD data, automated project web pages in the field, investigations of the utility of XML for meta-data organization, increased reliance on the NCAR Mass-Store for deep archival and distribution of data, network transfer for data combined with automated tools for user initiated data requests, and closer ties with Unidata for the development of the IDV (Integrated Data Viewer) and as a model for community support and collaboration.

Additionally, beta level products have been created that reflect this growth and adaptation of tools for data management. These include the use of Unidata's DODS server for remote data access and the utilization of the IDV and ZEBRA to facilitate data analysis and display, the creation of a THREDDS (xml) catalog of the IHOP ATD data set allowing both "search and discovery" as well as DODS data access, and a web-based data retrieval system. New technologies are also incorporated into the data management efforts as they become available, often including partnerships and collaborations with other groups. Future developments include allowing entire data set transfers (as technology allows bandwidth issues to be resolved) and the inclusion of ATD data sets in DLESE's Digital Library.