With oversight from the U.S. GODAE Steering Committee and funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the USGODAE Monterey Data Server (http://www.usgodae.org) has been established at the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). Development of the USGODAE Monterey Data Server is being done through a partnership of FNMOC and NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab (PMEL). This server hosts near real-time in-situ oceanographic data available from the GTS and other FTP sites, atmospheric forcing fields suitable for driving ocean models, and unique GODAE data sets, including demonstration ocean model products. It supports GODAE participants, as well as the broader oceanographic research community, and is becoming a significant node in the international GODAE program.

The primary challenges in hosting the many diverse formats and broad range of data used by the GODAE community are: presenting the data with a consistent interface, and ensuring its availability in the maximum number of standard formats. To this end, all of the USGODAE data sets are available in their original format via HTTP and FTP. In addition, USGODAE data are served by Local Data Manager (LDM), Distributed Oceanographic Data System (DODS) and GODAE Live Access Server (LASGODAE) from PMEL.

LASGODAE facilitates online visualization of gridded and in-situ GODAE data sets. The application enables Web users to visualize data with on-the-fly graphics, request custom subsets of variables in a choice of file formats, access background reference material about the data (metadata), and compare (difference) variables from distributed locations.

To provide global surface forcing for ocean model research, USGODAE serves grids from the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) and Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS).

Observational data from the FNMOC Ocean QC process are posted in near real-time to USGODAE. To provide the maximum information for researchers, the data files contain both the measured observations, and all of the climate and background (forecast) values used in the QC process. The FNMOC QC includes temperature and salinity profiles, in-situ SST, satellite altimetry, MCSST, and SSM/I. Also, NAVOCEANO provides daily satellite SST and SSH retrievals to USGODAE.

The USGODAE server acts as the North American mirror for the METEO (France) Satellite Application Facility SAF FTP site, serving high-resolution, satellite-derived SST fields, structures, and radiative fluxes.

The USGODAE server is one of two Argo Global Data Assembly Centers (GDAC), serving data from the Argo global array of temperature/salinity profiling floats. The complete set of global real-time and delayed-mode (QC'd) float data will be available on USGODAE.

Due to its high reliability and increasing breadth of data sets, the USGODAE Monterey Data Server is becoming an invaluable resource for the global GODAE community. Researchers have flexible, easy access to data through standard Internet and oceanographic interfaces. The Web site is designed to be a one-stop source for GODAE data and information. Continued integration of model, forcing, and in-situ data sets from providers throughout the world is making the USGODAE Monterey Data Server a key part of the international GODAE project.