Data Access Form

Dataset Title:	NOS CO-OPS Active Currents Data, 6-Minute
Institution:	NOAA NOS CO-OPS (Dataset ID: nosCoopsCA)
Information:	Summary \| License \| FGDC \| ISO 19115 \| Metadata \| Background \| Subset \| Make a graph

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Variable

Optional
Constraint #1

Optional
Constraint #2

Minimum

or a List of Values

Maximum

stationID

stationName

dateEstablished (UTC)

longitude (degrees_east)

latitude (degrees_north)

time (UTC)

CS (Current Speed, knots)

CD (Current Direction, degrees_true)

Server-side Functions

distinct()

Hover here to see a list of options. Click on an option to select it.

File type: (more information)

(Documentation / Bypass this form )

(Please be patient. It may take a while to get the data.)

The Dataset Attribute Structure (.das) for this Dataset

Attributes {
 s {
  stationID {
    String cf_role "timeseries_id";
    String comment "Queries for data MUST include \"stationID=\".";
    String ioos_category "Identifier";
    String long_name "Station ID";
  }
  stationName {
    String ioos_category "Identifier";
    String long_name "Station Name";
  }
  dateEstablished {
    Float64 actual_range 9.199872e+8, 1.540944e+9;
    String ioos_category "Time";
    String long_name "Date Established";
    String time_origin "01-JAN-1970 00:00:00";
    String time_precision "1970-01-01";
    String units "seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z";
  }
  longitude {
    String _CoordinateAxisType "Lon";
    Float64 actual_range -124.22506, -71.39722;
    String axis "X";
    String ioos_category "Location";
    String long_name "Longitude";
    String standard_name "longitude";
    String units "degrees_east";
  }
  latitude {
    String _CoordinateAxisType "Lat";
    Float64 actual_range 25.76107, 48.86275;
    String axis "Y";
    String ioos_category "Location";
    String long_name "Latitude";
    String standard_name "latitude";
    String units "degrees_north";
  }
  time {
    String _CoordinateAxisType "Time";
    String axis "T";
    String comment 
"Queries for data MUST include \"time>=\" and USUALLY include \"time<=\"
(the default end time corresponds to 'now').";
    String ioos_category "Time";
    String long_name "Time";
    String standard_name "time";
    String time_origin "01-JAN-1970 00:00:00";
    String units "seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z";
  }
  CS {
    Float64 colorBarMaximum 1.0;
    Float64 colorBarMinimum -1.0;
    String ioos_category "Currents";
    String long_name "Current Speed";
    String standard_name "sea_water_speed";
    String units "knots";
  }
  CD {
    Float64 colorBarMaximum 360.0;
    Float64 colorBarMinimum 0.0;
    String ioos_category "Currents";
    String long_name "Current Direction";
    String standard_name "direction_of_sea_water_velocity";
    String units "degrees_true";
  }
 }
  NC_GLOBAL {
    String cdm_data_type "TimeSeries";
    String cdm_timeseries_variables "stationID, stationName, dateEstablished, longitude, latitude";
    String Conventions "COARDS, CF-1.6, ACDD-1.3";
    String creator_email "COOPS.IOOS@noaa.gov";
    String creator_name "NOAA NOS COOPS";
    String creator_type "institution";
    String creator_url "https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov";
    String defaultDataQuery "&time%3E=now-2days&time%3C=now&stationName=%22Philadelphia%22";
    String defaultGraphQuery "time,CS&time%3E=now-2days&time%3C=now&stationName=%22Philadelphia%22&.draw=lines";
    String featureType "TimeSeries";
    String geospatial_lat_units "degrees_north";
    String geospatial_lon_units "degrees_east";
    String history 
"2025-12-15T07:55:34Z https://opendap.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/axis/webservices/currents/plain/response.jsp?metadata=yes&Submit=Submit
2025-12-15T07:55:34Z https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/nosCoopsCA.html";
    String infoUrl "https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov";
    String institution "NOAA NOS CO-OPS";
    String keywords "6-minute, active, circulation, co-ops, current, currents, data, date, direction, direction_of_sea_water_velocity, Earth Science > Oceans > Ocean Circulation > Ocean Currents, established, identifier, minute, name, noaa, nos, ocean, oceans, ops, sea, sea_water_speed, seawater, speed, station, time, velocity, water";
    String keywords_vocabulary "GCMD Science Keywords";
    String license 
"These raw data have not been subjected to the National Ocean Services (NOS)
Quality Control procedures, and do not necessarily meet the criteria and
standards of official NOS data. They are released for limited public use with
appropriate caution.

The data may be used and redistributed for free but is not intended
for legal use, since it may contain inaccuracies. Neither the data
Contributor, ERD, NOAA, nor the United States Government, nor any
of their employees or contractors, makes any warranty, express or
implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy,
completeness, or usefulness, of this information.";
    String sourceUrl "https://opendap.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/axis/webservices/currents/plain/response.jsp?metadata=yes&Submit=Submit";
    String standard_name_vocabulary "CF Standard Name Table v70";
    String subsetVariables "stationID, stationName, dateEstablished, longitude, latitude";
    String summary 
"This dataset has surface Active Currents data from NOAA NOS Center for
Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS).

WARNING: These raw data have not been subjected to the National Ocean Services
(NOS) Quality Control procedures, and do not necessarily meet the criteria and
standards of official NOS data. They are released for limited public use with
appropriate caution.

WARNING:
* Queries for data MUST include stationID= and time>=.
* Queries USUALLY include time<= (the default end time corresponds to 'now').
* Queries MUST be for less than 30 days worth of data.
* The data source isn't completely reliable. If your request returns no data
  when you think it should:
  * Try revising the request (e.g., a different time range).
  * The list of stations offering this data may be incorrect.
  * Sometimes a station or the entire data service is unavailable.
    Wait a while and try again.";
    String title "NOS CO-OPS Active Currents Data, 6-Minute";
  }
}

Using tabledap to Request Data and Graphs from Tabular Datasets

tabledap lets you request a data subset, a graph, or a map from a tabular dataset (for example, buoy data), via a specially formed URL. tabledap uses the OPeNDAP (external link)

Data Access Protocol (DAP) (external link)

and its selection constraints (external link)

The URL specifies what you want: the dataset, a description of the graph or the subset of the data, and the file type for the response.

(easy) You can get data by using the dataset's Data Access Form or Subset form. They make the URL for you.
(easy) You can make a graph or map by using the dataset's Make A Graph form. It makes the URL for you.
(not hard) You can bypass the forms and get the data or make a graph or map by generating the URL by hand or with a computer program or script.

Tabledap request URLs must be in the form
https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/datasetID.fileType{?query}
For example,
https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/pmelTaoDySst.htmlTable?longitude,latitude,time,station,wmo_platform_code,T_25&time>=2015-05-23T12:00:00Z&time<=2015-05-31T12:00:00Z
Thus, the query is often a comma-separated list of desired variable names, followed by a collection of constraints (e.g., variable<value), each preceded by '&' (which is interpreted as "AND").

For details, see the tabledap Documentation.