Data Access & Info


Data Access

Accessing the SuperDARN Mirrors

SuperDARN Canada aims to provide open access to data from our five radars. FITACF data for all SuperDARN Canada radars (Saskatoon, Clyde River, Inuvik, Rankin Inlet, Prince George) can be downloaded using our data downloading tool. Included with this tool is a data inventory checker, which shows which dates have available data for our radars. To check data availability for all radars, our data inventory tool can be checked for a selection of all radars.

To get access to raw (RAWACF) and processed data (FITACF and convection maps), there are three data mirrors: SuperDARN Canada, which uses Globus; BAS (Information on BAS data access can be found here); and NSSC (Information on NSSC data access can be found here). The Data Distribution Working Group (DDWG) manages the checking and distribution of data, more information can be found on their GitHub page.

More resources and information can be found on the SuperDARN Canada and SuperDARN GitHub Pages.

Finalised RAWACF data is now available to download with DOI on FRDR!

Setting up access to the SuperDARN Canada Mirror via Globus

Follow these steps to gain access to the data mirror:

  1. Get an account with Globus: globus.org
  2. Download and install the Globus Personal Connect software for your operating system: globus.org/globus-connect-personal
  3. Follow the instructions to make sure your globus connect personal 'endpoint' is active, call it something memorable to you
  4. Fill in the form below or email SuperDARN Canada's data managers at superdarn@usask.ca and include:
    • Your Globus email/username
    • What kind of data you require (FITACF/MAP/everything etc.)
    • Institution
    • Your contact email
  5. When your request is recieved, the data manager will invite you to a group (or a few groups depending on your data needs). You will recieve an email invitation, click on the link in the email to accept the invitation and agree to the SuperDARN Rules of the Road terms and conditions.
Globus Access Form

Data Requested (select all that apply):

Once you have been given access, follow the steps below to download data:

  1. Log into the web transfer interface at globus.org
  2. Click 'File Manager' on the top of the left hand menu
  3. In the top right of the page, choose the double panel (middle option)
  4. On the left hand side of the page, you will choose the data you want to transfer. On the right hand side fo the page you will choose the location on your PC that you want the data to be downloaded to.
  5. On the left, search in the collection box for 'SuperDARN Mirror (Cedar/Fir)`
  6. Underneath, directories that you have permission to see will appear. You will see 'fitacf_30' or 'fitacf_25' if you asked for FITACF level data, or you will see 'map' if you requested map file access.
  7. Navigate through the file system, we separate by year and month, until you find the data you require. Directory timeouts are common as the directories contain a large number of files, click try again and it should work.
  8. Select the data files by clicking the tick box on the left of the file.
  9. Now on the right hand side, do the same but in the collection box select the name you gave the end point on your PC when setting up Globus Connect Personal
  10. Below, select the folder you want the data to be downloaded to
  11. Click Start! The download will be queued to download as soon as there is processing power available, it should be fairly quick. You will receive an email stating the success of the transfer once it is completed, and your requested files will be in the location you chose.

How can I cite and acknowledge the tools and data sources?

Use the VT citation tool at vt.superdarn.org

Data Information: What even is FITACF?

SuperDARN uses a bespoke binary file format called DMap for all levels of data. Below is a brief overview of the path data takes from radars to scientific data.

  • The lowest level of data available is the IQ (In-phase and Quadrature) data of raw voltages from the radar receiver.
  • This is then converted to the RAWACF data level, usually at the radar sites and contains information on the ACF (auto correlation function) for each range gate of each beam that had a returning echo.
  • FITACF data is when the ACF from the RAWACF files are fitted with various algorithms to produce physical properties of the ionosphere: i.e. velocity, signal to noise ratio, elevation angle.
  • Further from this, we can combine and grid all the FITACF data from all radars within a timeframe, then fit it with a spherical harmonic model to produce a 2-D representation of an entire hemisphere of the ionosphere, that we contain in MAP files, this data shows the macro-convection of the ionosphere.

Processing between RAWACF, FITACF and MAP files is done using the Radar Software Toolkit (RST), much more information on file contents and the processing at the RST read the docs.