OGC API-EDR - MDL
The OGC Application Programming Interface (API)-Environmental Data Retrieval (EDR) was initially developed in 2018 as a joint effort between the UK Met Office and National Weather Service (NWS) to satisfy the needs of the MetOcean Community, and became an official standard of the OGC in 2021. The OGC API-EDR provides a family of lightweight interfaces to access environmental data. The OGC API-EDR was designed to break down data silos. It acts as an abstraction layer between data sources, systems and formats and users. Users don’t need to know or care that the native data may be in Grib2 format, or that it came from a THREDDS server. Users just interact with data in its simplest of forms, simply data, and retrieve the data in the formats they desire and for the areas they care about.
OGC API-EDR Functionality
Gridded coverage data can be requested via a position/point, multi-point, radius, area/polygons, cubes, trajectories, corridors or custom queries through the OGC API-EDR, and observational feature data through an item or location query. This means the user can obtain data in traditional ways, such as a grid over a set domain, or something much more customizable based on the user's needs. The EDR API can support delivery of deterministic guidance, probabilistic data sets, observational data, products and services such as Watch/Warning/Advisory info, and more to end users. The OGC API-EDR also features a new custom categorical query option to further enhance its ability to support probabilistic and ensemble data. This adds the capability for users to define a categorical query parameter for data that has dimensions beyond the standard GeoTemporal dimension. In 2024, OGC API-EDR:Part 2:PubSub Framework was adopted and supports a publication-subscription framework option that is agnostic of protocol. OGC API-ER:Part 2 will be used operationally first on the WIFS API program as an IOC in November 2025, and operationally in 2026.
OGC API-EDR Benefits
One of the big benefits of the OGC API-EDR is that it mitigates data silos. Oftentimes, data is accessible in single formats (i.e. GRIB, JSON, or BUFR) or they come from isolated systems and sources (i.e. SFTP, web, or OpenDAP). This issue leads to users downloading more data than they need, along with often an added post-processing component to change formats or geospatial area. The OGC API-EDR was designed to break down these issues by homogenizing and integrating the data contained in silos. It provides a uniform internet interface and platform where disparate data formats, systems, and sources are all integrated and combined into web accessible structured endpoints. This ultimately promotes the use of FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable).
Select Current/Expected Uses of the EDR API
WIAD is involved in a number of development projects related to the OGC API-EDR which are funded by the FAA, the Office of Dissemination, and most recently STI/MDL for ongoing work with the Dynamic Ensemble-based Scenarios for IDSS (DESI).
Preview and Operational Web Applications Utilizing OGC API-EDR
- WSUP NBM 1D Viewer (Preview)
- NDFD XML Service (Operational)
- World Area Forecast System (WAFS) Internet File Service (WIFS) API (Operational)
- DESI (GSL operational)
- and EDR-DESI (Preview)