Abstract:
The GrADS OPeNDAP/DODS Server (GDS) is provided by the NOAA
Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS) Project and
is maintained by NOAA at the National Climatic Data Center . This
server provides online access to scientific datasets.
Within the online access page, you can browse lists of files on this
server. From these lists, you can select files and view metadata
(e.g., grid
... description, dates, and variables) for those files.
The metadata for each dataset also contains the URL for that dataset.
With an OPenDap enabled client (e.g., GrADS), you can use this URL to
access the dataset directly. Follow the "info" link for a dataset,
copy the URL, and provide it to your client as required.
For each model, the list of variables, timesteps, and levels provided
by the "info" link is a composite for that model from runs over
multiple grids and cycles. Each variable, timestep, and level in the
list will not appear in all datasets for that model. To determine what
variables, timesteps, and levels a specific dataset actually contains,
view the "table of contents" for that dataset via the Dataset table of
contents directory.
Additionally, you can browse lists of files on this server via the
Complete dataset catalog. From these lists, you can select files and
view a table of contents (i.e., TOC) for those files. A TOC provides a
sorted list of each variable, level, and timestep in a specific file.
A list of all datasets available on this server are also available in
XML format. This list will contain several thousand entries so
consider download time. 
