World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre
Digital technologies don’t just exist as nifty gadgets; data are technologies themselves, while also acting as the foundational component of most other technologies. This is particularly true when it comes to ecological monitoring. The World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre falls under the jurisdiction and is operated by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Commonly known as the WOUDC, it is one of six World Data Centres which are part of the Global Atmosphere Watch Programme of the World Meteorological Organization. WOUDC’s roots go back to 1960 when the World Ozone Data Center was founded in Canada. Then, in 1992, ultraviolet radiation information was added, changing the WODC to the WOUDC. In 2015, all of the data moved to an online platform and has become much more accessible to the public since that transition, with all records available for public search and download. Data is collected by 500 registered monitoring stations, which can be used as a filter for the searchable data. The data contain the following information: total column ozone, vertical profile data from lidar measurements, ozonesonde flights, the Umkehr technique, broadband, multiband, and high-resolution spectral data. All of this information is incredibly useful for monitoring atmospheric conditions for weather predictions, research on atmospheric health, and security and transportation purposes.
WUDC. “About WUDC.” Government of Canada, n.d. https://woudc.org/data/explore.php?lang=en
WUDC. “Data Search/Download.” Government of Canada, n.d. https://woudc.org/data/explore.php?lang=en.
Barnes, Paul W., Craig E. Williamson, Robyn M. Lucas, Sharon A. Robinson, Sasha Madronich, Nigel D. Paul, Janet F. Bornman et al. “Ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation, climate change and prospects for a sustainable future.” Nature Sustainability 2, no. 7 (2019): 569-579
Alipio, Mark. “Do latitude and ozone concentration predict Covid-2019 cases in 34 countries?.” Available at SSRN 3572114 (2020).
Categories
Data, Ecological Monitoring, Monitoring
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