A Guide to CO-OPS SHEF and CREX Products (2001 Revised 2013).

Abstract

The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) within the National Ocean Service (NOS) provides real-time oceanographic and meteorological information to meet its mission of supporting safe and efficient navigation, coastal hazards preparedness and response, and the understanding of climate change. Many CO-OPS products are web-based, such as data displays on the Tides and Currents website and Web Services, and meet the needs of the general public; however, a separate suite of data products are provided to specialized users who rely on specific formats to automatically ingest the data into their processing systems. CO-OPS currently disseminates the following data products via the National Weather Service (NWS): • CREX (Character Form for the Representation and Exchange of Data) Bulletins 1.Observed Water Level and Meteorological Data 2. Observed One-minute Water Level Data•SHEF (Standard Hydrometeorological Exchange Format) Bulletins 1. Observed Water Level and Meteorological Data 2.Astronomical Tide Data 3.Operational Forecast System Water Level Guidance. Both of these product types are human-readable formats that allow users to visually decode a message without the aid of a computer. They also allow for succinct packaging of large data sets. International sea level community users especially rely on CREX -formatted water level data to monitor sea levels and detect tsunami signals within the high-frequency measurements. Within NOAA, the information disseminated via SHEF is particularly critical to the National Weather Service forecasters, who are responsible for providing marine forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property along the bays and coasts of the United States.