Documentation for /cgi-bin/request/raster2netcdf.py

The IEM is perhaps more clever than its own good and stores some RASTER data as the color index value within 8-bit PNG files. This service converts these to more conventional NetCDF files with the actual values.

Changelog

  • 2025-09-09: Implemented a four process per web server node throttle, service will return a 503 HTTP status code if the throttle is exceeded.
  • 2025-09-04: Updated docs and testing.
  • 2025-09-04: A request for a file resource that does not exist will now return a 404 HTTP status code.

Example Usage

Generate a NetCDF file for the N0R product valid at 2017-10-25 12:00 UTC

https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/cgi-bin/request/raster2netcdf.py?dstr=201710251200&prod=composite_n0r

CGI Arguments

The following table lists the CGI arguments that are accepted by this service. A HTTP GET request is required. Fields of type Multi-Params or CSV value can accept either a comma separated list or multiple parameter and value combinations. For example, ?foo=1&foo=2 is equivalent to ?foo=1,2.

Field Type Description
dstr string UTC Datetime (YYYYmmddHHMI) to request data for
prod string (required) Product to request