[thredds] Can you add the dataset abstract to ncWMS GetCapabilities?

• To: THREDDS Users <thredds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: [thredds] Can you add the dataset abstract to ncWMS GetCapabilities?
• From: John Maurer <jmaurer@xxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:36:15 -1000

Hi THREDDS and ncWMS developers,
Would it be possible for you to add an Abstract field at the dataset level
to your GetCapabilities output? Right now it only shows you the Title
field, but having the Abstract available would be very useful, especially
for users pulling the WMS remotely who may have little else to go on in
terms of documentation. This could pull either from the "summary" field in
the NetCDF global attributes for the dataset or the "documentation" field
in its TDS catalog configuration. You already provide the Abstract at the
GetCapabilities top level (e.g. "PacIOOS TDS") and at the individual Layer
levels (e.g. pulls from the "long_name" attribute of the NetCDF variable),
but there is a curious omission at the Dataset level.

One example:

TDS catalog:
http://oos.soest.hawaii.edu/thredds/catalog/hioos/roms_forec_regridded/hiig/catalog.html?dataset=roms_hiig_forecast_regridded/ROMS_Hawaii_Regional_Ocean_Model_Regridded_best.ncd
WMS GetCapabilities:
http://oos.soest.hawaii.edu/thredds/wms/hioos/roms_forec_regridded/hiig/ROMS_Hawaii_Regional_Ocean_Model_Regridded_best.ncd?service=WMS&version=1.3.0&request=GetCapabilities

Which shows:

<Layer><Title>Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS): Main Hawaiian Islands:
Regridded</Title>...

But no <Abstract> field.

Thanks for listening!,
John Maurer
Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)
University of Hawaii at Manoa