earth science

Integrated Surface Database

Integrated Surface Database is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Integrated Surface Database rather than just read about it. In short: Integrated Surface Database (ISD) is global database compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) comprising hourly and synoptic surface observations compiled globally from ~35,500 weather stations; it is updated, automatically, hourly. The data largely date back to paper records which were keyed in by hand from '60s and '70s (an…

Key takeaways

Integrated Surface Database belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Integrated Surface Database to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Integrated Surface Database from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Integrated Surface Database (ISD) is global database compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) comprising hourly and synoptic surface observations compiled globally from ~35,500 weather stations; it is updated, automatically, hourly. The data largely date back to paper records which were keyed in by hand from '60s and '70s (and in some cases, weather observations from over one hundred years ago). It was developed by the joint Federal Climate Complex project in Asheville, North Carolina.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Integrated Surface Database

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Integrated Surface Database claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Integrated Surface Database before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Integrated Surface Database ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Integrated Surface Database

In research: Integrated Surface Database appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Integrated Surface Database in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Integrated Surface Database is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Meteorological data and networks, National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Integrated Surface Database outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Integrated Surface Database in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Integrated Surface Database means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Integrated Surface Database out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Integrated Surface Database in simple terms?

Why does Integrated Surface Database matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Integrated Surface Database?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Integrated Surface Database.