Researchers use the data to do new science. . .
I n 1998, SCD's Data Support Section completed preparing and correcting 50 years of data from the world's surface and upper-air observations. To prepare the data, Data Support staff tracked down and corrected errors in existing datasets and located sources for older observational data. After 1966, the datasets are pretty good. To supply missing data, staff located and cleaned up old data tucked away in archives and requested additional data from colleagues in other countries. Data Support staff also improved the information on the location and elevation of the observation stations by comparing various catalog listings, recalculating elevations from the actual upper-air observations, gathering information on when the observation stations moved, and poring over world atlases.