# Designing an Interactive Visual Analytics System for
## Appendix A Creating a Composite Weather Station Dataset
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline
**NCDC** & **EEG\_DT** & **END\_DT** & **COOP** & **WBAN** & **ST** & **LAT\_DMS** & **LON\_DMS** \\ \hline
10000001 & 19490713 & 19501115 & 356032 & 24285 & OR & 44,35,00,N & 124,03,00,W \\ \hline
10000001 & 19590701 & 19621001 & & 24285 & OR & 44,35,00,N  
When referencing multiple weather station datasets, we identified nine unique identifiers managed by different organizations. All station identifiers are saved in the composite station dataset for future reference. Unlike other organizations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses a call sign to identify an aviation-related weather station because many FAA-managed weather stations are located at airports. It provides hourly meteorological data such as temperature, wind speed, visibility, and precipitation. As FAA call signs are used alongside other identifiers like System Identification Numbers (SID) (assigned by the National Weather Service) and WMO station numbers (used internationally), the call sign information is also included when creating the station dataset. Table 14 shows examples in the generated composite station dataset. Multiple identifiers are assigned to indicate the same weather station. For instance, in the COOP HPD dataset, COOP_ID (503475) is used to identify the weather station in Alaska (AK). However, we discovered multiple NCDC identifiers (10000158 and 10500011) assigned to the weather station in the LCD dataset. This occurs because new identifiers are typically assigned when a weather station is relocated within the same geographical region. Through our analysis of the station data, we determined that this particular station has been relocated multiple times (i.e., 1.5 MI NE, 1.5 MI E, 1.25 MI SW, 1 MI NE, 2.7 MI SW, 1.25 MI NE, 2 MI W, and 2.7 MI SE). Approximately 11,926 stations have such relocation information. We included a comprehensive record of all stations' historical identifiers and relocation details for future reference. Table 15 shows that the newly generated composite station dataset contains 47 distinct attributes for weather station identification and characterization. It incorporates ten different identifier systems (including nine IDs and one call sign) from various meteorological and aviation organizations to provide robust cross-referencing capabilities. It also provides each weather station's geographical information, elevation data in multiple formats, operational parameters, and participation flags for major climate data products. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline
**COOP\_ID** & **NCDC\_ID** & **WBAN\_ID** & **NAME** & **ST** & **LAT** & **LON** \\ \hline
503475 & 10000158110500011 & 25322 & GUSTAVUS & AK & 58.4111 & \(-\)135.7089 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{506089} & \multirow{3}{*}{10000239} & \multirow{3}{*}{26489146403} & MCKINLEY & \multirow{3}{*}{AK} & \multirow{3}{*}{63.73333} & \multirow{3}{*}{\(-\)148.91667} \\  & & & NATIONAL & & & \\  & & PARK AP & & & & \\ \hline
506093 1 505778 & 10000240110100016 & 26429 & M & AK & 63.7175 & \(-\)148.9692 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{10116} & \multirow{3}{*}{10000485} & \multirow{3}{*}{53864} & ALABASTER & \multirow{3}{*}{AL} & \multirow{3}{*}{33.17835} & \multirow{3}{*}{\(-\)86.78178} \\  & & & SHELBY CO & & & \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{5-5}  & & AP ASOS & & & \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{15749} & \multirow{3}{*}{10000572} & \multirow{3}{*}{13896} & MUSCLE & \multirow{3}{*}{AL} & \multirow{3}{*}{34.74388} & \multirow{3}{*}{\(-\)87.59971} \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{5-5}  & & & SHOALS AP & & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 14: Seven attributes of five weather stations in AK and AL in the newly generated station dataset.