In the age of climate crisis, how can we effectively manage the vast data generated by climate models? This paper introduces Camelot, a database system designed for the Hadley Centre's climate model output at the UK Meteorological Office. Faced with a rapidly expanding volume of data and a wide array of climate model applications, Camelot addresses the critical need for organized data management. This system facilitates efficient access to metadata for climate model output, housed in both tape archives and workstation systems. Camelot enables users to selectively retrieve data based on metadata specifications, eliminating the need for redundant copying of online data. This promotes efficient workstation analysis. The system allows users to find out about archived data and retrieve data selectively to the workstations with specifications given in terms of metadata rather than files, without recopying data already held online. By streamlining data retrieval and access, Camelot enhances the usability of climate model output, supporting a wide range of climate research and analysis efforts. The PV-WAVE analysis environment also allows the user to access the data by reference to its metadata.
Appearing in Meteorological Applications, this paper is highly relevant to the journal's focus on practical tools and techniques in meteorology. By detailing a database system for climate model output, the study addresses a critical need for efficient data management in climate research. This aligns with the journal's aim of bridging the gap between theoretical meteorology and real-world applications.