Some Info on NOMADS Ascii web queries.


The request url:
  https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/dods/blend/blend20220604/blend_1hr_00z.ascii?tmp2m[0:35][1145:1146][657:658]
  
returns this:  (// comments added after the fact...)

tmp2m, [36][2][2]                          			//temp at 2m, 36 time steps, data grid of two                    
[0][0], 288.65262, 288.0094					//latitude points by two longitude points.
[0][1], 287.56622, 286.09048

[1][0], 287.66562, 287.1126					//each data block here represents one time step
[1][1], 286.36987, 285.2076

[2][0], 286.55563, 286.0026					//note that the data block is 'upside down'
[2][1], 285.25986, 284.0976					//    
								//      SW Point      SE Point
[3][0], 285.73737, 285.21027					//      NW Point      NE Point	
[3][1], 284.53363, 283.67764					

[4][0], 285.17114, 284.86868
[4][1], 284.35858, 283.40765

[5][0], 285.08115, 284.7787
[5][1], 284.1736, 283.31046

[6][0], 284.84283, 284.56635
[6][1], 284.1223, 283.462

[7][0], 284.9242, 284.71194
[7][1], 283.93137, 283.3077

[8][0], 284.568, 284.58035
[8][1], 283.87137, 283.2477

[9][0], 284.6928, 284.41632
[9][1], 283.9723, 283.31915

[10][0], 284.69113, 284.38867
[10][1], 283.90762, 282.97897

[11][0], 284.54282, 284.26633
[11][1], 283.85138, 283.22772

[12][0], 284.2197, 284.258
[12][1], 283.61508, 283.29053

[13][0], 284.80283, 284.5263
[13][1], 284.20633, 283.4877

[14][0], 285.57806, 285.1854
[14][1], 285.00394, 283.77615

[15][0], 286.81122, 286.10373
[15][1], 286.12115, 284.55045

[16][0], 287.85815, 287.06046
[16][1], 287.3484, 285.44193

[17][0], 289.1844, 288.1621
[17][1], 288.34933, 286.41214

[18][0], 290.1978, 289.43845
[18][1], 289.29465, 287.08908

[19][0], 290.39957, 289.66614
[19][1], 289.53027, 287.5636

[20][0], 290.37268, 289.32446
[20][1], 289.35065, 287.20932

[21][0], 290.16785, 289.40845
[21][1], 289.2356, 287.00055

[22][0], 289.96954, 289.2361
[22][1], 289.03433, 287.1993

[23][0], 289.68958, 288.95612
[23][1], 288.75436, 286.9206

[24][0], 289.68777, 289.33337
[24][1], 288.66208, 287.0691

[25][0], 289.21564, 288.6626
[25][1], 287.9199, 286.75046

[26][0], 288.23737, 287.71027
[26][1], 287.03363, 286.17047

[27][0], 287.56418, 287.3519
[27][1], 286.57135, 285.94897

[28][0], 287.42114, 287.11865
[28][1], 286.63763, 285.71616

[29][0], 287.51114, 287.20868
[29][1], 286.72766, 285.79898

[30][0], 287.3642, 287.15195
[30][1], 286.40042, 285.8075

[31][0], 287.28418, 287.07193
[31][1], 286.32043, 285.7275

[32][0], 287.1249, 287.04703
[32][1], 286.57172, 285.76624

[33][0], 287.08282, 286.80634
[33][1], 286.39136, 285.7677

[34][0], 286.81284, 286.53632
[34][1], 286.12137, 285.4977

[35][0], 286.82285, 286.54633
[35][1], 286.13138, 285.50772


time, [36]									//list of times in "DODS" time
738311.0416666666, 738311.0833333334, 738311.125, 738311.1666666666, 738311.2083333334, 738311.25, 738311.2916666666, 738311.3333333334, 738311.375, 738311.4166666666, 738311.4583333334, 738311.5, 738311.5416666666, 738311.5833333334, 738311.625, 738311.6666666666, 738311.7083333334, 738311.75, 738311.7916666666, 738311.8333333334, 738311.875, 738311.9166666666, 738311.9583333334, 738312.0, 738312.0416666666, 738312.0833333334, 738312.125, 738312.1666666666, 738312.2083333334, 738312.25, 738312.2916666666, 738312.3333333334, 738312.375, 738312.4166666666, 738312.4583333334, 738312.5
lat, [2]									//list of latitude points in degrees 
45.67019340909, 45.69328161818							//(common convention used, north positive, south negative)
lon, [2]									//list of longitude points in degrees 
-122.3080318049, -122.283579390 						//(common convention used, east positive, west negative)
										//(for some models longitude is shown only in degrees east...
										//  thus western hemisphere longitudes are greater than 180...)
														
														
PHP routine to convert DODS time to unix time:
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//
//  dods2unix($dods_date)
//
//  This routine turns a dods-style date into a unix timestamp.  It should work
//  after 07dec08 (the date I wrote it) but not sure how it would work for 
//  earlier dates due to the fact that I don't know for sure how things like
//  leap year are handled.  
//
//  (Note:  1228608000is the unix timestamp for midnight December 7th, 2008.
//          733384 is the dods-style date for December 7th, 2008)
//
//  (Note:  I have since found out that dod's time is days since 
//          1-1-1 00:00:0.0
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function dods2unix($dods_date){
  return  (1228608000 + ($dods_date - 733384)*86400);
}