Data access and conditions

Introduction

This document describes the conditions of use of data produced by the Cloudnet project. Note that the data are available in preliminary and release versions. The conditions described in this document apply to both versions.

Typically access to preliminary datasets is restricted to Cloudnet project partners, and may only be extended to other groups in collaboration with a project partner. Such users are warned that the quality of preliminary data is less reliable than release versions and that the data may change with no warning before official release (e.g. to incorporate a new calibration figure or due to an improvement to an algorithm). Please consult the project partner responsible for producing that preliminary dataset.

Conditions of use

• Cloudnet data is free to use but is available for non-commercial research purposes only.
• To obtain access to the data, you should contact the Cloudnet data manager Ewan O'Connor in the first instance. You will be issued with a username and password allowing access to the web and ftp sites from which the data may be downloaded.
• If you use Cloudnet data in a publication you must include an acknowledgement to the Cloudnet project, the site at which the measurements were taken and the institute that provided the dataset you used. Guidelines for the form of such an acknowledgement are given below.
• If you receive assistance in data analysis or detailed advice essential to the interpretation of the data from a project partner, then co-authorship should be proposed to that partner in any forthcoming publications.
• In publications using Cloudnet products you should reference the paper in which the algorithm is described, if available. The relevant publications for the various products are listed below.

Additionally we request that you:

• Do not redistribute data to other institutes, but rather ask them to contact the Cloudnet data manager and access the data directly.
• Inform either the project partner who generated the data or the Cloudnet PI Anthony Illingworth of your proposed analysis, so that we can keep you updated on changes and improvements to the datasets, and, if you wish, put you in touch with other researchers engaged in similar activities.
• Send a reprint of any publication in which Cloudnet data were used to the PI (full contact details here).

How to acknowledge Cloudnet in publications

Acknowledgements in publications should mention the Cloudnet project, the site/institute at which the raw data were taken, and the institute that produced the product that you used. The recommended format for the acknowledgement is:

We acknowledge the Cloudnet project (European Union contract EVK2-2000-00611) for providing the [DATASET], which was produced by [INSTITUTE] using measurements from [SITE].

• the Chilbolton Facility for Atmospheric and Radio Research, part of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
• the Cabauw Experimental Site for Atmospheric Research (CESAR).
• SIRTA, operated by the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL).

The release datasets are listed on the Release Products page; you may phrase [DATASET] how you like. The [INSTITUTE] responsible for producing each dataset is listed for each product. If you have a query about a dataset you should generally contact the product maintainer rather than the algorithm designer in the first instance.