ECMWF makes available a BUFR decoding library freely downloadable from here and a synop2bufr converter which is maintained with the help of external contributors. Updates of the synop2bufr software will be announced in this page.
synop2bufr latest version 2-04-2014
Changes in this version contributed by Mr. Perisa Sunderic and Dr. Eva Cervena
Conversion of group 54g0sndT (temperature change)
Conversion of group 56DLDMDH (direction of cloud drift)
Conversion of group 57CDaeC (direction and elevation of cloud)
Conversion of group 58p24p24p24 (non-negative change of pressure over the past 24 hours)
Conversion of group 59p24p24p24 (negative change of pressure over the past 24 hours)
Correct presentation of Height of the station and Height of barometer in BUFR messages, if H and/or HP are missing in WMO No.9, Volume A.
synop2bufr previous versions
Changes in this version contributed by Mr. Perisa Sunderic and Dr. Eva Cervena
- Clouds with bases below station level reported in all groups of SYNOP section 4 are reflected in BUFR data.
- Specification of vertical significance 0 08 002 within 3 02 036 has been refined.
- Height of station above msl 0 07 030 is set to missing for stations that are defined in Volume A as aerodromes (A in the column REMARKS).
- The regulation B/C 1.2.3 requires reporting 0 07 030 (Height of station ground above mean sea level) as defined in Note (3) under BUFR/CREX Table B, Class 07.
- The program synop2bufr obtains the station metadata from Volume A, height of station ground above msl is taken from the column H/HA. Consequently, the altitude of the aerodrome HA has been reported for 0 07 030 instead of the required Height of station ground above msl in BUFR data from stations at aerodromes . And it is to noted that HA may be very different from the required 0 07 030, e.g. station 11518 has HA = 380 m, whereas 0 07 030 = 364.0 m.
- 0 07 030 is set to missing as a default value for aerodromes.
- A list of aerodromes is hard coded in the converter and has to be updated as soon as changes are introduced in Volume A.