russian version

Formats for the detailed inventory

GIS format requirements

Introduction

All final processed data will be collected at the PCU. Data will be transferred to the PCU in raw data format as well as in final ASCII or Excel files on 3.5 inches floppy diskettes or CD-ROMs (or via Internet for small data sets). The preferred way to submit manually entered data is to provide them in the MS Excel files (*.xls). The precise format for different types of data is given in Attachments 1 & 2. All data must be supplied with full metadata and information about the originators, methods used, and instruments, quality control, problems and errors, etc. The data collection mechanism and deadline for the data submission will be specified later by the ASTP Task Force Team.

The CTD data sets will be provided in 1m bin-averaged form of depth, temperature, salinity, and density (and other variables according to the available set of sensors). Data for shallow stations (< than 20 meters) will be provided also in non-averaged form at the highest depth resolution.

A workshop is planned at the deadline of the data processing (to be determined in the detailed cruise plan) to pool all the individual data sets, carry out a cooperative and synthetic scientific analysis, prepare the final cruise report, and discuss possible data application.

Depth should be given in meters with the necessary precision. Time of measurements should be registered in GMT.

Header information for each station/measurement must include station name (text string containing no more than 20 characters), date and time, co-ordinates, and sea depth.

All data and information will be provided in four forms of files:

1. Cruise report with overall information on the data and measurements/sampling/processing procedures (MS Word file, in English);

2. Raw data files;

3. Final data files in agreed ASCII or Excel format.

4. Brief description files accompanied each final data file or set of similar files (ASCII files, in English);

Brief Description Files

All the data files prepared during and after the cruise are accompanied by brief description files containing concise information on their origin, instrumentation, method, units, data processing and other topics. These files are the ASCII files in English. Each item in a file starts from the name of the item prefixed by an asterisk and followed by a colon.

Brief description file has the same name as the data file(s) or data directory if it relates to all data files in the directory.

The extension of its name is always .BRD

 Each file contains the information in following order:

• Data file(s): Name(s) of the data file(s) described.

• Format: Format description (or reference to the source available with the data set).

• Ship (station) name: Name of the ship (station) at which the measurements were made.

• Expedition: Name (number) of the expedition.

• Parameters: Name, units (and brief description if necessary) of the parameters included in data file(s).

• Instruments and methods: Brief description of the instruments and methods used for measurements.

• Accuracy: estimation of the lower limit and precision of the measurements.

• Processing (if applied): Which type of processing was used and with what characteristics (smoothing, etc.).

• Principal investigator(s): Name and institutions of persons responsible for the each type of measurements.

• Digitization: Which type of digitization was used (single entry,

• double-key entry, data were obtained in digital form), where and when it was made. The name of responsible person.

• Remarks: Other topics responsible person assumes useful.

• Completed by: Name and institution of a person prepared this file.

• Date: Date of the creation (last revision) of this file in form DD.MM.YYYY.

• Source of data: Source (subsource of data) in form of abbreviated institution name and researcher name if necessary.

Example of the brief description file is given below:

• Data file(s): AV24Secchi.dat

• Format: Header data file format of the TU-BS project.

• Ship (station) name: Akademik Vernadsky (MHI, Ukraine).

• Expedition: Cruise number 24.

• Parameters: Secchi disk depth, meters.

• Instruments and methods: Standard Secchi disk (0.3 m in diameter) was used with a wire winch from the 3 m height desk.

• Accuracy: The error of the depth determination is approximately 0.5 m.

• Processing (if applied): Corrections were made on the wire angle.

• Principal investigator(s): Viktor I.Mankovsky (MHI, Sevastopol,

• Ukraine).

• Digitization: Double-key entry at the MHI (Sevastopol, Ukraine) in September, 1993. Responsible - Alexey V.Mishonov.

• Remarks: Data are obtained by qualified stuff and are reliable.

• Completed by: L. Galkovskaya (MHI, Sevastopol, Ukraine).

• Date: 18.01.1995.

• Source of data: MHI NASU

Description of the formats for the Data Files
(TU-Black Sea Project data formats)

Each data file contains data themselves according to one of the three formats described below (station data file, containing vertical series of measurements; header data file, containing observations on sea surface; and time series data file, containing time series at distinct points).

Three types of data files can be used:

1. Station data files, containing vertical series of measurements. It is recommended to unite parameters from the point of view of sampling equipment (e.g. STD-probe, water bottles, plankton net). For the high resolution CTD data one file contains data of one cast. For chemical and other low depth resolution data each file can contain data for a set of stations or one cruise.

2. Header data files, containing observations on sea surface (or bottom).

3. Time series data, containing time series at distinct points.

The parameters in all files are separated with at least one space. Space characters inside names (units) and data values are not allowed.

Only printable Latin characters (plus "space", "line feed", "carriage return" - ASCII 32, 10 and 13) are used in data files.

Nonexistent values in all data files are replaced by the number (flag) "-88" (minus eighty eight).

Time of the measurements in data files is GMT.

Data file name includes information on the ship name, and type of data.

Remark: If Sea Bird CTD-probe is used for the for the measurements, data from this probe should be presented in the standard CNV files.

1. Station Data File

1st line: Description of the data columns with units.
2nd line: Header information for the station.

This line includes the following parameters:
flag (always 9999), year, month, day, starting time of measurements in hour, minute, latitude in degrees, minutes, longitude in degrees, minutes, total water depth in meters at station, station name, cast number. It can include additional parameters after the cast number, which must be described in brief information file.

3d line: 1st line of the data
4th line: 2nd line of the data

Nth line: (N-2)th line of the data
<EOF> - end of file

*Remark: For chemical and other low resolution data each file contains data for one cruise i.e. after last line of the data for previous station Header line for the next station follows.

Example of physical data file is given below:

Depth(m) Temperat(degC) Salinity(ppt) Light_Transmis(%)
9999 1991 07 15 23 10 42 30.2 31 45.83 2100 B255 1
0 21.8269 16.8416 51.8269
1 21.8291 16.8442 50.5265
2 21.8299 16.8476 50.5288
3 21.8202 16.8581 50.5392
4 21.7674 16.8935 50.5791
5 21.6227 16.9727 50.6750
6 21.3475 17.1112 50.8481

<EOF>

Example of chemical data file is given below:

D(m) T(degC) S(ppt) Sig-T DO(uM) H2S(uM) NOx(uM) NO2(uM)
9999 1989 07 23 01 57 43 30.2 31 45.8 2100 5287 1
05 7.20 17.33 14.11 325.2 -88 0.21 0.10
10...............................................
650...............................................
9999 1989 07 23 12 24 43 10.1 31 12.4 1200 5288 1
..................................................
..................................................
<EOF>

Example of biological data file (zooplankton) is given below:

Lower_Depth(m) Upper_Depth(m) Total_Biomass(mg/m3)
9999 1991 01 08 9 30 42 0.0 31 0.0 2100 2310 1
10 0 12.5
25 10 10.0
50 25 41.6
. . .
150 . .
9999 1991 01 08 11 30 42 30.0 31 0.0 2000 2311 1
15 . .
30 . .
40 . .
. . .
200. .
<EOF>

2. Header data file

This type of file is for Secchi disk data, ship meteorological data and all other measurements that characterize sea surface (e.g. in biology - total biomass per m2). Each line of this file contains the header information and the data themselves.

1st line: Brief description of the columns.
2nd line: 1st line of the data.
...
Nth line: (N-1)th line of the data.
<EOF>

Each line includes the following parameters:
flag (always 9999), year, month, day, starting time of measurements in hour, minute, latitude in degrees, minutes, longitude in degrees, minutes, total water depth in m at station, station name, parameter_1, parameter_2, ... parameter_n.

Example of the header data file is given below:

Flag Year Mon Day Hou Min LtD LtM LnD LnM Dep St Sec(m) AirTem(degC)
9999 1991 07 15 13 10 42 30.2 31 45.8 2100 B255 14.5 22.7
9999 1991 07 16 10 25 42 27.1 30 25.3 2000 B256 13.0 -88.0
9999 1991 07 16 15 40 42 11.7 30 05.7 1900 B258 10.5 21.3
.
<EOF>

3. Time series data file

This data file is for the meteorological data, current meter data, sea level data and for other measurements.

1st line: Description of the data columns.
2nd line: Header information for the station

This line includes the following parameters:
Flag (always 9999), year, month, day, starting time of measurements in hour, minute, latitude in degrees, minutes, longitude in degrees, minutes, total water depth (-88 for land stations), station (dataset) name. It can include additional parameters after the station name, which must be described in brief information file.

3d line: 1st line of the data
...
Nth line: (N-2)th line of the data
<EOF>

Example of the time series file is given below:

Year Mon Day Hour Min Veloc(sm/sec) Direc(deg) Temper(degC)
9999 1990 09 11 12 30 40 37.5 39 11.7 170 A39B45
1990 09 11 12 30 11.8 230 17.45
1990 09 11 13 30 21.3 120 17.47
1990 09 11 14 30 14.7 234 17.44
.
<EOF>

The preferred way to submit manually entered data is to provide them in Excel (worksheet) files (*.xls).

An example of this file is attached (“Excel-data-example.xls”).

Default format for a date is yyyy/mm/dd ( 1999/11/27 ) and for time it is hh:mm ( 14:38 ). It is mandatory to have the line with the column names before the data lines. There can be also additional title and comments lines at the start of the file before the column names line.

If data of some variable(s) are absent, the correspondent worksheet cell must be empty. The order of data columns is free, however, it is better to select a standard order for the cruise data. Some additional columns that are useful from the point of view of researcher can be added to the table (for example, distance offshore).

An example of the part of the table with data is given below.