Description of the Argo GDAC File Checks: Data Format and Consistency Checks

Every Argo data file submitted by a DAC for distribution on the GDAC has its format and data consistency checked by the Argo FileChecker. Two types of checks are applied: 1. Format checks. Ensures the file formats match the Argo standards precisely. 2. Data consistency checks. Additional data consistency checks are performed on a file after it passes the format checks. These checks do not duplicate any of the quality control checks performed elsewhere. These checks can be thought of as “sanity checks” to ensure that the data are consistent with each other. The data consistency checks enforce data standards and ensure that certain data values are reasonable and/or consistent with other information in the files. Examples of the “data standard” checks are the “mandatory parameters” defined for meta-data files and the technical parameter names in technical data files. Files with format or consistency errors are rejected by the GDAC and are not distributed. Less serious problems will generate warnings and the file will still be distributed on the GDAC. Reference Tables and Data Standards: Many of the consistency checks involve comparing the data to the published reference tables and data standards. These tables are documented in the User’s Manual. (The FileChecker implements “text versions” of these tables.)

EGO gliders NetCDF format reference manual version 1.2

This document specifies the NetCDF file format of EGO-gliders that is used to distribute glider data, metadata and technical data. It documents the standards used therein; this includes naming conventions as well as metadata content. It was initiated in October 2012, based on OceanSITES, Argo and ANFOG user's manuals. Everyone’s Gliding Observatories - EGO is dedicated to the promotion of the glider technology and its applications. The EGO group promotes glider applications through coordination, training, liaison between providers and users, advocacy, and provision of expert advice. We intend to favor oceanographic experiments and the operational monitoring of the oceans with gliders through scientific and international collaboration. We provide news, support, information about glider projects and glider data management, as well as resources related to gliders. All EGO data are publicly available. More information about the project is available at: http://www.ego-network.org

A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications

A compiled set of in situ data is important to evaluate the quality of ocean-colour satellite-data records. Here we describe the data compiled for the validation of the ocean-colour products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI). The data were acquired from several sources (MOBY, BOUSSOLE, AERONET-OC, SeaBASS, NOMAD, MERMAID, AMT, ICES, HOT, GeP&CO), span between 1997 and 2012, and have a global distribution. Observations of the following variables were compiled: spectral remote-sensing reflectances, concentrations of chlorophyll a, spectral inherent optical properties and spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients. The data were from multi-project archives acquired via the open internet services or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Methodologies were implemented for homogenisation, quality control and merging of all data. No changes were made to the original data, other than averaging of observations that were close in time and space, elimination of some points after quality control and conversion to a standard format. The final result is a merged table designed for validation of satellite-derived ocean-colour products and available in text format. Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) were preserved throughout the work and made available in the final table. Using all the data in a validation exercise increases the number of matchups and enhances the representativeness of different marine regimes. By making available the metadata, it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately. The compiled data are available at doi: 10.1594/PANGAEA.854832 (Valente et al., 2015).

Sextant. A spatial data infrastructure for marine environments

At national and European levels, in various projects, data products are developed to provide end-users and stakeholders with homogeneously qualified observation compilation or analysis. Ifremer has developed a spatial data infrastructure for marine environment, called Sextant, in order to manage, share and retrieve these products for its partners and the general public. Thanks to the OGC and ISO standard and INSPIRE compliance, the infrastructure provides a unique framework to federate homogeneous descriptions and access to marine data products processed in various contexts, at national level or European level for DG research (SeaDataNet), DG Mare (EMODNET) and DG Growth (Copernicus MEMS). The discovery service of Sextant is based on the metadata catalogue. The data description is normalized according to ISO 191XX series standards and Inspire recommendations. Access to the catalogue is provided by the standard OGC service, Catalogue Service for the Web (CSW 2.0.2). Data visualization and data downloading are available through standard OGC services, Web Map Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS). Several OGC services are provided within Sextant, according to marine themes, regions and projects. Depending on the file format, WMTS services are used for large images, such as hyperspectral images, or NcWMS services for gridded data, such as climatology models. New functions are developped to improve the visualization, analyse and access to data, eg : data filtering, online spatial processing with WPS services and acces to sensor data with SOS services.