International Field Years on Lake Erie (IFYLE)

Data Policy

The Lake Erie Project Data Policy will follow the procedures set forth by the GLOBEC Data Policy and summarized by the CoOP Data Policy. Please read these data policies and follow their guidelines. Below are some preliminary thoughts about the International Field Years on Lake Erie (IFYLE) Data Policy.

Data Exchange and Dissemination:

Data Submission:

Data should be submitted to Anne Clites. If file size makes emailing difficult, please use the NOAA/GLERL ftp area at: ftp://anonymous:%22www.glerl%40noaa.gov%22@ftp.glerl.noaa.gov/incoming.

Format of Excel file for data submission

The IFYLE database is based on MySql and pHp. The preferred way to submit data is in Excel, in columns, including the identifiers shown. (If Excel is not available, a flat file containing the above information is fine).

To expedite the process of getting your data into the shared database, please submit it in an Excel or flat file containing the following columns:

Metadata

Metadata (text file containing location, time, units, accuracy, precision, method of collection, method of analysis or processing, sensor calibration, name of analyst or operator, etc) must accompany each data submission. Contact information is essential! Examples: see the IFYLE Metadata page or http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/eegle/data/data.html (1st click on any parameter, 2nd on meta).
Example for microzooplankton: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/eegle/data/1998/microzoo_lavrentyev/microzoo.meta.txt

Station ID

IFYLE-standard Station ID’s must be used. Click here for Station List (.xls).

Cruise Operations Log:

A Cruise Operations Log will be the responsibility of the Chief Scientist of each cruise, who will insure an accurate record of all activities. Each activity (defined as “anything put over the side”) will be a separate line in the log, and will contain the following:

  1. Op Number, consisting of the following:
    • 1-letter designation for Ship ID ( L=Laurentian, G=Lake Guardian, N=Limnos, C=Cyclops, O=ODNR
    • followed by 1 or 2-letter designation for Cruise Type (Transect=T, Diel=D, Fixed=F, Buoy=B, Habs=H, Tracer=TR, Transect/Diel=TD)
    • Year (4 digits)
    • Day of year (3 digits).
    • Daily Task Number (2 or more digits), starting at .01 each day
  2. Activity (see Activity Codes below)
  3. Date
  4. Time (EDT - local time)
  5. Station ID (see Station ID list)
  6. Station Depth (meters below surface)
  7. Lat (degrees and decimal minutes)
  8. Lon (degrees and decimal minutes)
  9. Name of PI associated with the task
  10. Name or Initials of person making the entry (usually the Chief Scientist)

Examples of entries might be:

Example of cruise operations log

Following each cruise, the Cruise Operations Log will be submitted by the Chief Scientist to the Data Manager. The Data Manager will then make it available on the web and will generate a detailed list of activities for that cruise.

Notes for Cruise OP Logs:

Activity Codes:

The following is a partial/preliminary list of activity codes (followed by their explanations) to be used in the Cruise Operations Log: click here for Activity Codes.

Activity Codes

Data Organization:

IFYLE cruise sample data can be accessed via the IFYLE Cruise Data web page. The database is searchable by any combination of the following parameters: ship, cruise type, month, day of year, station, activity, or oplog number.

Existing long-term and IFYLE-specific physical environmental variables for Lake Erie can be found on the Lake Erie Physical Data Sets page.