Proposal for unified handling of ADCP data from ocean data collection projects. Includes the development of standardized data formats and software converters

PI: Lohrmann, Atle (NortekUSA Inc)
Co-PI(s): Spain, Peter (Teledyne RDI), Craig, Robert (NortekUSA), Velasco, David (NortekUSA), Hull, Matthew (Teledyne RDI)
Start Year: 2020 | Duration: 2 years
Partners: The external advisory group will include 5-6 members from at least three of the federal
agencies that handle ADCP data.

Project Abstract:

Today, ADCPs’ (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers’) capabilities and prevalence have
increased tremendously and most users’ emphasis has shifted beyond just basic current
measurement. A growing number of science projects have broader scope and participation—
spanning scientific disciplines, marine institutions, and distant nations. ADCPs also see
increasing use in supporting production, operational, and military applications rather than
traditional scientific research. In particular, a growing community of secondary data users want
to reuse ADCP data to resolve different problems than those for which the data was originally
collected. The proposed project will improve access to ADCP velocity data both for those who
have collected the data and for those who seek to reuse data that has been collected by others. To
achieve this goal, we will first seek to develop a common data format that allows any existing
Teledyne RDI or Nortek ADCP data file to be converted into the new format. The work will
include agreement and documentation of common engineering units, common interpretation of
orientation sensors, and common mapping of non-linear variables. To simplify the use of third-
party post processing software, we will pick a commonly accessible data format, of which
NetCDF is a natural candidate. As part of the proposed project, we will also document the use of
new and existing QA/QC procedures as they should be interpreted relative to the new data
format. In phase II, we propose to write a web accessible software application that takes any
existing ADCP file, apply user-selectable QA/QC procedures and rewrites the “clean” data to the
new data format. This software will be accessible as a public service, jointly owned by the
proposers. We believe the proposed work will be of great help to the community at large and to
the Navy in particular. It has the potential to be a first step on a path to the use and reuse of data
that represents decades of large-scale financial and scientific investments. As such, the benefit of
the work will be significant relative to the cost.