Databases Galore - 14

Fig. 1 WOD-13 Zones

The new database I am in the process of using (Fig. 1) is arranged kinda like the Dredd Blog zones concept (Zone In On Sea Level Change)

It is the World Ocean Database (ver. 13), called "WOD-13" for short.

One can select a zone, the download the data.

Then what?

I have written a C++ program that is working after many problems.

I used only their documentation to traverse the jungle of numbers and letters, since I know of no C++ programs for doing the processing.

The 'C' and 'Fortran' sample programs are next to no help for an object oriented approach.

Here is a sample "cast" (similar to one PSMSL station record) :

C41303567064US5112031934 8 744210374426193562-17227140 6110101201013011182205814
01118220291601118220291901024721 8STOCS85A3 41032151032165-500632175-50023218273
18117709500110134401427143303931722076210220602291107291110329977020133023846181
24421800132207614110217330103192220521322011216442103723077095001101818115508527
20012110000133312500021011060022022068002272214830228442684000230770421200000191
15507911800121100001333125000151105002103302270022022068002274411816302284426840
00230770426500000191155069459001211000013331250001511050021033011300220220680022
73319043022844268400023077042620000019116601596680012110000133312500021022016002
17110100220220680022733112830228442684000230770435700000181155088803001211000013
33125000210220160022022068002273311283022844268400023077042120000019115508880300
12110000133312500015110200210330535002202206800227441428030228442684000230770421
20000019115508880300121100001333125000152204300210220320022022068002273312563022
84426840002307704212000001911550853710012110000133312500015110200210220160022022
06800227331128302284426840002307704212000001100003328960044230900033267500222650
03312050033281000220100033289500442309000332670002227100331123003328100022025002
22900044231910033286200222900033115400332810002205000342-12300442324100332728003
32117003312560033280500

(WOD-13 Manual, p. 128). That cast has 1303 individual data elements (bytes) which must be painstakingly and flawlessly put together into useful information, such as:

Cast type: C
Profile length: 1303
Unique Cast #: 67064
CC: US
Cruise: 11203
Year: 1934
Mon:  8
Day:  7
Time: 10.37
Lat: 61.93
Lon: -172.27
Levels (Depths): 4
Profile Type: 0
Variable Count: 6

Notice that latitude and longitude are included, so I can synchronize this data with Dredd Blog zones.

We will then have a comprehensive graphing system for both above-the-surface (PSMSL) and below-the-surface (WOD-13) information for our contemplation.

One file I downloaded and used for testing (WOD zone 7015) has over 3,600 casts in it, and is 6 megabytes in size (ARGO float profile data type).

I wrote the program to process every WOD file in a particular directory, so I download a bunch and off we go.

I want to concentrate on Dredd Blog zones I have already graphed out with PSMSL data, and compare above and below surface factors to derive more understanding.

A one-stop lab eh?

I now plan to redirect the data into "csv" files, and or SQL tables, for future use.

Cheers.

Will post more soon.

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

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