From Ocean Teacher Library

Quality Control of Surface Wave Data

Contents 1 Background 2 Standards Recommendation 3 Decisions 4 Additional Resources 5 Subsections of this Article 6 Information about this article 7 Contact

Background

In January, 2008, the IOC and JCOMM convened a workshop entitled the IODE/JCOMM Forum on Oceanographic Data Management and Exchange Standards (IOC Workshop Rept. 206), to consider selected principal issues on establishing marine data standards, with the goal of furthering marine data interoperability. In particular the aim of the workshop was to get broad agreement and commitment to adopt a number of standards related to ocean data management and exchange, thereby assembling not only the agreed conditions by which we operate, but in fact enact these agreements in the participants' respective organizations.

Standards Recommendation

Ms. Julie Bosch (USA NOAA) introduced this item and moderated discussions. She reviewed the various quality control procedures that exist for verifying surface wave observations.

She noted that the following in-situ wave measurement systems are in use today:

• Directional Buoy
• Non-directional Buoy
• Directional Array of Pressure Sensors
• Single Point Pressure Sensor
• Wave Staff
• Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
• Pressure Orbital Velocity Sensors

She stated that real-time QC is a subset of overall QC. Inspection of the data (automated or manual) must be made in light of where it is collected (e.g. range checks/thresholds must be adjusted to local environments) and visual inspections are still part of these processes. She mentioned the following candidate standards:

• Quality Control and Management of Oceanographic Wave-Gage Data CERC-IR-90-1 - US Army Engineer Corps manual
  • Actively used
  • Sound methodologies / outdated technologies
  • Geared more toward instrument checks and calibrations
  • More QA than QC
• Manual of Quality Control Procedures for Validations of Oceanographic Data (IOC M&G 26)
  • Actively used
  • Widely used
  • Most comprehensive list of tests
  • Sound methodologies / outdated technologies
  • Includes QA and QC
  • Includes requirement for documentation/tracking (metadata)
• Handbook of Automated Data Quality ControlChecks and Procedures of the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC Tech Doc 03-02)
  • Actively used (NDBC)
  • Sound methodologies
  • Provides descriptive guidance and QC algorithms
  • Provides hard/soft flag guidance
  • Based on methods in IODE, Manual and Guide 26, 1993
  • (Terminology (vocabulary) used in test descriptions = difficulty in directly or quickly relating between standards for this comparison)
  • Geared toward specific user (data management, database, …)
• SIMORC Data Quality Control Procedures
  • Active/Wide use
  • Sound methodologies
  • Based on methods in IODE, Manual and Guide 26, 1993
  • Lists tests / some descriptive guidance
  • Geared toward specific user (data management, tools, codes, file formats…)

Decisions

• The meeting did not identify a recommended standard;
• It was agreed that US-IOOS and Dr. L. Rickards (UK BODC) will lead the update of the IOC Manuals and Guides No. 26 on waves

Additional Resources

Subsections of this Article

No subsections available

Information about this article

Short title: Surface Waves

Description: none

Expertise level: beginner

Author: Murray.Brown

Approval status: approved

Approved by: Murray.Brown

Last change: 2008-9-9

Subsection of: Marine Data Quality Control

Contact

If you have any direct comments or suggestions for the author of this page then please feel free to send an email to the author (listed above). For discussions on this page please use the discussions page.,