The Ocean Data Standards and Best Practices Project (ODSBP)

The objective of the Project is to achieve broad agreement and commitment to adopt a number of standards and best practices related to ocean data management and exchange. The project is a continuation of the Ocean Data Standards Prilot Project (ODS), established and implemented jointly between JCOMM and IODE. The ODSBP project was established by IODE-XXII (2013) through Recommendatio IODE-XXII.6.

The activities of the Project will include:

  1. develop and manage a process for the reception, reviewing and recommending of standards and best practices, based upon the process developed by the Ocean Data Standards Pilot Project;
  2. actively liaise with all relevant communities, programmes and projects such as Ocean Data Portal, ETDMP Metadata Task Team, SeaDataNet Technical Task Team, GE-BICH, GE-MIM, SG-OBIS, GTSPP, ICSU WDS, GEO/GEOSS, ICES;
  3. promote and monitor the usage of recommended standards and practices in the relevant communities, including those mentioned under (ii);
  4. regularly review and revise recommended standards and best practices based upon feedback from the relevant communities, including those mentioned under (ii);
  5. maintain an online catalogue of best practices, enabling easy discovery and downloading of these documents by users (e.g. JCOMM Catalogue of practices and standards).On this web site you will find information on the Ocean Data Standards and Best Practices process, on the adopted Standards, the Partners and a wealth of background information on methods and guidelines for oceanographic data management.

The Project is managed by a Steering Group involving members of the former JCOMM/IODE ETDMP Task Team for the ODS Pilot Project and other experts of JCOMM and IODE.

Since 2014, IODE also hosts a document repository of Best Practices called OceanDataPractices (ODPr). ODPr is a joint effort by several participating institutions which include ICES, IOC/IODE, JCOMM, SCOR and WMO.

The Need for Ocean Data Standards

The value of standards is clearly demonstrable. In oceanography, there have been many discussions for processing data and information. Many useful ideas have been developed and put into practice, but there have been few successful attempts to develop and implement international standards in managing data.

 

News

21 May 2015: Proposals submitted for internal review (delayed from 2014): SeaDataNet Common Data Index (CDI) metadata model for Marine and Oceanographic Datasets/ SeaDataNet Common Data Index (CDI) metadata model for Marine and Oceanographic Datasets – XML encoding/ SeaDataNet Cruise Summary Report (CSR) metadata model for Cruise Reporting/ SeaDataNet Cruise Summary Report (CSR) metadata model for Cruise Reporting – XML encoding

21 May 2015: Proposal submitted for internal review: SeaDataNet NetCDF (CF) data transport model for Marine and Oceanographic Datasets - MORE HERE

19 April 2015: Proposal submitted for internal review: SeaDataNet Controlled Vocabularies for describing Marine and Oceanographic Datasets - A joint Proposal by SeaDataNet and ODIP projects - MORE HERE

18 April 2013: Recommendation for a Quality Flag Scheme for the Exchange of Oceanographic and Marine Meteorological Data published - MORE HERE

01 August 2012: New version of Standards Process now available -  HERE      

11 May 2012:   Proposal to adopt a quality flag scheme standard for oceanographic and marine meteorological data exchange re-sent in version 1.2 - MORE

23-25 April 2012:   Ad hoc Session of the Joint JCOMM-IODE Steering Group for the Ocean Data Standards Pilot Project (SG-ODSPP) held at the IOC Project Office for IODE, Oostende, Belgium, 23-25 April 2012. - MORE

10 October 2011:   Proposal submitted for community review:   Proposal to adopt a quality flag scheme standard for oceanographic and marine meteorological data exchange - MORE

09 March 2011: Proposal passed internal review:   Proposal to adopt a quality flag scheme standard for oceanographic and marine meteorological data exchange - MORE

23 February 2011:   Expert review completed: Proposal to adopt the SeaDataNet Common Data Index metadata profile (CDI) as a Standard for Oceanographic Data Exchange starting its expert review - MORE

11 February 2011: Proposal submitted for internal review: Proposal to adopt a quality flag scheme standard for oceanographic and marine meteorological data exchange   MORE  

2 February 2011: Recommendation to Adopt   ISO 8601 as the standard for the representation of dates and times in Oceanographic Data Exchange published. MORE HERE

12 January 2011:     Proposal to adopt the SeaDataNet Common Data Index metadata profile (CDI) as a Standard for Oceanographic Data Exchange starting its expert review - MORE

06 January 2011: Proposal to adopt ISO 8601 as the standard for the representation of dates and times in Oceanographic Data Exchange: Expert review completed. Proposal submitted to the Community for Comments. MORE HERE

03 June 2010: Proposal Submitted for internal review: Proposal to adopt ISO 8601 as the standard for the representation of dates and times in Oceanographic Data Exchange   - MORE HERE

06 January 2010: Recommendation to Adopt ISO 3166-1 and 3166-3 Country Codes as the Standard for   Identifying Countries in Oceanographic Data Exchange published. This is the first published recommended standard that has completed the ODS process. - MORE HERE

28 April 2009: Public Review of   Proposal 2008/01: Proposal to Adopt ISO 3166-1 and 3166-3 Country Codes as the Standard for Identifying Countries in Oceanographic Data Exchange isnow available for Public Review (deadline 28 August 2009)- MORE HERE

24 April 2009:   Review Proposal 2008/01: Proposal to Adopt ISO 3166-1 and 3166-3 Country Codes as the Standard for Identifying Countries in Oceanographic Data Exchange

Proposal 2008/01 has been reviewed. The review report is available for registered members HERE

09 April 2009: New document available

04 September 2008: New documents available

  • An Integrated Ocean Observing System Operational Wave Observation Plan
  • Data Management Standards for High Frequency Radar  
[More information and download HERE ]

 

30/04/2008: Document on the Standards Process now available

One of the objectives of the First Session of the IODE/JCOMM Forum on Oceanographic Data Management and Exchange Standards was to discuss and if possible determine a way to establish an internationally recognized process for submitting proposed standards and their acceptance by the ocean community. The standards that are produced by this process are intended primarily for the use of the marine meteorological and oceanographic community. If they have wider applicability, they may be submitted to appropriate international standards bodies, such as ISO. However, after recommendation, their use will be widely encouraged within IOC and WMO. This process has now been described and is available HERE .

30/04/2008: Guidelines on the completion of a Proposal for submission to the IODE/JCOMM Standards Process now available

This guide outlines the template for Proposal submissions to the IODE/JCOMM Standards Process and describes the content to be included. Use of this template for the Proposal ensures the information provided is as comprehensive as possible in order for (1) the efficient evaluation of and movement of the Proposal through the IODE/JCOMM Standards Process and (2) planning the intended application and dissemination of the proposed standard. Find out more HERE

 

 

Cooperation between IODE and JCOMM on Standards

The First Session of the IOC €™s International Oceanographic Data andstandards_group_400.jpg Information Exchange (IODE )/WMO Joint Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM ) Forum on Oceanographic Data Management and Exchange Standards was held January 21-25, 2008 at the IOC Project Office for IODE in Oostende, Belgium. The event was supported financial by the US/NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium).

The objective of this meeting was to get general agreement and commitment to adopt standards related to key ocean data management thereby facilitating exchange between oceanographic institutions.

The meeting brought together representatives of organizations that are extensively involved in ocean data management, possess strong technical expertise in one or more data management areas and able to influence other organizations to adopt the agreed upon standards.

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