Data generation. Data are written to date coded files (one file per month) as plain ASCII text. For instruments with real-time telemetry, newly received data is added to the archive every 10 minutes.

Data retrieval. Files can be retrieved by anonymous ftp using your browser or a dedicated ftp client. If the link on the data access web page doesn't work, go to ftp://lishore.msrc.sunysb.edu and follow the directory tree down to subdirectory pub/lidbdata and then to the correct subdirectory for the instrument of interest. If you do have to go the long way with a web browser, email Tom Wilson at webmaster@lishore.org with the name and version of the browser you are using plus the complete url that worked.

File naming convention. Most file names are in 8+3 format for compatability with the widest range of computer systems. One file is generated for each month. Files are named AAyyyyX.txt, where:

• AA is the instrument designator, M1, C2, P1, etc.
• yyyy is the year, 1998, 1999, 2000, etc.
• X is a single digit month designator, where the months January - December are represented by the characters 123456789ABC respectively.

Example filenames would be M119988.txt for instrument M1 August 1998, and P11999B.txt for instrument P1 November 1999.

Data format. Each file contains a variable number of header lines. Each header line is marked with the pound sign ("#") in column 1. The header lines are at the beginning of the file preceeding any data lines. Data lines consist of fixed width fields, padded with spaces.

Revision level: The third line of the file header lists the revision level. The revision level indicates the level of Quality Assurance/Quality Control that has been applied to the data file. Revision levels are:

• Revision level: 0. File is still being actively written by unattended automated programs. This level remains until at least the second day of the following month, e.g. January's file is maintained at revision level 0 until at least February 2nd.
• Revision level 1. File is "sealed off" from being rewritten by automated programs, ready for QA/QC procedures.
• Revision level 2. File has been parsed for any duplicate data not already removed by primary automated processing. "No data" lines have been inserted in place of any missing data.
• Revision level 3. Content has been tested for reasonableness, questionable data has been flagged as such.

At present, the definitions of revision levels 2 and 3 are provisional.

IMPORTANT:Note that file contents are subject to change an unlimited number of times at any revision level. Change history for each instrument is noted in a freeform text file with filename AAlog.txt where AA is the instrument designator. Users of data are strongly encouraged to check back to confirm that data they are using is the most current version. Please be sure to read this disclaimer.

LIShore data access

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LIShore is a project of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University in collaboration with the LIShore partners.