Mobile devices and sites are a challenge for data products. To make the data from mobile devices useful, geo-referencing data for positioning and attitude is essential. This data consists of: Longitude, Latitude, Depth (defined vertical position below mean sea level), pitch, heading (relative to true North), roll.
If the requested data is from a device that is mobile, any available positioning and attitude data will be integrated into the data product. The integration consists of the following:
- Linear interpolation of the mobile positioning/attitude data to the requested devices' time stamps. If resampling is requested, the mobile position/attitude data is also resampled, so that the time stamps will match without interpolation.
- Extra columns of data in CSV/ODV data products for each mobile position/attitude sensor. Extra data structures for each additional sensor in MAT or netCDF (future release) files.
- Sensor names will be appended to indicate that they are from an external device.
- The data product header will indicate which devices the mobile position/attitude data comes from and for what time range if there are multiple devices contributing.
- Plotting data products will also indicate which devices have relevant mobile position/attitude data. One can find that information in the lower left corner, below the plot. Plot headers may replace fixed values for Latitude/Longitude/Depth with 'Mobile'. At a future date, we may calculate the average position for the plotted device and include that information in the plot header. However, the average position is not that useful. When viewing normal times series scalar plots of mobile data, we recommend that users also download or plot the relevant positioning data. Profile plots are an exception, where positioning data is integrated in the plots. Profile plots are available for vertical profilers only. In the future, we will make more specialized plots available for other types of mobile devices.
- QAQC flags will be 8 (good), 4 (bad), or 9 (missing).
- A data product option to optionally include the heading, pitch, roll data is offered on many data products. By leaving off the integration of heading, pitch, roll (attitude) data, the data products are smaller and are much faster to generate. Attitude data is only useful in some situations.