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.01a files are the echosounder's binary raw internal format data that is stored on the Compact Flash drive. In the normal raw file acquisition process for ASL echosounders, users can usually copy the files directly off of the Compact FLASH drive and this . This format is compatible with EchoView data a number of data analysis and visualization software, particularly EchoView (version 7.1 and later of EchoView will read .01a files). This is the default data product option. An alternate format, with the same file name extension (.01a) is also available: the , denoted as Unaltered Serial Stream data. This is the data that ONC device drivers record in real-time: Big-Endian with packet headers, as if one were recording the RS232 communications directly, . The is the "Real Time Profile Output Format" documented in Section 8.1 of the AZFP software manual. Compared to the Serial Stream, the Compact FLASH format is also Big-Endian, but the packet headers are replaced with a FLAG value, so that the file is FLAG-profile-FLAG-profile, refer to AzfpLinkSoftwareManual.pdf Section 8.3etc, refer to Section 8.3 of the AZFP software manual for the Compact FLASH format. Another format that is not offered at this time is called 'Real -timeTime Data Files' data (section 8.4 in the manual): these are .001 files acquired via the ASL software (via RS232 serial communications), but stripped of with packet headers replaced with a different FLAG and converted to Little-Endian; this source could be added at a future date, upon request. The three variations also are documented in the AWCP user manual (posted at the top of this page), while the ZAP manual only documents the Serial Stream format (Appendix F in that manual).
The .01a files for AZFP and AWCP produced by the Compact FLASH option are readable by ASL's software (AZFPLink and their own MATLAB code) and a growing number of 3rd party software and code. See ASL's processing page https://aslenv.com/azfp-processing.html for more information. .01a files for ZAP echosounders produced by the Compact FLASH option are not likely to be readable however. Refer to Appendix F in WCP manual UVIC Venus version CM-100-WCP-01-R01.pdf - the profiles is taken from byte 27 (the ping interval) onward, excluding the last two byte (line feed, carnage carriage return). Returning the entire packet with the Serial Stream option is likely to be the more usable option.
ONC's normal raw log files record all communication and data with the device in an ASCII hexadecimal format. The Serial Stream option This data product converts that hexidecimal data to binary, omitting driver commands and ASCII serial responses. The Serial Stream option is that direct output, whereas the Compact FLASH option has the addition trimming and insertions as noted. Live data is available for both options (the log files do not need to be archived for this data product to be available). Files are broken on the hour, every hour, with additional file breaks on driver restarts and configuration changes. On these configuration change breaks, the last letter in the file extension is incremented: .01a → .01b → .01c.
Accompanying these files will be .xml configuration metadata files, which are produced with the start of the data and at for every configuration change. The format of the XML files is taken from the a recent ASL XML file, produced by AZFPLink version 1.0.30. AWCPs and earlier AZFPs generated a different XML file, while ZAP echosounders had a .cfg file (very similar to an XML file). The .xml file produced for all three echosounders is the AZFPLink version 1.0.30 format, with a few ONC comments to make it clear it wasn't produced by AZFPLink. The differences between all three are largely superficial - the XML tags for the calibration parameters are the same between the AZFP and AWCP echosounders, while the ZAP uses a formula and parameter set for calibration (see the calibration formulas detailed above). Here is an example ONC produced ASL .xml file: ASLAZFP55036_20140911T060000.742Z.xml
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There are two formats of plots available: PNG or PDF. A PDF plot file can contain multiple plots as separate pages, and the graphics are vector images, which are better for printing or viewing at high resolution. The PNG format is a single plot in a raster image which is good for quick viewing and sharing. The data and appearance of the two plot formats are the same. These plots are also known as echograms, they plot echo intensity (backscatter or target strength) vs time and depth, and are basically what you would see as a sonar operator. The calibration data product option switches the values plotted between raw (uncalibrated), Volume Backscatter (Sv) and Target Strength (TS), but does not otherwise affect the form and function of the plots. The plots are affected by the ensemble/averaging option, the number of channels, the deployment type (fixed vs. mobile) and the sun elevation data product option.
Oceans 2.0 API filter: extension={png,pdf}
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There are two variations of plots in terms of duration, depending on the ensemble period option selected. Daily plots are generated with the default, no averaging, option. Daily plots will show a maximum of one day of data. For all plots, the data has to be resampled so that each pixel in the PNG is an ensemble period, otherwise rendering the image will alias the data; so in spite of selecting the no-averaging option, some resampling may happen. Also, nominal This resampling is important as normal resizing on computer screens appliles linear image anti-aliasing routines aren't appropriate here as we have logarithmic datawhich are not appropriate for logarithmic scale images. The minimum ensemble period for a one day plot is ~30 seconds. If you select less than one day, you can effectively zoom in and get see higher temporal resolution. Here are some examples of daily plots: first is a ZAP calibrated daily echogram with the sun elevation plot; second is a ZAP daily echogram, non-calibrated without the sun elevation plot, with a configuration change part way through the day; third is an AZFP calibration daily echogram without the sun elevation plot.
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If an ensemble period is selected by the user, the plots will be multi-day plots and only one plot will be generated over the search time range (excluding configuration changes, which break the plot). Ensemble averaging will be applied as selected. If , except when the selected ensemble period is not high enough to prevent aliasing and distortion, the ensemble period will be increased automatically. Below are examples of multi-day plots from a ZAP and an AZFP with ensemble averaging set to 10-minutes, which is easily long enough to avoid aliasing and distortion. If plots extend over gaps in the data, users will see the gaps represented by white space.
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