Data submission
BODC relies on the expertise of the data originators to supply fully processed, quality controlled data sets with supporting comprehensive metadata. When data analysis has been completed, please send a copy of your final dataset together with associated documentation and metadata to BODC. The following is a summary of the submission process. Further information can be obtained from our guidelines on submitting data to BODC or by contacting Arwen Bargery. Please aim to provide a free standing dataset including all necessary information for the dataset to be correctly interpreted.
Observational Data
MERP data should be lodged at BODC within six months of sample collection or sample analysis. Data should be in a processed, finalised form and be readily usable by third parties. The simplest way to submit data is as an attachment via email to Arwen Bargery. BODC has the capacity to safely receive email attachments up to 10MB in size. Data originators are advised to check with their own IT service managers regarding allowable file size transfer by this method.
File formats
We can accept most file formats. Microsoft Excel files or text files are the most commonly used. Please ask if you are unsure whether we can deal with your file format.
Accompanying information
Please ensure that the following information is provided in your data submission or in the associated documentation, where relevant.
- Sampling mechanism (e.g. CTD rosette, air sampler, zooplankton net, non-toxic sample)
- Cast and station reference
- Date and time of sample in UTC (or other specified time zone)
- Depth/height of sample
- Bottle/rosette reference for CTD rosette sampling
- Name and institution of data originator and principal investigator
- Specific details of sampling methods used
- Specific details of any instruments used (make, model, serial number)
- Details of analytical procedures employed
- Details of any problems encountered along with data quality comments
- List of associated data files
