Description of UTLS-OZONE NASA-Ames filename conventions

Note this document is a draft: its contents may change.
This page defines the filename conventions used for UTLS-OZONE NASA-Ames format files at the BADC. The filename conventions reflect the content of the file: they indicate the site or platform of the measurement, the date on which the measurement started and the instrument and parameters measured.

When submitting files to the BADC please ensure that the files comply to the agreed conventions. The file name is used to automatically move the file into the appropriate directory in the BADC archive. It is therefore important that all files are given the correct name.

The filenames for NASA-Ames files are determined, in part, by the NASA-Ames Format for Data Exchange. The filename is of the form ppYYMMDD.xxx, where pp is a two character prefix, YYMMDD is a six character date and xxx is a file extension of up to 3 characters. A commonly adopted convention, which will be implemented for UTLS-OZONE files, is that the prefix indicates the site or platform from which the measurements were made, and the extension gives and indication of the instruement and physical or chemical quantity measured. The date is the date on which the observations recored in the file started. At the BADC the prefix suffix for a particular site or instrument are inherited from previous field campaings such as ACSOE.

Components of filename

Prefix

The two character prefix identifies the site or platform for the observation.

Allowed values:

ValueDescription
abAberystwyth
cbChilbolton Radar
egARA Egrett Aircraft
heHercules C-130
kiKiruna

Start date

The six character date identifies the start date of the observations in the file. The start date is in the format YYMMDD. The observations may span more than one day. The date in the file name is always the start date of the observations.

e.g. '990110' represents 10th January 1999

Extension

The file extension identifies the instrument and constituents measured. Listed below are the valid file extensions, together with the constituents, instrument, institute and group or person responsible.

Allowed values:

ValueConstituentsInstrumentInstituteGroup or person
asc Aerosol Scattering PCASP MRFRicher
b[21-22]Ozone, Temperature, PressureOzone-SondesU WalesVaughan
bsw[10-17]Ozone, Temperature, PressureOzone-SondesU WalesVaughan
Relative humidity Snow-White Hygrometer U WalesVaughan
bc3 Black Carbon Soot Aethalometer PSAP MRFRicher
me1 Methane Near Infra Red Tunable Diode NPL/CambridgeHowieson
cldCloud cover flagARASF/MRFACTO
cm1 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fluorescence MRF/KFARicher
cn5 Condensation Nuclei CCN Counter MRFRicher
fm1 Formaldehyde (HCHO) Fluorometric UEAMills
ha2 Halocarbons GC (Grab Sample) UEAOram
ha5 Halocarbons GC (Egrett) CambridgeRobinson
hc2 NMHC GC (Grab Sample) UEAOram
hc3 NMHC GC (Grab Sample) LeedsMcQuaid
hc6 NMHC ORAC(GC) LeedsMcQuaid
jn4 J (NO2) UV Photometer MRF/FZJRicher/Gerbig
jo5 J (O1D) UV Photometer U LeicesterMonks
lw1 Liquid Water Johnson Williams MRFRicher
nxy Nitrogen Oxides (NO, NO2, NOy, NOy*) Chemiluminescence UEABrough
o3l Ozone LIDAR U WalesVaughan
o36 Ozone Teco 49 MRFRicher
pn5 Peroxyacetylnitrate GC MRF/UEARicher
po1 Peroxide (H2O2, RO2H) Fluorometric UEABandy
pr2 Speciated Peroxides PERCA UEAGreen
ps1 C-130 Position GPS MRFRicher
tmp Temperature Various MRFRicher
tw1 Total Water Lyman-Alpha MRFRicher
wnd Wind Various MRFRicher
wv1 Dew Point FWVS MRFRicher