HOWTO Drifter Data Processing

Kirk's HOWTO on processing Drifter data

Follow these steps to process 'raw' drifter data from pacificgyre to final posting on our website:

Notes:

• Once proficient, it takes about 20 min to process a typical day's deployment.
• Folders/files referenced here can be found on the ICESS network at /home/locl/users/kirk/ (hereafter referred to as '..../kirk/') in the data or user subfolders.
• You should copy the kirk folder contents to your local computer and run the scripts there instead of on the server.

Folder: .../kirk/user/0_Info

1. On deployment day: be sure to fill out .../kirk/user/0_Info/drifter_hist.xls (drifter history) with the performance of the drifters to track if there are any consistent problems (Note that this file is now out of date).
   
   

   Folder: .../kirk/user/1_get_data_from_web

2. Edit data_dates.m with the start/stop date/times to get.
   Notes:
   
   • Use the http://pacificgyre.com website (log: ohlmann, pass: drifterguy) if you need to get an estimation of when the drifters went in and came out of the water (look at in-water flag values), or go to http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/drifter/realtime/BETA.php and enter custom times.
   • Keep adding date/times to the bottom of this file (or in the appropriate "deployment type" area (e.g. SBCLS), and commented out), then copy these uncommented deployment times to the top of it to fetch the data. Note, when in the "deployment type" groups, I number the 'dates' sequentially, but when copying one or two of them to the top to fetch, you need to make sure those 'dates' numbering start at 1.
   • You don't have to be exact on the times (cleanup happens in following steps), just be sure you have a time at least before or at start and a time after or at ending deployment.
3. Run get_data.m
   • Be sure the IRIDIUM value in it is set correctly
   • Data will be saved in '..../kirk/data/Drifter_Anal/2_data/yyyymmdd' folder as a yyyymmdd_drifter_dat.log file.
   • Now, move that folder into a 'deployment type' folder (e.g. .../kirk/data/Drifter_Anal/2_data/SBCLS)
     

   
   Notes:
   

   • If IRIDIUM is set, you may want to check the settings of REMOVE_GPS_01 and CONVERT_GPS_2_TO_2 in the convert_Iridium_reports_to_Microstar_format.m file.
   • Data format (column numbers):

         #1 drifter ID
         #2 year
         #3 month
         #4 day
         #5 hour
         #6 minute
         #7 second
         #8 lat
         #9 long
        #10 satelites availiable
        #11 satelites used
        #12 com flag
        #13 Secs to fix
        #14 Mobitex RSSI
        #15 in-water flag
   

   Folder: .../kirk/user/2_clean_up

4. Edit clean_up_drifter_data.m with the correct area and deploy_date at the top.