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Marine Research Vol I: Data Manipulation and Practices

$Id: kurt-2010.org 13097 2010-01-22 22:40:19Z schwehr $

Table of Contents

Thoughts

Perhaps I need to start with the emacs, bash command line, and svn, but then move into task based learning… like processing tide file or GPS logs from a station.

Dale Chayes suggested looking at what the Bioinformatics crowd has done with the O'Reilly. I think that maybe Bioinformatics Programming Using Python by Model might be an interesting place to look.

Need a separate book/volume for instruments and procedures on the ship

License and distribution - an Open Book

Please buy a copy of the book from me the author. I will be working to find a publishing site. The electronic version of this book will always be available under a Non-commercial Creative Commons license. The best way to tell an open source author that you appreciate their work and want more is to purchase the physical book (or e-Reader version if I get around to making one).

You are free to use any code that I have included in this book under either the GPL version 3, BSD, or MIT license.

  • FIX: explain that code is usable either open or closed source
  • FIX: point to license files.

Goals

By the end of the book, you will be able to go out on ship for a research cruise, collect a range of data types, process the data, interpret the data, prepare a series of reports, and submit the data to NOAA's NGDC for permanent archive. Along the way you will learn how to do these tasks using free open source software (FOSS) and know where to look for help and additional closed software should you need more.

Provide the basis for a year long research tools course as it might be tought at UNH

Be able to go to sea and prepare a cruise report

But not limited to marine science, however it will focus on tasks that would be done in general ocean mapping

Learn FOSS software that can last you through your career

I will try to provide closed source alternatives if your needs outstrip the FOSS software

Tools that can work even when out to sea without internet

Provide a reference for how perform many data analysis tasks

Give enough to meet the IHO Category A certified hydrography program

http://www.iho-ohi.net/iho_pubs/standard/M510thed08.pdf

M510thed08.pdf - STANDARDS OF COMPETENCE for Hydrographic Surveyors, M-5 Tenth Edition, 2008, Guidance and Syllabus for Educational and Training Programmes

B2.1 Computer FundamentalsPFExplain how the following components interact to form a computer system: central processor unit, storage devices, storage media, input and output ports and devices. Describe the input and output devices particularly useful in geomatics (hydrographic) computer systems.List appropriate criteria for selecting computer systems for hydrographic data acquisition, processing, and management. Explain the interfacing hardware standards for peripheral devices: RS-232, USB, SCSI etc.
B2.2 System and Application SoftwarePPDescribe the architecture of operating system software, such as Windows, UNIX and Linux. List the functions and operations provided by an operating system. Operate common application software systems such as spreadsheet, word processor, graphics software, and internet browser.
B2.3 ProgrammingPFDescribe software development procedures: statement of requirements, interface design, algorithm development, flowcharts, pseudocode. Define syntax, data types and structures, control structures, arrays, pointers, functions, and file processing procedures for a modern programming language, such as Visual Basic, Visual C++, or Java.Write computer programs using a modern programming language, to solve practical problems.
B2.4 Communication Tools and InternetPPExplain the networking concepts underlying Internet and intranet communications. Describe the features, resources and security issues of the Internet. Conduct searches for specialized information using Internet tools.Explain the different Internet access modes, and their bandwidths. Upload hydrographic information to a web page.
B2.5 Database and Information SystemsFFDefine different types of database management systems, and explain the architecture, functions and operations provided by each.Describe the development of an information system, built upon database management software. Explainthespecialrequirements of geospatial information systems

Also E4.4 a & b, E4.5

A new edition every year

Hopefully, each year will result in a new copy of the book.

Introduction

What this book is not

A manual for devices and sensors used in the field.

The platform - a ubuntu live CD

The importance of open file formats

Longevity and access

The scientific method and repeatability

References to have on hand

NOAA Field Procedures manual

Finding software

Identifying projects

Freshmeat.net, rpmfind, version tracker, sourceforge

Evaluating software

How can you tell how good software is?

History of releases

Take a quick look at the code

You don't have to be a programmer to see some aspects of code quality.

IRC and Mailing lists

Are they active? Are people getting help?

Emacs - text is the universal format

Basic editing and navigation

Simple customizations

org mode

org-babel

yasnippet - Templating code tasks

Creating presentations with Beamer

The unix command line and bash shell

Managing files

ls, cp, mv

Glob - specifying multiple files at once

Looping over commands

Make - another automation tool

Version control - SVN and GIT

Compressing, archiving, and verifying files

checksums and hash functions - is the data valid

  • Straight forward checksum. This will be used with NMEA
  • MD5, SHA, and other hash functions

Version control

Image processing

ImageMagick

The GIMP

Beginning programming with Python

Databases

FIX: include the databases chapter here

SQL and SQLite

Spatial Lite

PostgreSQL and PostGIS

Regular expressions, NMEA, GPS, AIS

What is NMEA

Verifying NMEA by calculating checksums

Basics of regular expressions to parse NMEA

Gridded data and maps - GMT

Multibeam data and MBSystem

Geographical Information Systems - QGIS

Google Earth and KML

3D modeling and animation (This topic might just be too much)

Blender MeshLab Google Sketchup (closed but free) Creating a 3D PDF

Additional closed tools

IVS3D Fledermaus

Statistics and R

Wiki's and corporate knowledge

Instant Messenging and IRC

Blogs, podcasts and videos

These media types are great ways to capture what was done at the time and provide an excellent resource to train those that follow in your footsteps.

Blogging

Instant Messaging and IRCs

How to collaborate in the office or at sea.

podcasts (and/or ocean sounds)

FIX: write. Why would you want noises from the ocean?

  • Volcanoes
  • Ship noise
  • Animal noises
  • Structures and devices in the ocean make noise (platforms, coring, etc).

FIX: how to record sound FIX: cover audacity for editing audio

Closed tools

Adobe's SoundBooth

Video

Playing and converting

http://www.openshotvideo.com/

Closed tools

Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier

Giving back to the community

There are very wide range of ways that you can contribe back to the community. Please consider one or more of these. The more you contribute to these communities the more they will give back to you. You don't have to be a serious programmer to help out. Easy ways to help are donate (assuming your institution allows it), but support contracts from the authors, blog about how you use the software, help with translating manuals and the software itself if you speak other languages, answer a question or two in IRC. Or if the author of the software has written a book about it, purchase a copy of the book.

Appendix - Templates and Cheat Sheets

Once you know the basics of a language or tool, you often need something to jog your memory. Templates and cheat sheets are often the perfect form to get the brain moving again. I encourage you to alter these to make them your own.

Emacs

SQL

SQLite

PostgreSQL / PostGIS

Python

Make

bash scripting

=======

Understanding data and computer security

Enough to keep you safe and when to get an expert to help

Things to work in

How and where to hire help

support contracts, contractors, checking on peoples capabilities and responsiveness

How to write a bug report

Author: Kurt Schwehr

Date: $Date: $

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