QARTOD 2: Remote Currents Working Group Definitions: Level 1 – refers to radials Level 2 – refers to total vectors Level 3 – refers to higher level data products

Question 1: What real-time quality control tests should be applied? Data evaluation parameters: Level 1 - signal to noise (s/n) - criteria to define 1st order peak (direction finding systems) - single or dual angle solution - sector-to-sector change in radial speed - standard deviation and number of vectors within each sector - eigenvalues for each vector (MUSIC specific) - % coverage for given time window - establish parameters for other equipment (e.g. radars) and processing methods Level 2 - radial misfit error (rms difference from back-calculating the radials) - GDOP - Geometric Dilution of Precision - thresholds - number of radials and which sites contribute radials to total vector - % coverage at grid points over given time interval

Question 2: What categories of real-time quality descriptor flags should be required? - flag interpolated data (radial or total) - categories from QARTOD 1 are appropriate with potential additions (e.g. interpolated)

Question 3: What real time metadata descriptors should be required? Level 1 - site location - hardware parameters (e.g. transmit frequency, range resolution, etc.) - software parameters (e.g. version no., averaging time, etc.) - antenna patterns and time of measurement - operating institution - equipment environmental parameters - data units Level 2 - number/identification of possible sites contributing radials to total vectors - parameters used for combining (e.g. averaging time, averaging area) - institution that conducted combining - grid parameters (e.g. spacing, domain) - data units

Question 4: What real-time calibration flags should be required? - baseline consistency checks (2 sites) - total/radial consistency checks (3+ sites) - antenna amplitude and phase measured between sites - forward and reflected power - diagnostics (e.g. transmitter temperature sensor) - sea echo for phase determination and amplitude Question 5: What common data formats should be required? - NetCDF - ASCII (lat, lon, u, v) Question 6: Additional requirements associated with DMAC? - cross-walk between metadata provided in NetCDF and FGDC-compliant metadata

Question 7: Next Steps and roadblocks to implementation of QA/QC? Need to: - establish consistency of QA/QC throughout national network; - develop data dictionary and establish timeline - define data parameters for manufacturers to deliver (developed from QARTOD2 and ROWG) - develop “best practices” procedures for new operators - discussion to be continued…