1. International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
Description of IEDRO’s
Strip Chart Digitization Program
Dr. Rick Crouthamel, D.Sc. Executive Director

2. What is IEDRO?
International – any country in our worldwide community that needs help getting started with organizing a data rescue program.
Environmental – is meant to include not only Meteorological, Oceanographic, Hydrological, data, but also other types of data that relate to the environment.
Data – is defined to mean conversion of any scripted and autographic records presently archived on deteriorating medium such as paper, microfilm, microfiche, glass slides, magnetic tape, etc.
Rescue – means to convert the data at risk into digital images and secondly into a standard ASCII format that can be read by computers.
Organization –our nonprofit 501(c)(3) group whose mission is to assist data rescue programs in any way possible.

3. Example Data Formats Being Evaluated by IEDRO
Relative Humidity
Temperature
Wind Movement Data
Wind Gust Recorder Data

4. Additional Example Data Formats Being Reviewed by IEDRO:
Station Pressure Data
Solar (Pyroheliometer) Data

5. Polar Sea Ice Data
Sea-ice locations contained in bound volumes or in loose sheets

6. Current Data Being Rescued by IEDRO: Precipitation

7. Storage Locations Vary From:
New Stylish A/C Buildings
Older Ventilated Warehouse Buildings
Older unventilated warehouse buildings with hot metal roofs and concrete or sometimes dirt floors.

8. Data Storage within Facilities
Pyroheliometer charts stored in cardboard boxes and sitting on tables or on concrete floors
Records stored on shelving raised off floor

9. Data Storage Within The Facilities:
Archive in need of rescue

10. Data Storage Within The Facilities:
Archive really in need of rescue

11. How Does IEDRO Work?
I. First IEDRO must be approached by the “Data Holder” and asked to consider their request.
II. The Data Holder must furnish a written request for assistance that includes:
Data types – surface, upper air, hydrologic, …
Periods of record and frequency of observation
Current storage medium (paper, microfilm, microfiche, magnetic tapes, autographic strip charts, etc.) . If possible furnish samples of the medium records.
Approximate volume (number of pages, reels of film, number of microfiche, etc.)
Current condition of the medium to be “rescued”

12. How Does IEDRO Work?
I. First we must be approached by the “Data Holder” and asked to consider their request.
II. The Data Holder must furnish a written request for assistance that includes:
Data types – surface, upper air, hydrologic, …
Periods of Record and frequency of observation
Current Storage Medium (paper, microfilm, microfiche, magnetic tapes, Autographic strip charts, etc.) If possible furnish samples of the medium records.
Approximate volume (number of pages, reels of film, number of microfiche, etc.)
Current condition of the medium to be “rescued”

13. How Does IEDRO Work?
III. IEDRO will evaluate the request and advise as to feasibility of rescuing the data.
IV. IEDRO will attempt to obtain funding before proceeding with data rescue.
V. The project then enters a 2nd phase called the “Digitization Process” which is outlined as follows

14. IEDRO Automated Digitization Processing Phase 1 - Data Acquisition & Raw Data Digitization2
Transfer Images to Server
Acquisition & Receipt at IEDRO Headquarters
Charts Imaged / Scanned 3 5 4
Charts & Images Returned to Country
Chart Digitizing Program:
1. Derive Digitized Data
2. O/P to Corresponding Data Files
3. Problem Charts Separated
Charts QC’d,
Metadata & Dates Recorded 7
Images :
Prepare Batches
Zero Data Separated 6
End
Phase 1
Data Derived from Problem Charts
QC of O/P Data
(Visual Inspection) 8 9

15. IEDRO Automated Digitization Processing Phase 1 - Data Acquisition & Raw Data Digitization2
Transfer Images to Server
Acquisition & Receipt at IEDRO Headquarters
Charts Imaged / Scanned 3 5 4
Charts & images Returned to Country
Chart Digitizing Program:
1. Derive Digitized Data
2. O/P to Corresponding Data Files
3. Problem Charts Separated
Charts QC’d,
Metadata & Dates Recorded 7
Images :
Prepare Batches
Zero Data Separated 6
End
Phase 1
Data Derived from Problem Charts
QC of O/P Data
(Visual Inspection) 8 9

16. IEDRO Digitization Processing Flow Phase 2 - Data Conversion & Archival Preparation
End Phase 1 11 10
Re-Format Converted Data
Convert O/P Data (Phase 1)
Derived points to 5-min Intervals
Day 1
8:00-8:05
8:05-8:10
8:10-8:15 .
23:55-24:00
Day 2
00:00-00:05
00:05-00:10
08:00-08:05 12
O/P Archive Precipitation Event Format
Stn#|Year|Mon|Day|HR|00|05|10|15| ……|55|00| Max Pcp|Total 13 14
Send to Country With “Value Added” Product(s)
Submit to NCDC for Archiving

17. Master Index of Each CD Static Header Labels: Hyperlink Header Labels:
- Station Number
- Date
Time
Hyperlink Header Labels:
- Table: Tabular display of derived data appears.
- Raw Data: File containing derived data in a Comma Separated Value (CSV) format.
Image: The original chart from which the derived data was extracted.

18. Original Data Image

19. DIGITIZATION TIME REQUIRED 16,500 PRECIPITATION STRIP CHARTS
5 MINUTE INTERVALS
Manual min./chart
Current IEDRO Program 50 sec./chart
2010 IEDRO Program 15 sec./chart
Manual years
Current IEDRO Program 7 weeks
2010 IEDRO Program 2 weeks

20. Dr. Rick Crouthamel, D.Sc. Executive Director
International Environmental Data Rescue Organization
901 Main Street, Deale, Maryland USA
(410) (410) FAX
WEB SITE: