SEAN OC SOP 19: Data Dictionary version 3

Johnson, William

Deliverables are the data and information products that are validated, certified, archived, and disseminated through the Southeast Alaska Network. Scientific deliverables are typically built by the Project Leader and submitted to the Data Manager. A few technical deliverables, which are typically built using automated applications, are generated by the Data Manager. Regardless of the source, every deliverable is formally validated by the Data Manager and certified by the originator before it is made available to SEAN’s customers. In order to carry out these processes, it is necessary to define in full detail the content, nature, and domain of each deliverable. Complete definitions also support subsequent interpretation of the products by removing ambiguity. SOP 19 defines every deliverable supported by the SEAN oceanographic program. It follows policies set in the SEAN Data Management Plan (Johnson and Moynahan 2008, SOP 302: Data Management Considerations in Protocol Development). Using that method, the top level description of a deliverable is explained using a single form named either A, B, C, or D. The specific form used for a particular deliverable depends on the nature of the deliverable’s contents. Deliverables of a tabular type are further defined with a form X, where the structure of the table is described. Each individual attribute (i.e., column, field) of a table is then defined in detail using a form Y. Using this set of six forms, all data and information involved in the SEAN oceanographic program (and other SEAN programs) are consistently, precisely, and fully defined. Each deliverable is also documented with a data flow diagram. These diagrams explain exactly where underlying data come from, what processes are applied to them, where they are stored, and who is responsible for performing each task used to create and update them.