Introduction to oceglider
Dan Kelley (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7808-5911)
2024-09-05
Source:vignettes/oceglider.Rmd
oceglider.Rmd
This vignette explains the basics of using the oceglider
package. Please note that the package is still a work in progress, with
functions evolving as the authors realize that new features might be
helpful to analysts working with glider data.
The package started with code to read SeaExplorer data in what is
called “raw” form. Functions are provided to work with both data
telemetered back to base as the glider is en-route, and with data
downloaded after it is recovered. These functions are named
read.glider.seaexplorer.delayed()
and
read.glider.seaexplorer.realtime(),
respectively.
In addition to functions for reading such data, some specialized
variants of standard R functions, notably plot()
,
summary()
and [[
, were set up. These differ
from similar functions in the oce
package both in the sorts
of plots that are offered and in handling the internal structure of the
objects used in the oceglider
package (e.g. with the
separation of payload and glider files, for the SeaExplorer
devices).
The next stage in the evolution of the package was to handle Slocum
data. The functions read.glider.slocum()
and
read.glider.slocum.netcdf()
were designed for this work,
but neither has been tested recently, because the data servers being
employed recently seem to store a more generic format that is handled by
read.glider.netcdf()
.
Indeed, as of September 2024, it seems that many datasets are
provided in a format that read.glider.netcdf()
can read. A
problem that is still unresolved, here and generally for oceanographic
data, is the naming convention for variables (and units). Work is
underway, both in the oceglider
package and the older and
more general oce
package, to handle the variety of names in
a more accurate manner, and in a way that lets users intercede when they
know the convention being used in a particular dataset.
The oceglider
code uses datasets from Reference 1
extensively for testing and illustration. The data format in these files
is assumed to reflect up-to-date standards with respect to formatting
and nomenclature.
Other vignettes explain how to deal with data acquired with
SeaExplorer and Slocum gliders. These are the best place to start, in
learning how to use oceglider
.
References
- Canadian-Pacific Robotic Ocean Observing Facility (C-PROOF) data are accessible at https://cproof.uvic.ca, DOI: (available soon).