The basestation extension - GliderDAC.py - can assist you in preparing data for submission to the GliderDAC. Setting up GliderDAC access, WMO ids, and internal workings of the GliderDAC are not covered here.
The extension works by extracting variables (timeseries and singletons) from the per-dive netcdf files created by the basestation and generating a new netcdf file for submission. The extraction and variable metadata is largely data driven based on a three configuration file hierarchy. Configuration files are YAML (https://yaml.org/).
The files are separated following a typical pattern of glider deployment. All contents could be placed in a single file (although the extension requires three to be specified). Example files are included in this directory. Many of the fields are examples taken from an actually glider deployment - be sure to modify everything specific to your situation.
Shows a typical seaglider .conf file specifying the three config files and a couple of option settings. The exact names of these files is not important - only how they are mapped to the option settings in the .conf file
Any content can appear any file.
This is the base glider configuration for all seagliders. In this example, some content (such as creators name) is specified here, and not in more specific config files.
Intended as the location for config that applies to a set of gliders operating in a single project/experiment. Settings here add to, or override, those in seaglider.yml.
Intended as config related to specific glider on a specific deployment. Settings here add to, or override, the other two config files.
The sample .ftp file shows a line that may be used to push data to the gliderdac (using you user account)
The sample .extension file shows how to enable the GliderDAC.py extension
The three yml files are merged base, then project, then deployment - from the most general to the most
specific. A later file adds to the earlier ones, key by key, and overrides any value they set (a list,
e.g. dimensions, is replaced whole). To remove something an earlier file set - an attribute, a whole
variable, a timeseries_vars entry - set it to null in the later file. Check them with
GliderDACModel.py (every problem is reported as file:line; with --verbose, check_merged also
lists each override and removal and where it came from):
GliderDACModel.py check sgXXX.yml # one file on its own
GliderDACModel.py dump sgXXX.yml > loaded.yml # one file, as loaded
GliderDACModel.py --verbose check_merged --config sgXXX.conf # the files the .conf names, merged
GliderDACModel.py dump_merged --config sgXXX.conf > merged.yml # the merged template
A misspelled key, a bad type or qc_data, a YAML syntax error, or a platform/instrument_*
variable without a _FillValue stops GliderDAC output until fixed. A variable
left without type, dimensions or attributes after the merge - often a mis-indented block - is
dropped and the rest is still written. Both raise the GLIDERDAC_CONFIG alert.
check and check_merged also warn about an attribute named like a variable field with a value that
would fit it (e.g. type: i2 or dimensions: [time] under attributes) - valid on its own, but almost
always a field indented one level too far. platform’s and instrument_*’s own type attribute
(type: platform) isn’t flagged.
The GliderDAC.py extension uses a normal per-dive netCDF file as input and generates a gliderdac netcdf file per the above configuration settings. Typically, this is done the normal course of processing the Seaglider’s output in near realtime.
The extension may also be invoked directly if re-processing is needed:
/opt/basestation/bin/python /usr/local/basestation3/GliderDAC.py \
--mission_dir <seaglider_home_directory> --config <seaglider_config_file>
/opt/basestation/bin/python /usr/local/basestation3/GliderDAC.py --config <seaglider_config_file> <path_to_pxxxyyyy.nc>
To push manually push files to the gliderdac, the following script is useful:
/opt/basestation/bin/python /usr/local/basestation3/FTPPush.py --mission_dir <seaglider_home_directory> --verbose "./gliderdac/*"