World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC)

Data Sponsorship Statements

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Data Sponsorship Statements

The Data Sponsorship Statements or DSS (formerly called the Scientific Sponsorship Statements) has been adopted by the UV data community and is a useful document in learning about the methodologies and practices of the data orginators in generating the data outputs archived at the WOUDC. The DSS is a condensed scientific description of the origin, processing and quality of the data, including estimates of measurement uncertainty. The writer is typically a scientist responsible for making the measurements, but might be some other scientist who could fully describe the data. It is typically an ASCII text, PDF or HTML file that is intended to be read by WOUDC staff and data users, not by computers. Thus, there are no formal format rules, however some guidelines for headings are presented to assist data providers with the type of information the WOUDC would like reported.

Access to Data Sponsorship Statements

Sponsorship Statements can be found in the "Local Files" link for those agencies that have provided such a document to the WOUDC. Each Agency responsible for the submission of data to the WOUDC Data Archive is encouraged to submit a DSS. Link to the Agency List to obtain information about agencies that have submitted data to the WOUDC. If an agency has submitted an DSS, then an active ftp link (Local Files) will be visible. Click on this link to view the DSS.

Contents of a Data Sponsorship Statement

Data Sponsorship Statements should include the following:

• Complete Agency and Contact information
• A list of all platforms (stationary and/or mobile (ex. ship/aircraft) with coordinates and all instruments (including the instrument name, model and serial number) in operation at these sites.
• Instrument maintenance and calibration information such as sources, frequency, stability, etc.
• Detailed data processing information about algorithms, data corrections, interpolation, and smoothing etc. including quality control and assurance steps
• Estimation of measurement uncertainties
• References to publications that describe instruments, observation program, error estimations and results. (The WOUDC staff will be grateful for receiving reprints or copies of these publications.)
• The conditions under which the originator permits use of the data would also be included.

View a DSS template for further guidance. [1]

A comprehensive list of sources of uncertainties and techniques for their estimation is provided in the WMO Guidelines for Site Quality Control of UV Monitoring [2]. The writer of the DSS is strongly encouraged to consult this QC document before starting his or her task. Another document that may be worth consulting is the WMO Guidelines on Instruments to Measure Solar Ultraviolet Radiation [3], which describes characteristics and categories of UV instruments. The DSS may include references to other ASCII files with data that are relevant to the DSS, e.g., instrument laser scans, instrument's filter characteristics, directional sensitivity scans, etc. These files will be stored in the same agency directory as the DSS file.

The QC document includes forms for the description of the site and the estimation of measurement uncertainty. Submitting these forms is not a requirement for data to be accepted by the WOUDC, but the forms can be very useful adjuncts to the DSS, even if only partially completed. As stated in the preface of the QC document, "In all cases it is better to have a little information than none at all." The WOUDC will post all relevant QC information with the corresponding data so it is easily available to users. Again, consult the Agency List.

An example of an DSS, written by the staff of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), is available for viewing or download from the Agencies List - MSC - Local Files.

References

[1] Bernhard, Germar, National Science Foundation (of the USA) - Biosperical Instruments Incorporated, Personal Communication, 2008

[2] WMO, Ann Webb ed.: "Guidelines for Site Quality Control of UV Radiation Measurements", Global Atmospheric Watch, WMO/GAW Report 126, 1998.

[3] WMO, Gunther Seckmeyer ed.:, "Guidelines for Instruments to Measure Solar Ultraviolet Radiation" Global Atmospheric Watch, WMO/GAW Report 1998.