D&A Lab Working Team

D&A Working Team meetings

Supervising Scientist: Peter Blum

JOIDES Resolution Depth and Age Lab

Working Team Meetings

The X-CONVERTER should handle all conversions between sample identifier, depth, and age (if age model exists) that scientists or ODP support staff could encounter on the ship as well as at their home institutions. Conversion should also be possible if "Splice" is specified instead of a hole. Users would only have to learn this one utility and by doing so would become familiar and comfortable with all ODP sample, depth, and age concepts.

For any data set queried from the ODP database over the WWW as a function of depth or age, the report should return:

<Sample id, Depth1, (Depth2), (Age), data>.

Depth1 is the hole-specific mbsf scale value intrinsic to the particular data set (from drilling, logging, or coring). Depth2 and Age are optional and set in the Options window of the WWW interface. Depth2 is most commonly and most importantly the site-specific meters composite depth (mcd) value from hole-to-hole correlation of core data. Other possibilities are described elsewhere. If no Depth2 exists, that column should be blank. Age is only returned if the user checked the Age box in the Options window. The Age pull-down menu in the query parameter selection window is populated with age model names based on the Site number. The latest age model is used by default

For any auxiliary data set, i.e., data that are not integrated in the Janus database, ODP depths and ages should be available over the web as well. One possible solution is to provide a WWW interface where the user specifies email address, site, hole (splice), depth type, depth corrections, and age model desired, and the X-CONVERTER calculates the depth(s) (and ages) and emails the file back to the user. Another solution is to let the user download a "mini database" from the web that performs the calculations locally using the data necessary for a requested site/hole. I am sure there are other solutions; the point is that we need to provide total, user-friendly access to the Janus depth and age engines.

Users should be able to specify a hole and a Depth1 value (or a file with Depth1 values) and get the complete sample id as well as Depth2 and ages if parameters are specified. This task is common during report writing and data analysis when Depth2 (mcd) values need to be added once they are available from the stratigraphic correlator. Similarly, if Depth2 (or a file with Depth2) and a hole (or the splice) are specified, the utility should return the sample ID(s), Depth1, and age. The same applies if users enter a time interval: sample ID(s), Depth1, and Depth2 should be returned. The latter functions would be extremely useful for preparing sampling templates. Example: User wants to sample the spliced section every 10 cm from 0-1.2 Ma. User creates an input file <Leg, Site, "S", MCD>, where the first three fields are constant, and "MCD" is a series with 10 cm increments. The X-CONVERTER returns all sample IDs, "jumping" from one hole to the other according to the splice ties stored in the database. The age would also be calculated for each sample and the user could simply truncate the list at 1.2 Ma.

At the top of the X-CONVERTER interface is a button labeled "Options". It opens the generic report Options window where the user can select or verify depth type, check the age button, etc. Next are fields for Leg, Site, and Hole/Splice and the age model pull-down menu, which is populated if a site or hole is specified and an age model exists. Next are two one-line windows. The first line is the input line; the second line is the output line. The fields are identical:

Input: Leg, Site, Hole_or_Splice, Core, Type, Section, Interval Top, Interval Bottom, Depth1, Depth2, Age

Output: Leg, Site, Hole_or_Splice, Core, Type, Section, Interval Top, Interval Bottom, Depth1, Depth2, Age

Leg, Site, and Hole/Splice would be populated already from the initial input. The input line would be used to type in individual values for a quick conversion during report writing and data analysis. The input line prompts for appropriate input by color and/or blinking until the user has supplied sufficient input. The following input options exist: Core, Section, Interval, (to complete sample ID); Depth1; Depth2; or Age.

When sufficient input information has been provided, the user submits the query with a button labeled "Convert".

Next to the input line is a button labeled "Input File". It allows the user to specify a file path for a file that follows the input format specifications. Next to the output line is a button labeled "View output", which expands a scrollable window to view multiple output records. Finally, there are Save, Cancel, and Exit buttons.

Notes: The X-CONVERTER should accept input file formats delimited by tabs, spaces, or commas. The user is required to provide the correct sample identification format with any of the three field delimiters (Sample ID = Leg, Site, Hole, Core, Core type, Core section, Interval top, Interval bottom). The letter "S" should be introduced in the database to indicating the splice for a site instead of a hole. When an input file is specified, any number of data columns (data) can follow the sample ID and depth fields. They are ignored by the routine and copied to the output file.