Data Organization Data Collection and Spreadsheets Consistent Data
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Data Organization Data Collection and Spreadsheets
Consistent Data Organization • Spreadsheets (such as those found in Excel) are sometimes a necessary evil – They allow “shortcuts” which will result in your data not being machine-readable • But there are some simple steps you can take to ensure that you are creating spreadsheets that are machine-readable and will withstand the test of time
Spreadsheets From NASA Environmental Data Management Best Practices Webinar: Bob Cook
Spreadsheet Best Practices • • Include a Header Line 1 st line (or record) Label each Column with a short but descriptive name Names should be unique Use letters, numbers, or “_” (underscore) Do not include blank spaces or symbols (+ - & ^ *)
More Spreadsheet Best Practices • Columns of data should be consistent Use the same naming convention for text data • Each line should be “complete”
More Spreadsheet Best Practices Columns should include only a single kind of data • Text or “string” data • Integer numbers • Floating point or real numbers
Use Naming Standards & Codes • Use commonly accepted label names that describe the contents (e. g. , precip for precipitation) • Use consistent capitalization (e. g. , not: temp, Temp, and TEMP in same file) • Standard codes – State Postal (VA, MA) – FIPS Codes for Counties and County Equivalent Entities (http: //www. census. gov/geo/reference/codes/cou. html)
Use Standardized Formats • Use standardized formats for units International System of Units (SI) http: //physics. nist. gov/Pubs/SP 330/sp 330. pdf • ISO 8601 Standard for Date and Time YYYYMMDDThh: mmss. s. TZD 20091013 T 09: 1234. 9 Z 20091013 T 09: 1234. 9+05: 00 • Spatial Coordinates for Latitute/Longitude +/- DD. DDDDD -78. 476 (longitude) +38. 029 (latitude)
