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Great Lakes Environmental Database
GLENDA Reporting Standards
GLENDA Field Data Reporting Format- Field Format Explanation
- Field Format Blank Template
- Example of Water Survey Field Data
- Example of Fish Field Data
- Lab Format Explanation
- Lab Format Blank Template
- Example of Water Survey Lab Data
- Example of Fish Tissue Lab Data
Introduction
Many organizations produce Great Lakes data through the collection and analysis of environmental samples. The data they collect mainly come from the field sampling crews and the analytical laboratories. In order to store these data for long-term viability, the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) established the the Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA). As part of this effort, GLNPO developed specific formats (i.e., file formats and codes to represent certain data values) for reporting data for the Lake Michigan Mass Balance. These formats must be followed by whomever is collecting and submitting data in order for the results to be entered into GLENDA. Each format specifies the "rules" by which data must be submitted, and, in many cases, the allowable codes that can be reported.
The data reporting formats were designed to minimize the number of data elements reported from the field crews and lab analysts. By adhering to this structure, all data sets going into GLENDA will have a consistent format and be compatible with each other no matter who generated and submitted the data.
GLENDA has five types of data: Program, Project, Station, Sample Collection, and Results. All of the Program, Project, and Station data, as well as any data that can be gleaned from the Quality Assurance Project Plans, will be entered by GLNPO into GLENDA and is therefore not part of the data reporting formats. The Sample Collection and Results data will be supplied by the principal investigators (the sampling crews and the analytical laboratories) following the standardized reporting formats. Both the database and the data reporting formats were designed to be applicable to a wide variety of projects.
What is a Data Submission?
A data submission is defined as a logical combination of reporting standard files that are sent as a unit from a Principal Investigator (PI) to GLNPO. Each submission is defined within a biological delivery header file that contains a unique combination of project code, sampling organization or laboratory code, submission number, and version number. The submission number and version number are assigned by the PI for tracking purposes. The version number is simply a control number that distinguishes a specific collection of data from older (or newer) submissions of the same data.
The data submission concept becomes important when a PI determines that he/she needs to replace a data submission that was sent previously to GLNPO. A PI easily can replace a data submission by sending an updated, complete data submission that is identified with the same submission number as the original data but with an incremented version number.
General Instructions
Please adhere to the following instructions throughout the reporting standards:
- Each file in the reporting standard begins with a standard, two character identifier. Up to six additional characters can be appended to the two character name by a data submitter to identify a particular data submission. The first two characters, however, must not be changed.
- Strictly adhere to the format of the reporting standard. That is, do not alter the column headings or the order of the columns. Furthermore, do not add columns to the reporting standard files or delete columns from the files.
- Uniquely identify each sample. Every PI should devise a sample naming scheme that ensures uniqueness of every sample ID.
- Uniquely identify each simple or compound result reported in the ancillary results file or tissue analysis results file. Every PI should devise a result naming scheme that ensures uniqueness of every result ID.
- Identify each component of a compound result with a component ID. The component ID should distinguish a particular component from other components of the same result.
- Report depth measurements (e.g., sample depth) in meters (m).
- Report times using military time in the format HH:MM:SS.
- Report dates using the MM/DD/YYYY format.
- When coded values are required for a column, use the lists of allowable codes that accompany the reporting standard.
- Fill-in all required columns.
- If data are provided in an optional column that has corresponding units and/or significant figures, the units and/or significant figures columns become required. For cases where one significant figures column applies to many result columns (e.g., mean field length, median field length, minimum field length, and maximum field length), the least number of significant figures should be recorded.
- If a length measurement is recorded, then a length type is required.
- If a weight measurement is recorded, then a weight basis is required.