GLIMS Minimum Requirements list

[Jeffrey S Kargel]

Bruce et al.,

This is good.  Does there need to be further instruction as to
how to assign a center point (glacier ID)?  On one hand, if it
is mainly to serve as a unique ID, it almost doesn't matter
where in the glacier the point is, though it would be helpful
to be on the glacier.  It could even be in a place
where, 25 years from now, it no longer is on the glacier,
because it would still be a unique number.  If ID is the only
purpose, why does the point need to be on a centerline?  If
there are additional reasons to specify a center lat/lon, then
it becomes a bit more important what point is specified.  Are
there science/application reasons that would cause us to want
to be more specific than just somewhere on the centerline?
Are there technical reasons that would cause a hiccup in the
database if the ID number evolves over time to a place no longer
on the centerline or even outside the glacier?

A point of possible contradiction: "Centerline" is listed as a
desirable entry; the glacier ID is mandatory but must be on
the centerline, which suggests that the centerline or at least
one point of it is mandatory.  I agree that a centerline ought
to be desirable, not mandatory; and so here comes my
uneducated opinion: I think that the mandatory glacier ID ought
to be the lat/lon just somewhere near the center of the glacier
(roughly the center estimated by eye: roughly along the
centerline, and roughly half way from summit or top of
accumulation zone to the toe of the glacier).  Are there any
science/application reasons or technical reasons that would
prevent this definition (lat/lon of approximate
glacier center) of glacier ID?

Are there to be further instructions as to specification of
errors/uncertainty of the entered values?

Great to see the database WG active in this way.  More about
Working Groups in general later.

--Jeff K


                                                                                                                                          
                    Bruce Raup                                                                                                            
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                    07/10/01 01:10 PM                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                          



Hello all.

At the GLIMS workshop in Maryland I was tasked with circulating to the
glims_database list, then to the RCs, a list of minimum requirements for
submission of GLIMS data to NSIDC.  Here is a draft of that list.

Please have a look and send any comments or questions you have --
preferably to the list, but to me personally if you're shy.  :-)


# $Id: glims_db_min_req_list.txt,v 1.3 2001-07-10 14:05:22-06 braup Exp
braup $

The following is a Minimum Requirements list for submission to the GLIMS
glacier database by a Regional Center.  Insertions of historical data into
the GLIMS database will not necessarily require all of these fields, as
they might not exist.  But any new submission of data derived through
remote sensing methods should include the following.

Minimum requirements for GLIMS database entry

 - Glacier ID (lat & lon of "center"; this point should be on centerline of
   the glacier)
 - Glacier outline (collection of segments and attributes)
 - Coordinate system (ellipsoid, or projection parameters) for glacier
   outline
 - Whether image from which outline was derived was orthocorrected
 - Data source (image ID and instrument ID, or, for older inventories, map
   name and date ,...)
 - Source analyst (RC name and ID, person name)
 - time of analysis (NOTE:  time of observation can be recovered thru image
   ID)
 - processing description

Desireable

 - scalar parameters, such as
     - mean width
     - length
     - snow line elevation
     - lowest elevation
     - highest elevation
 - Centerline
 - Tie-point region polygon(s)
 - (pointer to?) Associated DEM
 - References to relevant literature


--
Bruce Raup
National Snow and Ice Data Center                     Phone:  303-492-8814
University of Colorado, 449 UCB                       Fax:    303-492-2468
Boulder, CO  80309-0449                            Bruce.Raup at colorado.edu