proposed extra fields for WGMS glacier classifications in GLIMS database

[Bruce Raup]

Hello all,

For the following, it will be helpful to look at
http://www.GLIMS.org/datatransfer/valids.txt

Last October, after the Chamonix workshop, there was discussion about how
to allow more than one value in the GLIMS database for some of the WGMS
glacier classification fields, such as "frontal_characteristics".  As an
example, a glacier front might be both "calving" and "piedmont".

I propose adding extra fields to the Glacier_Dynamic table to accommodate
possible additional values.  So we might have something like
primary_classification1 and primary_classification2.

Looking at the list of six WGMS fields in the above URL, the following
three fields appear to me to need an extra field:

primary_classification
frontal_characteristics
tongue_activity


Various ways were discussed to solve this problem, but I think this way is
simplest, and doesn't require the end user of the data to parse sub-fields
out of the database values.

1.  Is it sufficient to add extra fields for just the three listed above?

2.  Is it sufficient to add only one extra field to each (so that a given
glacier could have two "primary_classification"s at one point in time)?

3.  Any other comments?

Thanks in advance for your input.  If you have a general question
suggestion, it's probably better to reply to the whole list, rather than
just me.

Bruce

-- 
Bruce Raup                                               Phone:  303-492-8814
National Snow and Ice Data Center, U. of Colorado, 449 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309