6.0 Recommendations For ESS Metadata

The Guide noted that “an important aspect of the effective use of road weather data from ESS is the documentation and distribution of the site’s metadata.” Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource. Metadata is often called data about data or information about information. (Understanding Metadata. National Information Standards Organization, 2004.) Users of weather data, particularly those involved in sophisticated forecasting, generally want to know as much about the characteristics of the site, station, sensors, and the observations, as possible. Information related to the site and station location and description of the sensors included on the station are generally considered essential items. Information about the quality of the data and how it is monitored is also considered important. The list of desired metadata items can become rather long, however, and if implemented can increase capital costs and place a burden on data processing requirements. As a result, agencies must assess the tradeoffs between the desired level of metadata collection and the increased capital and operating costs that can result as the number and complexity of metadata elements increases.

The Guide provided a table of desired metadata items based on input from a variety of sources. During the development of the Clarus System, the importance of metadata was further emphasized. Since one of the goals of Clarus was to conduct quality checks on various surface weather observations, agreement on standard metadata items was a major point of discussion. A task force was formed to determine critical and optional metadata elements for Clarus. These elements represent the result of substantial discussion between the meteorological community and the transportation community represented by FHWA, State DOTs and meteorological experts. The tradeoffs between meteorological accuracy and cost were thoroughly discussed and a set of metadata requirements were developed that define critical and optional categories. Clarus data elements had to be defined in greater detail than those in the Guide. Data formats and naming conventions had to be specifically defined. These data elements are defined in greater detail than those in the Guide in order to allow Clarus to receive data in standard formats. Some of the data elements originally identified as requirements in the Guide are considered either “recommended” or “optional” by Clarus. Agencies implementing ESSs may find that some of the recommended or optional data items are important to their specific purposes and may want to add them to their specifications. It should also be noted that Clarus uses metadata during the collecting, quality checking, and dissemination of observations. Some of the “required” fields may not be supplied directly by the ESS owner or may be calculated for the purpose of assessing data quality.

Table 1 shows that the metadata items proposed in the original Guide have largely been addressed by the Clarus project, which required more detailed definition of metadata requirements. A few of the items originally specified in the Guide are not mentioned in the Clarus guidelines and there are some differences in what is considered critical, recommended or optional. Recommendations for deleting items from the Guide are bolded in Table 1 below. These are mostly very specific items related to a single type of observation. It is recommended they be dropped from the Guide although there may be specific locations and circumstances where the information is helpful.

The Clarus metadata tables were developed after extensive discussion between transportation and meteorology professionals. During the development of the Clarus System, many of the participating State DOTs and other agencies saw great value in a national database that could provide consistent ESS data from nearby states in a common format. Therefore, it is recommended that the Clarus guidelines be followed as closely as possible by transportation agencies implementing new ESSs and should be substituted for the existing metadata tables in the next version of the Guide. It will be noted in the text, as well as in the tables, that not all fields need to be supplied by the owner of the ESS. The Clarus metadata tables are shown in Tables 2 and 3. Table 2 includes critical data elements for Clarus while Table 3 includes elements which are recommended or optional. There are a number of items in Table 3 listed as optional or recommended which are not of significant value to Clarus. They would, however, be very helpful to the owner in enhancing operations and maintenance. These items are in shaded cells with white print and should be considered a higher priority for implementation.

Table 3 – Metadata Recommended in Original Guide and Clarus Equivalents

ESS Siting Item	Description	Clarus Equivalent Items	Clarus Description	Comments and Recommendations
Name and/or Numbers	Name and/or numbers that uniquely describe the site. May include WMO/International Civil Aviation Organization or NWS station identifiers	Description	Description of site as used by the contributor	These four items should be included specifically in Guide.
Name and/or Numbers	Name and/or numbers that uniquely describe the site. May include WMO/International Civil Aviation Organization or NWS station identifiers	StateSiteID	Contributor’s identifier for site	These four items should be included specifically in Guide.
Name and/or Numbers	Name and/or numbers that uniquely describe the site. May include WMO/International Civil Aviation Organization or NWS station identifiers	Category	Permanent, transportable, mobile or other	These four items should be included specifically in Guide.
Name and/or Numbers	Name and/or numbers that uniquely describe the site. May include WMO/International Civil Aviation Organization or NWS station identifiers	StationCode	Contributor’s station identifier (may be more than one station at Site)	These four items should be included specifically in Guide.
Geopolitical Placement	City, county, state, country	State (recommended)	State of site location	Should be recommended in Guide.
Geopolitical Placement	City, county, state, country	County (optional)	County or jurisdictional name of site location	Should be optional in Guide. Other ways of locating such as lat/long may be adequate. States that use or contract with County agencies for operations and maintenance probably want to specify County.
Geopolitical Placement	City, county, state, country	Country (recommended)	Country of site location	Should be recommended in Guide.
Location	Lat/Long coordinates	LocBaseLat	Latitude location at base or station tower or RPU stand in decimal degrees	Should be included in Guide.
Location	Lat/Long coordinates	locBaselong	Latitude location at base or station tower or RPU stand in decimal degrees	Should be included in Guide.
Location	Lat/Long coordinates	roadwayDesc (recommended)	Name/number of highway nearest to site	Should be recommended in Guide.
Location	Lat/Long coordinates	roadwayMilepost (optional)	Nearest mile marker to the site	Maintain as optional in Guide. Agencies have different methods of identifying location.
Elevation	Elevation above mean sea level	locBaseElev	Elevation location in the station base in meters from sea level	Should be included in Guide.
Site Description	Textual description of site	Description	Description of site, as used by the contributor	Should be included in Guide.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	*Clarus requires information be repeated if Contributor is different than organization – for example if mesonet is contributor but station belongs to DOT. If there is a separate contact for metadata, information below is required for this individual as well.	*Clarus requires information be repeated if Contributor is different than organization – for example if mesonet is contributor but station belongs to DOT. If there is a separate contact for metadata, information below is required for this individual as well.	*Clarus requires information be repeated if Contributor is different than organization – for example if mesonet is contributor but station belongs to DOT. If there is a separate contact for metadata, information below is required for this individual as well.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	name	Organization name	Should be included in Guide.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	contactName	Contact person	Should be included in Guide.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	title	Contact person title	Should be included in Guide.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	phonePrimary	Contact phone number	Should be included in Guide.
Platform owner Involved parties	Contact information Contact information of those who maintain the site, its data and its metadata	email	Contact email address	Should be included in Guide.
Exposure	Description of the exposure of the site in terms of obstructions to wind, sun, and artificial temp/moisture sources	Effectiveness (recommended)	Unique meteorological or topographical feature(s)	Should be recommended in Guide.
Exposure	Description of the exposure of the site in terms of obstructions to wind, sun, and artificial temp/moisture sources	Obstructions (recommended)	Description of physical properties that might affect the accuracy of observations	Should be recommended in Guide.
Exposure	Description of the exposure of the site in terms of obstructions to wind, sun, and artificial temp/moisture sources	Landscape (optional)	Description of surrounding landscape	Should be optional in Guide.
Exposure indicator	An indicator of quality of the exposure of the site	not applicable	not applicable	Not included in Clarus. Subjective nature of element limits usefulness. Recommend dropping from Guide.
Location digital panoramic photos and drawings	Photos and graphic drawings that display the exposure, surrounding environment. May include aerial photography or topographic analysis.	Link URL to image (optional)	URL for image	Should be optional in Guide.
Location digital panoramic photos and drawings	Photos and graphic drawings that display the exposure, surrounding environment. May include aerial photography or topographic analysis.	Description (recommended)	Description of image	Should be recommended in Guide.
Height of base of tower to mean level of surrounding land	Elevation of base minus elevation of surrounding land out to approx 300 feet	roadwayHeight (optional)	Elevation difference in meters between the closest point on the center surface of the roadway to the site reference point (e.g. base of RWIS station)	Should be optional in Guide.
Station reporting frequency	Frequency at which observations are disseminated	obsCollFreq	The number of minutes between collection cycles at the Agency’s host server	Should be included in Guide.
Data observing and dissemination practices	Description of observation and dissemination practices used at this site	protocol	Description of the protocol used to retrieve observations (ftp, http, https)	Should be included in Guide.
Description of observation time stamps	Universal Time coordinate or Local Time plus Daylight Savings Time information	obsCollOffset	Number of minutes after midnight UTC that the 1st collection occurs (range 0 to 60)	Guide should state that the Clarus time stamp procedure be followed. If not possible, time stamps in UTC format should be minimum provided.
Description of observation time stamps	Universal Time coordinate or Local Time plus Daylight Savings Time information	UTCOffset	The number of minutes offset from UTC for the agency’s collector host server in standard time	Guide should state that the Clarus time stamp procedure be followed. If not possible, time stamps in UTC format should be minimum provided.
Description of observation time stamps	Universal Time coordinate or Local Time plus Daylight Savings Time information	DST	Daylight savings time on the server is/is not observed	Guide should state that the Clarus time stamp procedure be followed. If not possible, time stamps in UTC format should be minimum provided.
Description of observation time stamps	Universal Time coordinate or Local Time plus Daylight Savings Time information	timeZone	The 3 or 4 letter identifier for the standard time zone where the agency’s collector host is located.	Guide should state that the Clarus time stamp procedure be followed. If not possible, time stamps in UTC format should be minimum provided.
Description	Elements sensed and units of measurement	ObsType	Type of observation collected by this sensor; based on NTCIP 1204 types	Should be included in Guide. NOTE: Many sensors generate multiple observation types.
Sensor Type and Model Number	Short description of type of sensor	Collector Config	Describes the format of the DOT WX data file; one set of entries is required for each observation type in the file (i.e. – CSV, XML, CMML)	Should be included in Guide.
Sensor Type and Model Number	Short description of type of sensor	model	Manufacturer’s model number of sensor	Should be included in Guide.
Manufacturer	Who built the sensor	mfr	Manufacturer of sensor	Should be included in Guide.
Relation of sensor to roadway	Description of relationship of sensor to roadway surface	roadwayOffset	Distance in meters between closest point on center surface of roadway to site reference point	Should be included in Guide.
Height or depth	Height or depth of the sensor to roadway surface	elevOffset (recommended)	Vertical distance from the pavement surface in meters	Should be recommended in Guide.
Height or depth	Height or depth of the sensor to roadway surface	surfaceOffset (recommended)	Vertical distance from the pavement surface in meters	Should be recommended in Guide.
Exposure (if different from site exposure)	Description of exposure of the sensor in terms of obstructions to wind, sun and artificial temperature/moisture sources	Representativeness (recommended)	Describe any unique meteorological or topographical features	Should be recommended in Guide.
Exposure (if different from site exposure)	Description of exposure of the sensor in terms of obstructions to wind, sun and artificial temperature/moisture sources	windRoughnessclass	Roughness of wind in four directions (expressed in whole percent)	Should be included in Guide.
Exposure Indicator (if different from site exposure indicator)	An indicator of quality of the exposure of the sensor (not yet developed)	not applicable	not applicable	Recommend dropping from Guide. Index has not been developed and it was not included in Clarus requirements.
Accuracy	Design accuracy of sensor	Accuracy (Optional)	The known potential variation of the observation	Should be optional in Guide.
Resolution	Resolution of the sensor	Resolution (optional)	The smallest increment or measurement that can be obtained from a particular sensor	Should be optional in Guide.
Measurement range	Measurement range for sensor	minRange	Minimum value for sensor range test, as defined by the sensor manufacturer or the instrument owner	Should be included in Guide.
Measurement range	Measurement range for sensor	maxRange	Maximum value for sensor range test, as defined by the sensor manufacturer or the instrument owner	Should be included in Guide.
Sampling time interval	Sampling Time and/or interval of the sensor data	SamplingInterval (optional)	Interval time, in seconds, between consecutive sensor readings	Should be optional in Guide.

Table 4 – Supplemental Information Recommended in Guide

ESS Siting Item	Description	Clarus Equivalent Items	Clarus Description	Comments and Recommendations
Site Category	If site is part of bigger network, use to discriminate between categories/type of sites	category	The category of station – Permanent, Mobile, Transportable or Other	Should be included in Guide.
Usage Category	Indicator to describe primary use of site	Description (recommended)	Description of station	Should be recommended in Guide.
Usage Category	Indicator to describe primary use of site	Type (recommended)	Type of station (refers to method of data collection)	Should be recommended in Guide.
Data Inventory	Description of what data originate at site	Collector config	Describes format of DOT WX data file; one set of entries for each observation type in file	Guide should state that the Clarus required file format be followed. If not possible, clear file description with all information requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Inventory	Description of what data originate at site	headerIndex	Positional order of observation type in the collected observation file	Guide should state that the Clarus required file format be followed. If not possible, clear file description with all information requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Inventory	Description of what data originate at site	Receiveunits	Type of units for conversion purposes	Guide should state that the Clarus required file format be followed. If not possible, clear file description with all information requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Inventory	Description of what data originate at site	receiveLabel	Column label from collected observation file	Guide should state that the Clarus required file format be followed. If not possible, clear file description with all information requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	protocol	Description of protocol used to retrieve observations	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	hostName	Network DNS name or IP address of the collector host server	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	hostPort	Logical network address port on the collector host server	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	fileLocator	Logical directory path to the observation file	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	filename	Filename or the rule for generating file names that contain the observations	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	username	The identifier name that is used to log into the collector host server	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Data Storage Practices	Description of where data are stored and how to access it	password	The password that is used to log on to the host server	Guide should state that the Clarus required reporting of data storage practices be followed. If not possible, clear description of storage practices and access procedures requested by Clarus should be included.
Nearby stations	List of stations that can be used as a backup to the site	not applicable	not applicable	Recommend dropping from Guide. Clarus will provide information in other formats.
Level of Quality Control, Maintenance, Calibration, Validation	Description of procedures or specifications for these functions	maintPrevFreq (Optional)	Description of preventative maintenance intervals	Should be optional in Guide.
Level of Quality Control, Maintenance, Calibration, Validation	Description of procedures or specifications for these functions	maintCalibFreq (Optional)	Description of calibration maintenance intervals	Should be optional in Guide.
Algorithms used	Algorithms used to create derived data	not applicable	not applicable	Should be optional in Guide. (Many sensors derive observations such as dewpoint from temperature and relative humidity.)
Hardware Software version	Name and version of hardware and software used by sensor	mfrModel (Optional)	Model number or software version	Should be optional in Guide.
Date of installation	Date of sensor installation	maintinstallDate (Optional)	Date of initial installation	Should be optional in Guide.
Date of installation	Date of sensor installation	Maintinstall (Optional)	Install installation date for sensor	Should be optional in Guide.
Date of purchase	Date of sensor purchase	not applicable	not applicable	Should be included in Guide since agencies need information for warranty purposes.

Table 5 – Supplemental Sensor Information for Specific Sensor Types and Clarus Equivalents

ESS Siting Item	Description	Clarus Equivalent Items	Clarus Description	Comments and Recommendations
Temperature Relative Humidity – Ventilation type	Type of ventilation used in temperature moisture sensors	not applicable	not applicable	Recommend dropping from Guide.
Temperature Relative Humidity – Soil and Vegetation Types	Types of soil and vegetation under the temperature and moisture sensors	soilType	Type of soil in which site is located as described by USDA National Resource Conservation Service soil texture classification	Should be optional in Guide.
Wind – Dimensions of supporting building if any	Dimensions of supporting building	not applicable	not applicable	Recommend dropping from Guide.
Radiation – horizon sketch	Sketch of the angle of the horizon in all directions	not applicable	not applicable	Recommend dropping from Guide.

Table 6 – Clarus Metadata Requirements – Critical Metadata Fields

Remark	Clarus Metadata Library Field Name	Data Type	Field Description	Example/Format
climateRecord – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	minObsRecord	real	The minimum observed value of this observation type for this period (month). Precision & bounds dependent on data type	Minimum Monthly Temp (in Deg C) = -2.9
climateRecord – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	maxObsRecord	real	The maximum observed value of this observation type for this period (month). Precision & bounds dependent on data type	Maximum Monthly Temp (in Deg C) = 38.2
climateRecord – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	period	integer	The month to which this climate record applies (1=Jan ... 12=Dec)	May = 5
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	protocol	text(10)	Description (in lower case) of the protocol used to retrieve observations (examples of input include: ftp, http, or https)	https
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	hostName	text(50)	The network DNS name or IP address of the collector host server	www.fhwa.dot.gov or 64.126.107.233
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical - if required by owner	hostPort	integer	The logical network address port on the collector host server	http = 80, ftp = 22, https = 443, or owner defined integer
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	fileLocator	text(50)	The logical directory path to the observation file	path = /stateDOT/RWIS/obs/
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	filename	text(50)	The filename or the rule for generating file names that contain the observations	ESS_Observations.txt
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical - if required by owner	username	text(50)	The identifier name that is used to log into the collector host server	username = Clarus
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical - if required by owner	password	text(50)	The password that is used to log into the collector host server	password = iHavePermission
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	obsCollFreq	integer	The number of minutes between collection cycles at the agency's collector host server (when a new file is ready for retrieval by Clarus). Maximum allowed is 60 minutes.	minutes = 13
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	obsCollOffset	integer	The number of minutes after midnight UTC that the first collection occurs (for Clarus retrieval purposes). Minutes range from 0-60.	minutes = 2
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	UTCOffset	integer	The number of minutes offset from UTC for the agency's collector host server in Standard time. Areas in the U.S. (west of Greenwich) use negative values. Valid range is -720 to +720 minutes.	minutes = -240
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	DST	bit	Daylight Savings Time on the server is observed (True or False)	1=True, 0=False
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical - only if DST field is TRUE	startDST	datetime	Starting date and time for DST	4/12/2006 2:00
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical - only if DST field is TRUE	endDST	datetime	Ending date and time for DST	10/15/2006 14:15
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – collectorConfig	not applicable	not applicable	Describes the format of the DOT WX data file; one set of entries is required for each observation type in the file	not applicable
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	headerIndex	integer	The positional order (comma delimited) of observation type in the collected observation file (leftmost column = 1)	the temperature column = 5
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	receiveUnits	text(50)	Type of units for conversion purposes; Most 1204 units are included	Degrees Celsius
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	receiveLabel	text(50)	Column label name from collected observation file	column = AirTemp
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus) – Critical	unitsMultiplier	real	The multiplier used to adjust the decimal position (e.g., multiply 209 by 0.1 to get 20.9 Deg C)	times 0.1
metadata contact information (from agency) – Critical - administrator access only	name	text(50)	Contact person	Mr. Fred Flintstone
metadata contact information (from agency) – Critical - administrator access only	title	text(50)	Contact person title	Owner of the Bedrock Mesonet
metadata contact information (from agency) – Critical - administrator access only	phonePrimary	text(10)	Contact phone (including area code)	2025551301 (no dashes)
metadata contact information (from agency) – Critical - administrator access only	email	text(50)	Contact email address	Fred.Flintstone@bedrock.com
contributor – Critical - administrator access only	name	text(50)	Name of the contributing agency or group within the agency providing observations	Bedrock Quarry Company
contributor – Critical - administrator access only	contactName	text(50)	Contact person	Mr. Barney Rubble
contributor – Critical - administrator access only	title	text(50)	Contact person title	Bedrock Mesonet Operator
contributor – Critical - administrator access only	phonePrimary	text(10)	Contact phone (including area code)	2025551302 (no dashes)
contributor – Critical - administrator access only	email	text(50)	Contact email address	Barney.Rubble@bedrock.com
organization – Critical - administrator access only	name	text(50)	Organization name	Loyal Order of Water Buffalo
organization – Critical - administrator access only	contactName	text(50)	Contact person	Mr. Slate
organization – Critical - administrator access only	title	text(50)	Contact person title	Organization that owns the Bedrock Quarry
organization – Critical - administrator access only	phonePrimary	text(10)	Contact phone (including area code)	2025551300 (no dashes)
organization – Critical - administrator access only	email	text(50)	Contact email address	Slate@bedrock.com
sensor-specific information – Critical	obsType	text(50)	Type of observation collected by this sensor; based on NTCIP 1204 types (see 1204 worksheet)	essAirTemperature
sensor-specific information – Critical	sensorIndex	integer	The order of like sensors; used to distinguish one of a set of like sensors associated with a particular station	when multiple sensors are involved at one station: puck 0, puck 1, puck 2, puck 3
sensor-specific information – Critical	minRange	real	Minimum value for sensor range (hardware) test, as defined by the sensor manufacturer or the instrument owner	minimum sensor range temp = -160.0 Degrees or the minimum sensor range temp set by the operator = -100.00 (whichever is most restrictive)
sensor-specific information – Critical	maxRange	real	Maximum value for sensor range (hardware) test, as defined by the sensor manufacturer or the instrument owner	maximum sensor range temp = 220.0 or maximum sensor range temp reporting = 150.0 (whichever is most restrictive)
sensor-specific information – Critical	distGroup	integer	Identifies distribution group to whom data from this sensor can be provided	1 = DON'T distribute, 2 = distribute to everyone, etc.
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	ratePos	real	Maximum positive rate of change during the time period defined by rateInterval, and as used by step test	20.0 degrees
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	rateNeg	real	Maximum negative rate of change during the time period defined by rateInterval, and as used by step test; reported as a negative number	-20.0 degrees
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	rateInterval	real	Interval of time, in seconds, over which ratePos & rateNeg apply in the step test	3600.0 seconds or 1 hour
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	persistInterval	real	Amount of time, in seconds, that the observed value can remain constant (not change). Used for the persistence test	14000.0 seconds or 4 hours
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	persistThreshold	real	Smallest amount of change that is allowed between observations. Used for the persistence test	0.2 degrees
sensor-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	likeThreshold	real	Largest observed difference that is permitted among like instruments. Used during the like instrument test	1.0 degree
sensorType – Critical	mfr	text(50)	Manufacturer of sensor	Vaisala
sensorType – Critical	model	text(50)	Manufacturer's model number of sensor	DSC111
site-specific information – Critical	description	text(50)	Description of site, as used by the contributor (e.g., "Seward Highway @ Portage Glacier Road")	Fairfax County Parkway @ Reston Avenue
site-specific information – Critical - but not necessarily owner provided	stateSiteId	text(50)	Contributor's identifier for the site	stateSiteId = 315
station-specific information – Critical	category	text(1)	The category of station - "P" permanent, "T" transportable, "M" mobile, "O" other	P
station-specific information – Critical	stationCode	text(50)	The contributor's station identifier; this may be different than the stateSiteID to allow more than one station at a given site	stationCode = 48
station-specific information – Critical	rpuUTCOffset	integer	The number of minutes offset from UTC for the remote processing unit (RPU). Areas in the U.S. (west of Greenwich) use negative values. Range from -720 to +720	-60
station-specific information – Critical	rpuDST	bit	Does the RPU need adjustment for Daylight Savings Time(DST)? [(0=no, 1=yes]	1
station-specific information – Critical - only if rpuDST field is TRUE	rpuStartDST	datetime	Starting date and time for DST (for the RPU)	4/12/2006 2:00
station-specific information – Critical - only if rpuDST field is TRUE	rpuEndDST	datetime	Ending date and time for DST (for the RPU)	10/15/2006 14:15
station-specific information – Critical	locBaseLat	real	The latitude location of the base of the station tower or RPU stand, in decimal degrees (e.g., 34.567); positive values are North latitudes. Value can hold up to 9 digits of precision	37.4821
station-specific information – Critical	locBaseLong	real	The longitude location of the base of the station tower or RPU stand, in decimal degrees (e.g., -123.456); negative values are West longitudes. Value can hold up to 9 digits of precision	-113.22
station-specific information – Critical	locBaseElev	real	The elevation location of the station base (tower or RPU stand) in meters from mean sea level	135.5

Table 7 – Clarus Optional and Recommended Owner-Provided Fields

Remark	Field Name	Data Type	Description	Example/Format
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus)	description	text(50)	Description of collector	This collector will work with all ESS on the XX DOT network
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus)	maintInstallDate	datetime	Date of initial installation	5/4/2003 12:24
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus)	mfrName	text(50)	The name of manufacturer	Facundo Computing
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus)	mfrProduct	text(50)	The name of the product	JF Blade Series 1000
collector (data access from transportation agency to Clarus)	mfrModel	text(50)	The model number or software version	123456HH0JM2
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	phoneAlt	text(10)	Contact phone alternate (including area code)	2025551212 (no dashes)
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	phoneMobile	text(10)	Contact mobile phone number (including area code)	2025554444 (no dashes)
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	fax	text(10)	Contact phone fax (including area code)	2025553333 (no dashes)
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	pagerId	text(10)	Contact pager identifier	2025551111 (no dashes)
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	pager	text(10)	Contact pager number	556687
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	radioUnit	text(50)	Contact radio unit identifier	2025555555 (no dashes)
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	address1	text(50)	Contact mailing address line1	123 1st Street
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	address2	text(50)	Contact mailing address line2	Suite 450
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	city	text(50)	Contact mailing address city	Apple
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	state	text(2)	Contact mailing address state	OR
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	zip	text(10)	Contact mailing address zip	99999-4444
Supplemental contact information (Network Owner)	country	text(3)	Contact mailing address country	USA
Contributing organization	location	text(50)	Organization location	MODOT
Contributing organization	purpose	text(50)	Organization purpose	To provide a world-class transportation experience that delights our customers and promotes a prosperous Missouri.
Contributing organization	centerId	text(50)	Organization center identifier	4
Contributing organization	centerName	text(50)	Organization center name	KC Scout
Contributing organization	updateDate	datetime	Organization information last updated	10/23/2005 14:25
Contributing organization	contactId	integer	Contact identifier	Contact name for organizational issues that is included in the contact list - the id of the contact name will be put here
Sensor-specific information - Recommended for owner maintenance records	calibDate	datetime	The last date of calibration of the sensor	9/3/2006 10:30
Sensor-specific information - Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintDate	datetime	The last date of maintenance performed on the sensor	9/4/2006 4:00
Sensor-specific information - Recommended for owner maintenance records	serial	text(50)	Manufacturer's serial number for sensor	55335668
not applicable	resolution	real	The smallest increment or measurement that can be obtained from a particular sensor	tenths of degrees = .1
not applicable	accuracy	real	The known potential variation of the observation	0.05
not applicable	minDisplay	real	Minimum value for sensor display	-52.85
not applicable	maxDisplay	real	Maximum value for sensor display	120.22
Recommended	nsOffset	real	The north/south distance from the station reference location in meters	15.0 meters
Recommended	ewOffset	real	The east/west distance from the station reference location in meters	8.0 meters
Recommended	elevOffset	real	The vertical distance from the station reference location in meters	3.0 meters
Recommended	surfaceOffset	real	The vertical distance from the pavement surface in meters	0.5 meters
not applicable	embeddedMaterial	text(100)	Description (including depth) of material sensor is embedded in.	rubber cement
not applicable	outputAvgInterval	integer	Milliseconds used to describe average interval of observations	300,000 milliseconds = 5 minutes
not applicable	outputInternalUnits	text(8)	Internal units reported to data logger	Celsius
Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintInstall	datetime	Initial installation date for sensor	2/8/2003 8:45
Recommended	maintBegin	datetime	Date sensor is taken out of service; sensors for which maintBegin < currentDate < maintEnd will not be checked for data quality. Use if sensor will be out of service for a significant period of time.	10/15/2006 14:15
Recommended	maintEnd	datetime	Date sensor is put back into service; sensors for which maintBegin < currentDate < maintEnd will not be checked for data quality	10/15/2006 18:15
not applicable	samplingInterval	real	Interval time, in seconds, between consecutive sensor readings	15.0 seconds
Recommended	sensorDescription	text(100)	Plain text description of the sensor (e.g., thermometer, CCTV camera)	PTZ fixed IR camera
Optional - unless the sensor is a CCTV then mandatory	linkURL	text(255)	Link to CCTV images	Direct URL link to a CCTV image

Site-specific information – Recommended	roadwayDesc	text(50)	Name/number of the highway nearest to the site (e.g., "Interstate 35," "U.S. Hwy 59," "State Hwy 81," "Haines Highway")	State Hwy 81
not applicable	roadwayMilepost	integer	Nearest mile marker to the site	45
Site-specific information – Optional - but must be included if roadwayMilepost is used	roadwayMilepostUnits	text(50)	Units reported for roadwayMilepost	Miles
not applicable	roadwayOffset	real	The distance, in meters, between the closest point on the center surface of the roadway to the site reference point (e.g., base of an RWIS station)	37.53 meters
not applicable	roadwayHeight	real	The elevation difference, in meters, between the closest point on the center surface of the roadway to the site reference point (e.g., base of an RWIS station)	22.8 meters
not applicable	county	text(100)	The county or jurisdictional name of the site location	Fairfax County or Centreville Township
Site-specific information – Recommended	state	text(2)	State of the site location (2 letter postal ID)	VA
Site-specific information – Recommended	country	text(3)	The country of the site location (e.g., USA, CA, MX)	USA
Site-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	accessDirections	text(50)	Directions to access the site from a major roadway	Turn left at the cow, proceed three miles to Joe's Grocery, turn right on State Hwy 81, go 3 miles, on left
Site-specific information – Recommended	representativeness	text(255)	Describe any unique meteorological or topographical feature(s).	Between 2 & 4 PM during the summer months, the ESS is shaded
Site-specific information – Recommended	obstructions	text(100)	Description of physical properties (e.g., trees, buildings) that might affect the accuracy of observations	Large outhouse parked on SW side of ESS
not applicable	landscape	text(100)	Description of surrounding landscape	sandy area except for obstruction of oak tree and outhouse
not applicable	accessControlled	bit	Ability for contributor to access the site (e.g., locked fence around site)	0 = no access, 1 = full access
not applicable	terrainSlope	integer	The grade of the surrounding land, in whole degrees from horizontal	10 degrees
not applicable	terrainSlopeDirection	integer	The direction of the grade, in degrees from North (e.g., slope down from west to east is noted as 270)	85 degrees
not applicable	windRoughnessClass	text(50)	Roughness of the wind in four directions (expressed in whole percent)	24 percent
not applicable	soilType	integer	The type of soil on which the site is located, as described by the USDA National Resource Conservation Service soil texture classification (e.g., sandy loam, silt) or by percent sand, silt, and clay	Full enumeration list is not yet available
not applicable	stateSystemId	text(45)	Site identifier used by the State DOT (or other data contributor)	22
not applicable	linearReference	real	Linear reference marker number	4.3

Station-specific information – Recommended	description	text(100)	The description of the station	The ESS has a 30 m tower with 10 sensors
Station-specific information – Recommended	type	integer	The type of station - "0" data collected electronically/mechanically, "1" collected by humans, "3" type of station is unknown	0
not applicable	locBaseDatum	text(10)	The datum geocoordinate referencing model	WGS 1984
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	powerType	text(1)	The type of power for the station - "B" battery, "L" line	B
not applicable	doorOpen	bit	The status of the door (0=closed, 1=open)	0
not applicable	batteryStatus	integer	The percentage of full charge of the battery (101 = error)	78
not applicable	lineVolts	integer	The typical voltage for the power source (0 to 100)	12 volts
not applicable	maintArea	text(50)	The description of the maintenance group for this station (for the site maintenance personnel)	Substation 52
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintPrevFreq	text(50)	The description of preventative maintenance intervals	The station is serviced every year in the spring or when the station fails completely
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintCalibFreq	text(50)	The description of the calibration maintenance intervals	The station is calibrated every spring and fall
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintStatus	bit	The maintenance status of the station - "0" out of service, "1" in service	0
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	maintInstallDate	datetime	The initial installation date of the station	3/8/2004 8:00
not applicable	rpuNumCards	integer	The number of sensor interface devices	2
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	rpuCommType	integer	The communication type for the station - "1" phone, "2" IP address	2
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	rpuPhoneNum	text(10)	The phone number to contact the rpu	2025555555
Station-specific information – Recommended for owner maintenance records	rpuIPAddress	text(15)	The IP address to contact the rpu	64.126.107.233
not applicable	rpuMfr	text(50)	The manufacturer of the rpu	XYZ Manufacturer
not applicable	obsCollFreq	integer	The number of minutes between collection cycles (rpu to agency server)	2 minutes
not applicable	obsCollOffset	integer	The number of minutes after UTC midnight that the first collection occurs	1 minute
not applicable	obsTransFreq	integer	The number of minutes between transmission cycles	15 minutes
not applicable	obsTransOffset	integer	The number of minutes after UTC midnight that the first transmission occurs	16 minutes
not applicable	obsTransFormat	text(50)	The description of the transmission format from the station to the network data logger	The ESS will communicate with the data logger by way of remote control
not applicable	maintContactId	integer	The contact person for maintenance from contact table; is implemented in the database as a link to a contact person	Contact name for maintenance issues that is included in the contact list - the id of the contact name will be put here
Station-specific information – Image information - Recommended	description	text(50)	Description of image	The image represents the Cumberland Pass in southwest Virginia
Station-specific information – Image information - Optional - but must be included if image description is provided	linkURL	text(255)	URL for image	www.i70ess248.gov

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