More information about the individual USGS surveys conducted as part of the Buzzards Bay project can be found on WHCS Field Activity Web pages:
2009-002-FA: <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2009-002-FA> 2010-004-FA: <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2010-004-FA> 2011-004-FA: <http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2011-004-FA>
Information about the NOAA survey can be found at:
H11319: <http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11319/DR/>
The raw HYPACK navigation files are stored in separate directories indicating the acquisition Julian Day. The filenames in each folder are usually in the format of linenumber_starttime.julianday. For example, filename 284_1816.151 represents planned survey HYPACK line number 284, start time 1816 and Julian Day 151. System testing lines (patch test lines) maybe be named differently (usually patch#.julianday). During Julian Days 147-149, HYPACK was naming the files using a different filename convention; these files were renamed using the "normal" naming convention and the original files were moved to a subfolder called "old". Many of the folders also contain a .LOG file which is a text file listing the names of the files that HYPACK logged in that given day. Times are recorded in UTC (Coordinate Universal Time).
INF: General survey information filled in by the data technician. This typically contains the survey participants, the vessel name, other agencies involved with the survey, and the location of the survey.
FIL: Raw format file.
ELL: Ellipsoid information. The name of the ellipsoid followed by the semi-major axis in meters and the flattening ration.
PRO: Project information record where TME indicates Transverse Mercator and the central meridian of -69 indicates UTM, zone 19.
DTM: Datum transformation record
GEO: Geoid model. Blank if not present.
HVU: Horizontal and Vertical Units (meters)
TND: Survey time and date in UTC.
DEV 0: For survey 2009-002-FA: Indicates that lines collected with device designation 0 are lines of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) collected with the Ashtech BRG2 receiver. The label for this device was "DGPS" in all HYPACK files throughout this survey.
OFF: Device Offsets in the format "OFF dn n1 n2 n3 n4 n5 n6 n7" where dn = device number; n1 = starboard or port offset (positive starboard); n2 = forward or aft offset (positive forward); n3 = height (antenna) or depth (transducer draft) offset; n4 = yaw rotation angle (positive for clockwise rotation); n5 = roll rotation angle (port side up is positive); n6 = pitch rotation angle (bow up is positive); n7 = device latency in seconds.
DDT: Unknown String (This appears in the HYPACK manual for Device Driver setup under YSI_6600.dll but there is no further explanation. It seems like some kind of place holder for a custom device driver of a "SMI" (Special Marine Instrument)).
PRD: Private Device Data (multiple formats depending on the type of device generating the data). This header sting appears only in the HYPACK files from survey 2009-002-FA (Julian Days 147-152, 167-169) and seem to have been disabled; therefore these lines contain no useful data.
DEV 1: For survey 2009-002-FA: Indicates that the lines with device designation 1 are lines of Real Time Kinematic Global Positioning System (RTK-GPS) data collected with the Ashtech Z-Extreme receiver - note: this receiver was label as "RTK Tides" for JD147-148, "RTK Tides Disabled" for JD148-152, and "Ashtech RTK" for JD152-169; note: this device was disabled for parts of this survey. This device recorded the RTK-GPS heights and was capable of recording antenna elevations above a vertical datum.
DEV 2: For survey 2009-002-FA: Indicates that the lines with device designation 2 are lines of DGPS collected by the F180 system beginning on JD152 - note: this device was labeled "Nmea Disabled" for JD147-150, "Nmea" for JD150-152, and "F180" for JD152-169; this device was disabled for parts of this survey.
LIN 2: planned line data follows
PTS: planned line waypoints (easting and northing, UTM, zone 19N, meters)
LBP: planned line begin point (easting and northing, UTM zone 19N, meters)
LNN: planned line name
EOL: end of planned line
USR: user information
EOH: end of header.
The remaining elements have similar information in the first 3 columns. The first column will indicate the data type, the second column will indicate the device that recorded the information (0 for Ashtech BRG2 DGPS) and the third column is the time tag (seconds past midnight) that is also sometimes referred to as the latency. The remaining information on each line is specific to the data type. Not all data types were recorded in each HYPACK file.
POS: Position of the ship in the format "POS dn t x y" where dn=device number; t=time tag (seconds past midnight); x=easting; y=northing. On this cruise these values are in UTM, Zone 19, WGS84.
QUA: Position quality information in the format "QUA dn t n m h sat mode" where dn=device number; t=time tag (seconds past midnight); n=number of values to follow; m = 10 minus HDOP (horizontal dilution of precision); h=HDOP; sat=number of satellites; mode=GPS mode (NMEA 0183 standard values) where 0 = fix not available or invalid; 1 = GPS fix; 2 = Differential GPS fix; 3 = GPS PPS Mode fix; 4 = RTK fix; and 5 = RTK Float. The last 3 values are decoded from GST message: standard deviation of latitude error (meters); standard deviation of longitude error (meters); Standard deviation of semi-major axis of error ellipsis (meters).
RAW: Position information in the format "RAW dn t n lat long alt utc" where dn=device number; t=time tag (seconds past midnight); n=number of values to follow; lat=raw latitude in the format ddmmmm.mmmm. To convert to ddmm.mmmmm multiply by 100; long=raw longitude in the format ddmmmm.mmmm. To convert to ddmm.mmmmm multiply by 100; alt=antenna altitude above ellipsoid (meters); utc=GPS time in the format HHMM.
MSG: Message string in the format "MSG dn t message" where dn=device number; t=time tag (seconds past midnight); message is the message sent from the device. During survey 2009-002-FA there were several different messages were sent from the GPS systems: $GPGGA, $GPVTG, $GPHDT and $GPZDA were standard throughout the survey. Survey 2009-002-FA also had messages $GPGLL and $PASHR,ACK (for line 481_0000.164 on JD164). These message strings will be defined below.
TID: Tide correction in the format "TID dn t dc" where dn=device number, t=time tag (seconds past midnight), dc = draft correction.
GYR: Gyro data (heading) in the format "GYR dn t h" where dn=device number, t=time tag (seconds past midnight), h=heading.
FIX: events marked manually by the user in the format "FIX dn t event_number" where dn=device number (typically 99 as there is no device for manual events); t=time tag (seconds past midnight); event_number=event number such as 1,2,3,4.
The (National Marine Electronics Association) NMEA strings $GPGGA, $GPVTG, $GPZDA, $GPHDT, and $GPGLL are stored in the HYPACK file. These are defined as follows.
$GPGGA is GPS fix data in the format "$GPGGA, t, lat, lath, long, longh, q, sat, h, a, M, alt, M, t2, refcheck" where t=time in UTC in the format hhmmss.ss; lat=latitude in the format ddmm.mmmmmm; lath= N or S indicating the latitude hemisphere; long=longitude in the format dddmm.mmmmmm; longh=E or W indicating the hemisphere; q=fix quality where 0=fix not available or invalid; 1=GPS fix; 2=Differential GPS fix; 3=GPS PPS Mode fix; 4=RTK fix; 5=RTK float; sat=number of satellites; h=Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP); a=Antenna altitude above mean sea level (geoid); M= units of antenna altitude in meters; alt=height of geoid above WGS84 ellipsoid; M=units of geoidal height in meters; t2=time since last DGPS update; refcheck=DGPS reference station id and the checksum.
Example: $GPGGA,173356.00,4204.848996,N,07036.929067,W,4,09,01.1,00003.278,M,-028.888,M,01,0000*56 UTC Time = 173356 Latitude = 4204.848996 N Longitude = 7036.929067 W Fix Quality = 4 (indicates RTK) Number of satellites = 9 HDOP = 01.1 relative accuracy of horizontal position Altitude = 3.278 meters above mean sea level Height of geoid above WGS84 ellipsoid = -28.888 meters Time since last update = 01 Checksum = *57.
$GPVTG is track made good and ground speed in the format "$GPVTG, true, T, mag, M, grsp1, N, grsp2, K, mode", where t=true course made good over ground in degrees, T= True, m=magnetic course made good over ground in degrees, M=magnetic, grsp1=ground speed, N=Knots, grsp2=ground speed, K=Kilometers per hour, mode=Mode indicator (A=Autonomous, D=Differential, E=Estimated, N=Data not valid).
Example: $GPVTG,340.39,T,356.37,M,005.50,N,010.18,K,D*27 True course made good: 340.39 Magnetic course made good: 356.37 Ground speed (knots) = 5.5 Ground speed (kilometers) = 10.18 Mode=Differential
$GPZDA is UTC Date/Time and Local Time Zone Offset in the format "$GPZDA,hhmmss.ss,xx,xx,xxxx,xx,xx" where hhmmss.ss=UTC, xx=Day, 01 to 31, xx=month, 01 to 12, xxx=Year, xx=Local zone description, 00 to +/- 13 hours, xx=Local zone minutes description (same sign as hours), checksum.
Example: $GPZDA,173357.00,28,04,2007,,*69 UTC= 173357.00 UTC day = 28 UTC month = 04 UTM year = 2007 Local zone hours = null Local zone minutes = null Checksum = *69
$GPHDT is Actual vessel heading in degrees in format "$GPHDT,xxx.x,T" where xxx.x=heading in degrees and T indicates True Heading, checksum
Example: $GPHDT,005.533,T*35 Heading in Degrees = 5.533 True = T Checksum = *35
$GPGLL is geographic position date in the format "$GPGLL, lat, lath, long, longh, t, vcheck" where lat=latitude in the format ddmm.mmmmmm; lath=N or S indicating the latitude hemisphere; long=longitude in the format dddmm.mmmmmm; longh=E or W indicating the longitude hemisphere; t=time in UTC in the format hhmmss.ss; vcheck=data valid and checksum.
Example: $GPGLL,4125.91495,N,07104.47427,W,001328.00,A*1C Latitude = 4125.91495 N Longitude = 07104.47427 W Time UTC = 001328.00 Checksum = A*1C
$PASHR,ACK is an Ashtech proprietary format; no additional explanation could be found.