ICES Guidelines for Moored ADCP Data (Compiled October 1999, revised August 2001; August 2006)ADCPs (acoustic doppler current profiler) were first introduced to the oceanography community in the late 1970s (Rowe and Young, 1979). The instrument measures water velocity over a range of depths using doppler shifts in active acoustic signals. ADCPs may be moored on a traditional oceanographic mooring (these guidelines apply), mounted on a bottom-frame or attached to the bottom of a ship (see shipboard ADCP guidelines). Different data management requirements exist for the three configurations.1.0RECEIVING DATAThe Data Centres require the following information to be supplied by the data supplier together with the data. When receiving data, the Data Centres of the ICES community shall strive to meet the following guidelines.1.1Data standardRaw and quality controlled ADCP data should, whenever possible, be stored at the original sampling frequency. The ADCP data should be accompanied by an instrument record/deployment sheet which should include such information as described under Collection Details (Section 1.3).All parameters must be clearly specified and described. If parameter codes are to be used, then the source data dictionary must be specified. Parameter units must be clearly stated. Parameter scales must be noted where applicable. If computed values are included, the equations used in the computations should be stated.All relevant calibrations should be applied to the data including laboratory and field calibrations. Instrument calibration data should be included in the data file. The data should be fully checked for quality and flagged for erroneous values such as spikes, gaps, etc. or profiles. An explicit statement should be made of the checks and edits applied to the data. If any data values have been removed, the times of the removed values should be noted. If the instrument shows differences in measured values when compared to traditional instruments (e.g. Aanderaa Instruments RCM X instruments) it should be sent to the manufacturer for calibration.Sufficient self-explanatory information and documentation should accompany the data so that they are adequately qualified and can be used with confidence by scientists/engineers other than those responsible for its original collection, processing and quality control.A brief description of the data calibration, quality and processing must be included and should contain information regarding: Laboratory calibrations Manufactures calibrations In-situ calibrations (e.g. using a calibrated CTD to supply temperature data to calibrate any temperature sensor that may be installed on the ADCP or a current meter moored on the same ADCP mooring to provide water current data for comparison tests.) The time zone in use should be clearly stated and each data cycle should include date/time of observation (without loss of precision). It is recommended that UTC is used. Estimate of final uncertainty in the dataA brief description of the data processing procedures (manufacturers and in-house) must be included and should contain information regarding: Filtering, de-spiking, or smoothing methods Editing or quality control methods Interpolation techniques Adjustments made due to variations in calibrationIf a cruise/data report is available describing the data collection and processing, this can be referenced. If possible a copy should be supplied with the data.1.2Format DescriptionData should be supplied in a fully documented ASCII format. Individual fields, units, etc. should be clearly defined and time zone stated. Time reported in UTC is strongly recommended. Ideally all of the data from the instrument should be stored in a single file. The contents of the data and ancillary information should adhere to the Formatting Guidelines for Oceanographic Data Exchange (http:/www.ices.dk/ocean/formats/getade_guide.htm) prepared by the IOCs Group of Experts on the Technical Aspects of Data Exchange (GETADE) and available from RNODC Formats.1.3Collection DetailsOther pertinent information to be included in the data transfer to the Data Centre includes: Name of the country and organisation responsible for the deployment, recovery, collection and processing of the data. The name of the Principal Investigator should be included. Project, ship, mooring type, mooring number Dates and times of each instrument deployment and recovery Dates and times of start and end of usable data for each instrument Details of the instrument and sensors (e.g. manufacturer, instrument type, model number, serial number and any modifications carried out, number of transducers) Description of operational procedures including sampling interval (time between ensembles), pings per ensemble, bin size, number of bins, percentage good level, automated data rejection (e.g. fish rejection algorithms), etc. Frequency (kHz), band type (broad, narrow),