-
Pre-VMDAS (prior to 2001)
While the ADCPs were installed on the ALBATROSS and the DELAWARE
in
the early 1990's, they were not used on a regular basis.
Except
for a few GLOBEC cruises when chief scientist specifically requested
it,
the data was rarely logged. When it was logged it was very rarely
archived.
When it was archived, it was rarely useful because of inappropriate
configurations
and/or acoustic interference from other units (AMETEK speed log and/or
the EK500).
However, a few ADCP experts were able to extract some
usable
data. Julio Candela (WHOI) was able to process a few cruises. Using the CODAS MATLAB-based
post-processing
routine, developed by Eric Firing (UHAWAII) and modified by Charlie
Flagg
(Brookhave Nat. Lab), we were able to edit and navigate
the
data using the CODAS system for a couple cruises but it was a laborious, time-consuming, and
uncertain
process.
Prior to year 2001, NEFSC ADCP's collected data with the RDI
transect
program, a DOS-based program. Just when we were finally beginning
to understand the processing steps associated with this system, RDI
switched
to their VMDAS, a Windows based program. The major change,
however,
was not the operating system but the format of the output files.
Hence, we needed to basically start from scratch due to this
change
of acquisition and processing software in 2001.
- VMDAS
In the spring of 2001, Jim Manning, Bobby Yates, and Henry
Jenkins,
initiated a new effort to start logging and processing data on a
routine
basis. The homegrown Candela and CODAS methods could not be
directly
applied to the new RDI output files. After a short review
of the ADCP principles, a set of test were conducted on a series of
ALBATROSS cruises. The first objective was to eliminate any potential interference from
the
AMETEK speed log. Having collected at least one cruise without
the
AMETEK interference (AL0105), we could begin processing. In the
summer
of 2001, correspondence with Jules Hammond (UHAWAII) who was in the
process
of developing an
interface between VMDAS output and CODAS was very helpful. She and Eric Firing
posted these new routines so they could be downloaded. In the summer and fall of 2002, the AMETEK was shut down for
periods
during AL0207 (Scott Gallager's Cruise) and AL0210L2 but very little
progress was made towards a routine system. Also, an instrument change was made
about this time from a Broadband 300 Khz to an OceanSurveyor 150 khz which
required yet another operation with slightly different procedures.
Finally,in last half of 2007, with the new ship R/V BIGELOW coming
online and a more easy-to-use CODAS software from UHAWAII now available, another push towards collecting data was
initiated. Thanks's to the help of shipboard technicians Peter Gamache
and Mike Murray, a series of LTA files were collected and attempts were made to process them. Attempts were made to compare the ship board ADCP with nearby moored ADCP data.
Since there was obvious problems with the data, arrangements were made to meet with WHOI and URI
experts in order to get help in both the setup of the acquisition software and the
post-processing of the data. Sandy Fontana (URI), for example, helped us set up the proper
configuration file "Bigelow150BB.ini" which calls "Bigelow150BB.txt". The
latter has a set of commands that we collectively constructed and will put
to test.
In the future, we might consider a realignment of the instrument to have
beam #3 set at 45 degrees as now suggested by RDI in field service bulletin
#158.
