Data processing steps

When marine data are handed over to BODC, they go through several intricate processing steps. At each stage, we apply

• Science and IT expertise of BODC staff
• Preservation and quality control techniques
• Software and database technology that has evolved over the past 30 years

Data are first securely archived in their original form, before being processed and eventually banked in the National Oceanographic Database (NODB). The processing procedure varies dending on whether the data are discrete samples or time series.

Only when all these steps have been completed are the data ready to be distributed (generally via the web).