Data Format Guidelines
Data Categories
Two categories of research data are currently supported by the GCE Information Management System:
- tabular data sets (i.e. tables of numbers and coded text values)
- specialized data files (e.g. images, GIS coverages, binary files from specialized software, or non-tabular text files)
Submission guidelines are presented separately below for each category:
Tabular Data Sets
Procedures for submitting tabular data are somewhat flexible and can be tailored to suit each investigator's needs and software preferences. Whenever practical, data sets should be submitted using the GCE data submission template or as ASCII text files; however, data can also be submitted as spreadsheet or word processor files if preferred (check with the Data Manager prior to submission to confirm compatibility).
Tabular data submissions require two separate components in addition to the standard data documentation:
- Table of data values (format instructions)
- Metadata Information (format instructions)
After reviewing the submission, the Data Manager will add additional metadata and save the data set as an tab- or space-delimited ASCII text file with a formatted header containing Data Set Descriptor, Data Structural Descriptor, and certain Data Set Status and Accessibility metadata fields. These files will then be processed and stored as standardized MATLAB data structures in order to support dynamic document generation and online data visualization and analysis.
After processing, the contributor will receive a copy of the augmented text file along with a formatted data report. Contributors can also request copies of the MATLAB data structure and various statistical treatments of the data in report format for their own use.
Specialized Data Files
Specific formatting options
will vary according to the software or process used to generate the data
file. Whenever possible, choose to save files in the most universal
format supported which does not result in information loss. Use the
table of recommendations below, or contact the GCE
Data Manager for assistance choosing a format.
| Date Type | Format Recommendations | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred | Acceptable | NOT Recommended | |
| Continuous-tone images (e.g. photographs) |
TIFF (uncompressed) | TIFF (LZW-compressed) PNG |
JPEG GIF Photoshop (.psd) |
| Paletted images (e.g. raster maps, scans) |
TIFF (uncompressed) | TIFF (LZW-compressed) GIF (if 8bit/pixel or less) PNG |
JPEG GIF (if >8bit/pixel) |
| Vector images (e.g. vector maps) |
EPS | Postscript | AdobeŽ Acrobat WMF |
| GIS coverages | ArcInfoŽ Export (E00) | ArcInfoŽ Shapefile | TIFF EPS |
| Non-tabular Text | ANSI text file with tab delimiters and line breaks | ANSI or ASCII text file with comma delimiters and line breaks | Files with proprietary character sets (e.g. native Apple McIntoshT text) |
Data Submission |
Data
Documentation  |
