Polar Data Catalogue Help Manual

The Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) is the data repository for the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence, the Government of Canada Program for the International Polar Year (IPY), the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP), the Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment (BREA), the Nunavut General Monitoring Plan (NGMP), the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), and other related Canadian and international research programs.

The Polar Data Catalogue provides an interface for registered users to enter metadata and data that are searchable by the general public through the PDC Search Tool. This is an easy to use mapping interface that allows for fast and simple retrieval of spatial data in the Arctic and Antarctic. To upload data, contributors must be researchers with our partner organizations as well as registered users of our website. The uploaded data will be available for public search after our Approvers conduct Quality Assurance measures to inspect and approve files.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact either:

Gabrielle Alix	Julie Friddell
519-888-4567 x37572	519-888-4567 x32689
gabrielle.alix@uwaterloo.ca	pdc@uwaterloo.ca

Table of Contents:

Part I: Submit Data and Metadata

This section guides you through the process of adding new data and metadata records into the Polar Data Catalogue (PDC) using the online data entry system. The PDC also provides the interface to manage all of your metadata and data records. The three functional components are “Submit Metadata,” “Submit Data,” and “My Metadata.” In the following section each part is described in detail.

To submit or edit data, and/or metadata, data “owners” must be registered with the PDC. First-time users should go to the PDC Input page and select “Register for PDC” in the navigation menu.

After registering for the PDC, and signing into your PDC account, you will see several options related to data management on the Dashboard, or in the navigation menu. [Note for students: Log in (or register, for first time users) using your supervisor’s email address. The email address is the main link to the laboratory’s records, and thus will remain the most reliable and constant contact for years to come.]

Submit Metadata

A good metadata record provides as many details as possible about the resource that is being described. The information that is required for a standard metadata record include:

• Title
• Citation
• Study Site
• Purpose
• Abstract
• Responsible Parties
• Links to Data
• Status
• Maintenance and Update Frequency
• Research Program(s)
• Research Area
• Time Period
• Keywords
• Data Access Security

After the metadata records are created and submitted by the data owners, a research group “Approver” will review the quality of the metadata. Once approved, the metadata record will be available to the public through the PDC Search Tool. This process is described in the flowchart below:

An online input form is provided for the data owners to enter their metadata. Please refer to the “Descriptions of required information in Metadata Input Form” for further clarification of each field.

Additionally, there are Metadata Input Form templates (Fillable PDF file / MS Word Document / Text file) that allow you to completely fill in the form offline, and then to copy it into the online form. All fields of the online form need to be completed for your record to be saved.

The following documents should be reviewed for more detailed guidance in creating a metadata record:

Instructions for Creating Metadata

Completed Metadata Input Form Example

PDC Best Practices – Complete Guide

PDC Best Practices – Summary

All of these documents can be found under the “Help” link at the bottom of the PDC home page, as well as in the navigation menu on the PDC Input page.

To create a new metadata record:

1. Log in (or Register, for first time users) to the PDC using your registered email address.

2. Read and agree to the terms of the PDC.

3. Select “Submit Metadata” from the Dashboard or the navigation menu.

4. Fill in the Metadata Input form. All the fields with an asterisk(*) are mandatory.

   

5. Validate and save metadata record by selecting the “Validate and Save” button at the bottom of the Metadata Input Form.

   

   If there are any errors, you will be returned to the form, and the errors will be highlighted in red to indicate the field(s) that must be modified.

   

6. A screen indicating “Record created and saved successfully” will appear if no errors were present in the metadata. You will be given four options to choose from:

   1. Submit Metadata
   2. Submit data for the metadata record
   3. View or Update the metadata record
   4. View the list of metadata in the “My Metadata” page

   Please note that if you do not submit your metadata, the record will be marked as “SAVED” in the “My Metadata” page, but will not be available online. Only when the record is “SUBMITTED,” reviewed by an Approver, and then “APPROVED,” will it be available online. Don’t forget to go back and “Submit” your metadata once you are satisfied with it, as this is a common mistake made by users.

   

7. Once you are satisfied with the metadata, you can submit the metadata record by selecting “Submit Metadata” on the “Record created and saved successfully” page. If you would like to SUBMIT or UPDATE a record that was previously SAVED, select the metadata record on the “My Metadata” page and select “Submit” or “Update” at the bottom of the Metadata Input Form. Additionally, if you would like to create another metadata record similar to the record that is already saved, select “Similar Entry” at the bottom of the Metadata Input Form. This will create a duplicate of the record (with a new CCIN reference number) that can be edited as necessary.

   

   Once the record is submitted, an automatic email will be sent to your email (or the email used to log in), the PDC Data Manager, as well as any Approvers for your research program. This approval process is to further ensure good quality, standardization, and accuracy of metadata found in the PDC.

   The Approver can “Approve,” “Edit” or “Update” (for minor errors), or “Send Back” the record (for major changes). An automatic notification email will be sent to the Submitter once the record is “Sent Back” or “Approved.” Once approved, the record will be available to the public, through the PDC Search Tool. If the metadata is sent back by the Approver, you will receive an email explaining the reason(s) why. The metadata can be edited on the “My Metadata” page and submitted once again for approval. Please note that once a metadata record is submitted, it cannot be edited by the user until it is approved.

Submit Data

To upload data to a metadata record:

1. Select “My Metadata” or “Submit Data” from the Dashboard or the navigation menu. Select “Submit Data” next to the metadata record for which you want to upload corresponding data.

2. You can either navigate to the data files by selecting “Choose multiple files,” or you can drag and drop the files to upload them. You can submit any number of files; however, the maximum size for each file is 500 MB. If data files are larger than 500 MB, please contact us at pdc@uwaterloo.ca.

   

3. Select ‘Submit Files.” When you submit a file, you will see a process bar appear for the file, to notify you when the file is submitted.

   As with the submitted metadata record, an automatic email will be sent to your email (or the email used to log in), the PDC Data Manager, as well as any Approvers for your research program.

   The Approver can Approve, or Upload, files to the metadata record. An automatic email will be sent to the submitter once the record is APPROVED. The data will then be available on the PDC to the public if the Data Security for the data is set to “Public” in the metadata record. If the Data Security is set to “Limited,” only the submitter, Data Manager, and Approvers for the research program will have access to the data. There are 5 options to limit data:

   • Limited: data involve human subjects
   • Limited: data involve intellectual property issued related to local or traditional knowledge
   • Limited: release of data may cause harm to the environment or the public
   • Limited: pre-existing data have been used and are subject to access restricions
   • Limited: currently under analysis for publication

4. You can then view all of your uploaded data to date by selecting “My Data” in the Dashboard or the navigation menu.

5. If your data is Public and Archived in the PDC, a DOI will be assigned to it (if it does not already have one assigned to it).

My Metadata

“My Metadata” on the Dashboard, or navigation menu, allows for metadata management. It contains a table with a list of your metadata records, their CCIN reference numbers, status, date they were created and last modified, and the link to the data files associated with the metadata record.

The CCIN reference number is a unique identification number that is assigned automatically when a metadata record is created.

Metadata can have different statuses, which include:

• “SAVED” (metadata has been validated and can be edited prior to submission)
• “SUBMITTED” (metadata has been submitted for review and approval)
• “APPROVED” (metadata has been approved and is now publicly visible in the PDC Search website)
• “SENT BACK” (metadata has been returned to the creator for editing)
• “RESAVED,” “RESUBMITTED” and “REAPPROVED” (the metadata has been previously approved and updated)

Part II: Search for Data

This section guides you through the process of searching for data using user-defined criteria. Anyone can search for data using our PDC interface.

1. Go to the PDC home page and click on the maps on the left to start your search.

   

2. The user interface is divided into two panels.

   The left panel shows the map of the poles in polar stereographic projection. You can use the tab on the upper left corner of the left panel to switch between the Arctic, Antarctic, and GIS Viewer. Tools are provided to explore the map, including zoom in and zoom out. The longitude and latitude of the cursor location is shown in the lower right corner of the map.

   The right panel provides the interface to do the search and show the search results.

   

3. Choose one of the four data collections. The “Polar Data Catalogue” collection includes various non-exclusive research datasets, while the “Canadian Ice Service Sea Ice Charts” collection includes charts of data, and the “RADARSAT” Datasets include RADARSAT imagery of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. You do not need to register to download most of the data in our system, or to search for RADARSAT imagery; however, registration is required to download RADARSAT imagery.

   Read and agree to the Terms of Use to continue.

Polar Data Catalogue Search

Search for Data

There are multiple fields to search by, including: Area of Interest, Time Period, Word or Phrase, CCIN Reference Number, as well as the Advanced Search option. The user can use just one field, or a combination of multiple fields to search by.

Geographic Search:

For the geographic search, two options are available for selecting a particular region to limit the search. On the right panel, you can manually enter the latitude and longitude of the bounding box of your area of interest. On the left panel, you can select your own area of interest in a more interactive way: by clicking four points on the map as the bounding box of your area of interest. The points of the boundary box can be deleted and redefined by clicking the “Delete Last” and “Clear All” buttons beside the values of the latitude and longitude.

Keyword Search:

Type a search term in the “Word or Phrase” field. This is a free text search, so you can type anything. Text and operators (i.e., “and, “or,” and “not”) are NOT case sensitive.

Time Period Search:

Enter the Start and End Date of the study (or studies) for which you are searching.

These three search types (Geographic, Keyword, and Time Period) can be combined to further narrow the results.

You can also search with the “View downloadable datasets only” tool. This narrows your search to only include datasets that are stored locally and are immediately downloadable. This is useful, because many of the datasets in the database only have metadata.

Quick Search:

The CCIN Reference Number is the unique identification number used by the CCIN (Canadian Cryospheric Information Network) for each of the metadata records. Each number corresponds to only one metadata and/or data record. If you know the CCIN Reference Number that corresponds to the metadata, and/or data for which you are searching, it can be entered in the “CCIN Reference Number.” field.

Click the “Search” button to proceed to the results.

View Search Results

Once you have completed your search, the search results are listed in the right panel under the “Results” tab. The total number of results returned by the search engine is displayed at the bottom right corner of the page. If the search returns more than 25 results, you can use the blue navigation arrows at the bottom of the right panel to go through all of the pages, 25 results at a time. For each record, the results page shows the Title, Start Date, a “Show/Hide” button (to show the study site on the map in the left panel), and a Download link, if the data can be downloaded directly from the PDC. All results can be sorted by “Ascending” or “Descending” order of the column fields (e.g., sorted alphabetically by Title).

Information for each data record:

When the “+” button to the left of each record is clicked, detailed information about the data record will be shown. This information includes the full Title, CCIN Reference Number, Time Period, and the Coordinated Location of the data. You can also view the full metadata of a particular record by clicking on its Title.

The data coverage boundary box, or the specific geographic location of the data record, will be shown on the map in the left panel when the “Show/Hide” button is clicked. Clicking “Hide all” will clear all the location information for the data records shown on the map.

Metadata for each data record:

The metadata for each result is displayed under the Metadata tab when the Title of a record is clicked, and can be viewed in either the ISO 19115 or FGDC standard metadata. At the bottom of the metadata page, it can be viewed in XML format as well. Metadata provide information about the selected data record, including, but not limited to: Citation information, Description, Temporal Coverage, Spatial Domain, Keywords, Place, Status, Constraints, Point of Contact, and Metadata Reference Information.

Download Data

The “Download” column in the results table under the “Results” tab provides information about data availability in the PDC. If the dataset can be directly downloaded, “DATA” will be indicated, as a link to the data files. “LIMITED” will be indicated for datasets that have limited access.

If the “Download” column is empty, the data is not directly available. In this case, you can go under the “Metadata” tab (by clicking on the Title of the record), and check the “Link to Data,” or “Point of Contact” fields for contact information. You may contact this person to inquire about obtaining the data.

To download the data that is readily available, simply click on the “DATA” link, which will direct you to the “Data” tab and includes all the downloadable data files. To download specific individual files, you may click “Expand All” to see the names of all the files.

If the data is limited, then click on the “LIMITED” link. This will direct you to a page with information about the dataset, including the Contact Person, to whom inquiries about obtaining the data should be directed towards.

Map Viewer

The Map Viewer visualization tool allows you to play with and discover datasets available in the PDC Search. Any dataset with the property ‘DATA/MAP’ can be viewed; simply selects the records with this property in the Polar Data Catalogue Search results and then the Map Viewer button. You can specifically search for viewable datasets by checking the ‘View Map Viewer Datasets Only’ checkbox on the search page.

The Map Viewer application currently can deal with three different types of data: CTD, Mooring, and GIS. Each data type has its own visualization capabilities.

Discovering CTD Data. CTD data will appear on the map as circular blue casts, that represent where data was collected. Data will be collected at single date, recording information at each depth of water column. CTD data can be viewed by clicking on a cast on the map; which will load a popup containing images generated from the data the cast collected.

CTD data also has two global visualizations. The first allows you to combine multiple casts and then generate images containing data from all of the casts.

The second allows you view data for each CTD cast at a particular depth.

Discovering Mooring Data. Mooring data will appear on the map as hexagonal grey casts, that represent where the data was collected. Mooring data is collected over the span of a year; where multiple different instruments are left at different depth levels in the water column and are collected after a year. To view Mooring Data simply click on any of the casts on the map. The popup then has two view options: either view the data through a graph, or have an image generated of the data.

Mooring data also has a global visualization features that allows you to view water current data at a specific date. If a mooring instrument has data available then a certain number of waves will appear on map, displaying the direction and speed of the water. The waves are also coloured by the depth at which the data was taken.

Discovering GIS Data. GIS data is visualized through shape files displayed on the map. Each shape on the map is casts where data was recorded. GIS data can the be viewed by simply clicking on the data.

Controlling the Data. Each datasets loaded in the application can be toggled on and off the map, so you are able to control what is being displayed at all times. You also have the ability to view datasets. When viewed, datasets casts will be highlighted on the map and an additional information table will also appear allowing you to toggle every cast.

Data can also be controlled through the date range filter. Both CTD and Mooring data casts can be filter off the map using the date slider. The map also contains four additional overlays which can be toggled on/off the map.

The Map Viewer application also contains many in-app instructions for additional assistance; simply click on the small information buttons placed throughout the app for help.

Canadian Ice Service Sea Ice Charts

The Canadian Ice Services (CIS) Sea Ice Charts data collection consists of The Canadian Ice Service’s ice-related information from Canadian waters that is being made available through the Polar Data Catalogue for public and research use. Weekly Regional ice charts and Image Analysis charts are currently available in the PDC, and summary information on Ship and Aerial observations is available, soon to be augmented with the corresponding charts.

Search for Data

Geographic Search:

For the geographic search, two options are available for selecting a particular region to limit the search. On the right panel, you can manually enter the latitude and longitude of the bounding box of your area of interest. On the left panel, you can select your own area of interest in a more interactive way: by clicking four points on the map as the bounding box of your area of interest. The points of the boundary box can be deleted and redefined by clicking the “Delete Last” and “Clear All” buttons beside the values of the latitude and longitude.

CIS Chart Type:

Ice charts serve tactical, or strategic planning, and operational purposes. They illustrate ice or iceberg conditions at a particular moment in time. There are four different CIS chart types to search by: Regional Charts, Image Analysis Charts, Air Observation Charts, and Ship Observation Charts.

CIS Data Type:

There are two different CIS data types to search by: information on Ice Concentration Data, and Stage of Ice Development Data.

Time Period Search:

Enter the Start and End Date of the study (or studies) for which you are searching.

These four search types (Geographic, CIS chart type, CIS data type and Time period) can be combined to further narrow the results.

Click the “Search” button to proceed to the results.

View Search Results

Once you have completed your search, the search results are listed in the right panel under the “Results” tab. The total number of results returned by the search engine is displayed at the bottom right corner of the page. If the search returns more than 25 results, you can use the blue navigation arrows at the bottom of the right panel to go through all of the pages, 25 results at a time. For each record, the results page shows the Title, Start Date, a “Show/Hide” button (to show the study site on the map in the left panel), and Download link if the data can be downloaded directly from the PDC. All results can be sorted by “Ascending” or “Descending” order of the column fields (e.g., sorted alphabetically by Title).

Information for each data record:

When the “+” button to the left of each record is clicked, detailed information about the data record will be shown. This information includes the Projection, File size (in KB), and Region of the data. You can also view the full metadata of a particular record by clicking on its Title.

The data coverage boundary box or the specific geographic location of the data record will be shown on the map in the left panel when the “Show/Hide” button is clicked. Clicking “Hide all” will clear all the location information for the data records shown on the map.

Metadata for each data record:

The metadata for each result is displayed under the Metadata tab, when the Title of a record is clicked. You will first be directed to the CIS Metadata which includes information about: the Title, Valid Date, Update Date, Catalogue Date, Region, Chart Yype, Authors, File Size, Projection, and Footprint of the dataset. To view the ISO 19115 or FGDC standard metadata, click on the blue link above the table.

This will provide information about the selected data record, including, but not limited to: Citation information, Description, Temporal Coverage, Spatial Domain, Keywords, Place, Status, Constraints, Point of Contact, and Metadata Reference information.

Download Data

The “Download” column of the results table under the “Results” tab provides information about data availability in the PDC. To download the data that is readily available, simply click on the “DATA” link and you will be directed to the Data tab. Here, you will be able to click on the link shown below to download the selected chart from the CIS website.

Note: Air and ship observation charts currently do not offer downloadable data, so the “Download” column for these records would have “N/A” listed.

RADARSAT-1 Polar Science Dataset Search

Search for Data

This option enables you to search for RADARSAT (or Earth observation) data of the Arctic. There are multiple fields to search by: including the Spatial location of interest, Time period of interest, Satellite direction, and Beam mode. Detailed definitions of each field can be found on the website of the Canadian Space Agency.

Geographic Search:

This field is mandatory for RADARSAT-1 data searches. Two options are available for selecting a particular region to limit the search. On the right panel, you can manually enter the latitude and longitude of the bounding box of your area of interest. On the left panel, you can select your own area of interest in a more interactive way: by clicking four points on the map as the bounding box of your area of interest. The points of the boundary box can be deleted and redefined by clicking the “Delete Last” and “Clear All” buttons beside the values of the latitude and longitude.

Satellite Direction:

There are two different Satellite directions to search by: Ascending and Descending nodes, which refer to the direction in which the RADARSAT is orbiting.

Beam mode:

There are five different Beam modes to search by: Fine, ScanSAR Narrow, Wide, ScanSAR Wide, and Standard. Beam modes are characterized by a specific beam elevation angle and profile.

Time Period Search:

Enter the Start and End Date of the study (or studies) for which you are searching.

These four search types (Geographic, Satellite Direction, Beam mode, and Time period) can be combined to further narrow the results.

Quick Search:

The Scene ID is the unique identification number used by the CCIN (Canadian Cryospheric Information Network) for each of the RADARSAT-1 data records. Each number corresponds to only one metadata and data record. If you know the Scene ID that corresponds to the metadata and data for which you are searching, it can be entered in the “Scene ID” field.

Click the “Search” button to proceed and show the results.

View Search Results

Once you have completed your search, the search results are listed in the right panel under the “Results” tab. The total number of results returned by the search engine is displayed at the bottom right corner of the page. If the search returns more than 25 results, you can use the blue navigation arrows at the bottom of the right panel to go through all of the pages, 25 results at a time. For each record, the results page shows the Image Acquisition Time and Beam Mode, Date, a “Show/Hide” button (to show the study site on the map in the left panel) and the Download link. All results can be sorted by “Ascending” or “Descending” order of the column fields (e.g., sorted chronologically by Date).

Information for each data record:

When the “+” button to the left of each record is clicked, detailed information about the selected data record will be displayed which includes: Scene ID, Beam Mode, Direction, Acquisition Time, and Image Central Latitude and Longitude. An overview of the selected image is also shown. When this overview image is clicked, a new window will show a larger version of the overview image.

The Show/Hide button will show the central latitude and longitude of the current record on the map in the left panel.

View Metadata:

Metadata for each record are shown under the “Metadata” tab. Three kinds of metadata are provided. One is the RADARSAT metadata, which is displayed when you click on the metadata titles in the Results tab. The RADARSAT metadata contain the information of the corresponding image, such as the Date, Image acquisition time, Orbit, Beam mode, Image Pixels, and Coordinates. The other two forms of metadata are the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Standard and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19115 Standard Metadata, which you can view by clicking on the blue link above the RADARSAT metadata table.

FGDC and ISO Metadata can be viewed to see general information about the RADARSAT-1 data project, including, but not limited to: Citation Information, Description, Temporal Coverage, Spatial Domain, Keywords, Place, Status, Constraints, Point of Contact, and Metadata Reference information.

Download Imagery

You need to Register and/or Sign in to download RADARSAT data. If you have not registered, click the “Register for PDC” link, as shown below, and complete the registration process.

If you have registered, enter your registered email address and password to sign in. After signing in, you will be directed to the following page, which must be completed to gain access to the data. Information provided in this section will be shared with the Canadian Space Agency alone, for the purpose of determining annual usage. The fields with red asterisks beside them are mandatory to fill.

If all the fields are filled appropriately, you will be taken to the page shown below. Click on the link to return to the main login page. After logging in, you should be able to download the RADARSAT imagery by clicking on “Download individual image(s).” Processing may take up to 2 minutes, depending on the file size(s).

Then, click on the link to download your image.

The RADARSAT search tool also allows users to view multiple RADARSAT images at once. After selecting search fields, you will be taken to the “Results” tab. Select the boxes beside the “Download” column for the images you wish to view. Then, click the “View multiple images” button at the top right of the “Results” page.

The selected images will open in the “Data” tab. You then have the option to download individual images or a mosaic of multiple images. In order to do so, you must be a registered user of the PDC and have also completed your PDC user registration form for the Canadian Space Agency. Once you have completed these steps, you can proceed to download RADARSAT images in several high or low quality formats. Mosaic images only support JPEG format.

Choose your preferred image format and click the “Download individual image(s)” button to download individual images. Or, select the JPEG format and click the “Mosaic selected images and download as single jpg file” button to download multiple images in one file.

Confirm your image selection by clicking the link to begin downloading your RADARSAT images.

An example of a RADARSAT mosaic image is provided below.

RADARSAT-2 Mosaics of Antarctica Search

Search for Data

This option enables you to search for RADARSAT (or Earth observation) data of the Antarctic. There are multiple fields to search by: including the Spatial Location of interest, Time Period of interest, BIT Mode, and Product Type. Detailed definitions of each field can be found on the website of the Canadian Space Agency.

Geographic Search:

For the geographic search, two options are available for selecting a particular region to limit the search. On the right panel, you can manually enter the latitude and longitude of the bounding box of your area of interest. On the left panel, you can select your own area of interest in a more interactive way: by clicking four points on the map as the bounding box of your area of interest. The points of the boundary box can be deleted and redefined by clicking the “Delete Last” and “Clear All” buttons beside the values of the latitude and longitude.

BIT Mode:

There are three BIT modes (grey-scale shading resolutions) to search by: 8 bit, 16 bit, or 32 bit images. 32 BIT has the highest resolution, but also the largest file sizes.

Product Type:

There are two product types to search by: Tile or Mosaic images. Tile images (25m resolution) cover small sections of the continent, while Mosaic images (100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m resolution) cover the whole continent.

Time Period Search:

Enter the Time Period of the study (or studies) for which you are searching. Currently, the only available option is 14-Oct-2008 to 03-Dec-2008.

These four search types (Geographic, BIT Mode, Product Type and Time Period) can be combined to further narrow the results.

Quick Search:

The Product ID is the unique identification number used by the CCIN (Canadian Cryospheric Information Network) for each of the RADARSAT-2 data records. Each number corresponds to only one metadata and data record. If you know the Product ID that corresponds to the metadata and data for which you are searching, it can be entered in the “Product ID” field.

Click the “Search” button to proceed and show the results.

View Search Results

Once you have completed your search, the search results are listed in the right panel under the “Results” tab. The total number of results returned by the search engine is displayed at the bottom right corner of the page. If the search returns more than 25 results, you can use the blue navigation arrows at the bottom of the right panel to go through all of the pages, 25 results at a time. For each record, the results page shows the Product Name, Start Date, a “Show/Hide” button (to show the study site on the map in the left panel) and Download link. All results can be sorted by “Ascending” or “Descending” order of the column fields (e.g., sorted chronologically by Start Date).

Information for each data record:

When the “+” button to the left of each record is clicked, detailed information about the selected data record will be displayed which includes: RADARSAT Product ID, Product Name, BIT, LUT, Beam Mode, Product Type, Acquisition Time, and Image Central Latitude and Longitude. An overview of the selected image is also shown. When this overview image is clicked, a new window will show a larger version of the overview image.

The Show/Hide button will show the central Latitude and Longitude of the current record on the map in the left panel.

View Metadata:

Metadata for each record are shown under the “Metadata” tab. Three kinds of metadata are provided. One is the RADARSAT metadata, which is displayed when you click on the metadata titles in the Results tab. The RADARSAT metadata contain the information of the corresponding image, such as the Date, Beam Mode, Product Type, Resolution, and Coordinates. The other two forms of metadata are the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Standard and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19115 Standard Metadata, which you can view by clicking on the blue link above the RADARSAT metadata table.

FGDC and ISO Metadata can be viewed to see general information about the RADARSAT-2 data project, including, but not limited to: Citation Information, Description, Temporal Coverage, Spatial Domain, Keywords, Place, Status, Constraints, Point of Contact, and Metadata Reference information.

Download Imagery

You need to Register and/or Sign in to download RADARSAT data. If you have not registered, click the “Register for PDC” link, as shown below, and complete the registration process.

If you have registered, enter your registered email address and password to sign in. After signing in, you will be directed to the following page, which must be completed to gain access to the data. Information provided in this section will be shared with the Canadian Space Agency alone, for the purpose of determining annual usage. The fields with red asterisks beside them are mandatory to fill in.

If all the fields are filled appropriately, you will be taken to the page shown below. Click on the link to return to the main login page.

After logging in, you should be able to download the RADARSAT imagery by clicking on the File name.

The RADARSAT search tool also allows users to view multiple RADARSAT images at once. After selecting search fields, you will be taken to the “Results” tab. Select the boxes beside the “Download” column for the images you wish to view. Then, click the “View multiple images” button at the top right of the “Results” page.

The selected images will open in the “Data” tab. You then have the option to download the individual images. In order to do so, you must be a registered user of the PDC and have also completed your PDC user registration form for the Canadian Space Agency. Once you have completed these steps, you can proceed to download RADARSAT images. You may use the zoom tools to view the images in more detail, or click on the “+” button in the top right corner to remove or add layers. Click on the RADARSAT-2 image files that you would like to download.

PDC Lite Low-Bandwidth Search

The PDC has a low-bandwidth search feature, which is ideal for users operating with a limited Internet connection.

Go to the PDC home page and click on the map on the right to start your search.

The PDC Lite page will look like this:

Search for Data

There are multiple fields to search by, including: Location (including Search Distance), Research Program, or Keyword. The user can select just one field or a combination of multiple fields to search by.

Geographic Search:

Similar to the general PDC search tool, there are multiple options available for selecting a particular region to limit your search. Firstly, you can use the map in the right panel to choose a location by either clicking on one of the red dots or on a whole territory. If you click on a territory, it will enlarge the map and show more specific red dot locations.

You can also choose a location to limit your search through the fields in the left panel. You can either select a Region and Community, or you can you can manually enter a longitude and latitude coordinate. Using the “Search Distance” field allows you to specify the radius in which to search around the selected community. If you want to see results closer to your community, choose smaller distances (down to 10 km). If you want to see results further from your community, choose larger distances (up to 500 km).

Research Program Search:

You can choose any of the Research Programs in the drop-down menu to limit your search to only projects conducted by the selected Research Program.

Keyword Search:

Type a search term in the “Keyword” field. This is a free text search, so you can type anything.

These three search types (Geographic, Research Program, and Keyword) can be combined to further narrow the results. Click the “Search” button to proceed to the results.

View Search Results

Once you have completed your search, the search results are listed in the right panel. The total number of results returned by the search engine is displayed at the bottom right corner of the page. If the search returns more than 25 results, you can use the blue navigation arrows at the bottom of the right panel to go through all of the pages, 25 results at a time. For each record, the results page shows the Title, Creator, Field Site, and Start Date. You may also click the “Global Results” button to obtain search results from a larger geographic area. All results can be sorted by “Ascending” or “Descending” order of the column fields (eg.., sorted alphabetically by Title).

Information for each data record:

When the “+” button to the left of each record is clicked the full Title will appear. You can also view the metadata of a particular record by clicking on its Title.

Metadata for each data record:

The metadata for each result is displayed when the Title of a record is clicked. Metadata provide information about the selected data record, including: the Title, Study Site, Research Programs, Citations, Originators, Links to Data, Access Constraints, Purpose, Abstract, Keywords, Temporal Coverage, Spatial Domain, and the Creator.

If you would like to go back to the Results page, click on the “back” button in the top right corner. If more details about the metadata or data of the project are wanted, there is a link at the bottom of each metadata page that directs to the ISO 19115 or FGDC-Standard Metadata in the PDC Search Tool.

Part III: Approvers Guide

Approvers are responsible for checking the quality of the metadata and data before it is made available to the public. If you have “Approver access,” you should have an “Approver Menu” in the navigation menu, and in addition to the User Options in the Dashboard, you should have the “Approve Metadata” and “Approve Data Files” options. These pages should show all of the records that were submitted to you, as well as the records you have previously approved for the Research Program for which you are an Approver.

1. To review a submitted record, select “Approve Metadata” from the Dashboard or from the Approver Menu in the navigation menu.

   

   Select the title of the metadata record that you wish to review and approve.

   

2. Once reviewed (See Checklist for Metadata Approvers of the Polar Data Catalogue below), the Approver can:

   1. Approve: Metadata record will be approved and searchable online through the PDC Search Tool shortly. To approve a record, click the “Approve” button at the bottom of the metadata record page.

   2. Update: Small changes to the metadata record can be made, with the record being saved again. To update a record, click “Update” at the bottom of the record. After you have made the required changes, click the “Update” button at the bottom of the screen.

   3. Send Back: Metadata record is “SENTBACK” to the submitter with questions and guidance, if significant changes are required. To send back a metadata record, check the “Send Back metadata” checkbox at the bottom of the record page. This will activate a textbox where you can write comments for the submitter. When you are finished, click the “Send Back” button.

   4. Cancel: Decide to change nothing and return to the metadata record list. To do this, click the “Cancel” button at the end of the record page.

      

3. To review submitted data, select “Approve Data” from the Dashboard, or from the Approver Menu in the navigation menu.

   

   Select the title of the data record that you wish to review and approve to download it.

   

4. Review the data according to Checklist for Data Approvers of the Polar Data Catalogue. Once you have determined that the data is ready for archiving, check the box next to the data file name, and then click the “Approve selected data files” button. You may select multiple data files at one time.

   

Checklist for Metadata Approvers of the Polar Data Catalogue

The following points summarize the main items that should be verified before approving a metadata record:

1. Ensure that the Title of the metadata record properly describes the information in the record, and that there are no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors in this field.

2. Ensure there is a consistent format for the Data Citation field. All metadata records in the PDC should have the general CCIN data citation (i.e., Surname, First Initial. Second Initial (if given). (Year of Last Modification) Title of metadata record. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). (dx.doi.org/(Assigned_DOI) or Unpublished Data)). If the data is unpublished, “Unpublished Data” should be written at the end of the citation. If the data is available publically on the PDC, the DOI link should be written at the end of the citation. In general, if the researcher has provided a related/additional publication, the CCIN general citation should be written first as “Data Citation: (general CCIN citation)” and the other publication should follow as “Additional Publication: can be accessed- (provided citation/reference).” If the data is archived in the PDC and in another location (citation provided by the researcher), but the DOI assigned is not assigned by CCIN, or if the researcher has specified how they would like the data to be cited, the data citation provided by the researcher should be listed first. The general CCIN citation should follow as “Alternate Data Citation:” with the link to the data in the PDC search at the end of the general CCIN citation. e.g.:

   1. Data Citation: CEN 2014. Environmental data from Northern Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada, v. 1.2 (2002-2014). Nordicana D1, doi: 10.5885/44985SL-8F203FD3ACCD4138. Alternate Data Citation: Vincent, W. and Sarrazin, D. (2017) Climate data at Ward Hunt Island Observatory. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/PDCSearch.jsp?doi_id=79
   2. Data Citation: Amundsen Science Data Collection. CTD data collected by the CCGS Amundsen in the Canadian Arctic. [years]. Processed data. Version 1. DOI: AN/ccin12713. Archived at www.polardata.ca, https://doi.org/10.5884/12713. Accessed on [Date]. Alternate Data Citation: Lévesque, K., Guillot, P., Forest, F., Linkowski, T., Morisset, S. and Zier, J. (2017) CTD data collected by the CCGS Amundsen in the Canadian Arctic. Waterloo, Canada: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network (CCIN). https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/PDCSearch.jsp?doi_id=12713

3. Check the Study Site and the Research Area coordinates agree with each other. Verify the spelling of the Study Site, and any Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB) Unique Key Identifiers are correct. Additionally, ensure that the Research Area coordinates are formatted correctly (all longitudes in the Western Hemisphere should be negative and latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere should be positive). For study sites that are stations and not bounded by an area, ensure that the coordinates are repeated, and not entered as zero.

4. Ensure that all the information that are presented in the Purpose, Abstract, and Plain Language Summary are appropriate for each field and that there are no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors in these fields. In general, the Purpose should describe generally what the study is and the scientific reason why it is being undertaken. The Abstract should describe the study in more detail and provide a description of the variables sampled (data collected, frquency of sampling, instruments used, where, when, units of parameters measured, sampling methods, etc.). The Plain Language Summary is not a required field and should say “Not Applicable” if no information is available in this field; however, if it is completed, ensure that it does not repeat what was said previously in the Purpose or Abstract. This field should be used to simplify the content for those who are unfamiliar with the study, or can be used to present the Abstract in a language other than English, if available.

5. Ensure that all names in the Responsible Parties field are spelled correctly; there should be a Principal Investigator and an Originator for each record. If the researcher has indicated through any form of correspondence that the project has multiple Principal Investigators, they can be listed as co-PIs at the end of the Purpose (Author X and Author Y are co-Principal Investigators for this project).

6. The Links to Data field should contain some way for users to obtain access to the data. If the data is Limited or Public, but not archived in the PDC, this field should contain an up-to-date email contact. If there is no email provided by the researcher, this email should be the email for the Originator. If the data is archived in the PDC, but is “Limited,” the PDC search link should be put here (e.g., https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/PDCSearch.jsp?doi_id=11567). When a DOI is assigned by CCIN, or some other party, the link to the DOI should be written in this field and should replace any email contact/PDC search link that was previously contained in this field.

7. Ensure that the Data Status agrees with Time Period. If the data status is “In progress,” there should be a future End Date or “Not Applicable,” if an end date is not yet known. If the data status is “Complete,” the End Date should already be passed.

8. Ensure that all programs that supported the research are added, if they are available in the drop-down list. If there are other programs that are not in the drop-down list, they should be added as “Other” in the Research Program field, and the program name should mentioned in the Purpose.

9. Ensure that the Keywords fully describe the study. Add keywords as necessary, so that they include both overarching and sector keywords. For example, a study that is examining a certain bird species should include both the species that is being examined as well “bird” as keywords. The important variables should be selected as keywords (even if they are present in other fields such as Abstract, Purpose, Study Site, etc.).

10. If a dataset contains sensitive information, or needs to be private, ensure that the Data Security is set to Limited. Make sure to scan the record for any confidential information, or information that may compromise individuals, or communities.

11. If you believe that significant changes need to be made to a record, you can “Send Back” the record to the creator and request these changes. Minor changes can be made by the Approver.

12. Once the record is approved, please verify in the Polar Data Catalogue that:

    • The record appears in “Results” tab after a search. You may use the CCIN reference number, a keyword from the record, or use the left panel to select a boundary box that would encompass the Study Site.
    • The coordinates show up in the correct position on the map. You can check this by using the “Show/Hide” button in the “Results” tab.
    • The metadata appears correctly when you click on the record’s title.

The CCIN will conduct periodic quality checking of records, and you may receive a list of previously approved records that require your attention. You can either make the noted corrections (i.e. for simple changes, such as an incorrect sign on the coordinates), or send it back to the creator for larger changes, if deemed necessary.

If data is uploaded with the metadata, it is important to review the data files for quality as well.

Checklist for Data Approvers of the Polar Data Catalogue

The following points (taken from the “PDC’s Best Practices for Sharing and Archiving Datasets Guide”) summarize the main items that should be verified before approving a dataset:

1. Ensure that uploaded datasets correspond to the metadata record.

2. Verify and modify data file names according to the established standards for the PDC (found in Best Practices, Section 2.2). In particular, check that the file name:

   • Starts with the CCIN Reference Number followed by the file upload date (separated by an underscore)
   • Contains only numbers, lower case letters, dashes and underscores. Lower case names are preferred, but not required
   • Contains no spaces or special characters (e.g., !,%,&,@)
   • Has a maximum of 150 characters
   • Has the proper file extension

3. Verify that datasets, directory structure, and file names are logically arranged (Best Practices, Section 2).

4. Verify that file formats are non-proprietary: .txt, .csv, .zip, .asc, .jpg, .tiff, etc. (Best Practices, Section 3). If possible, convert Microsoft Word and Excel files to text (.txt) or Comma Separated Variables (.csv) respectively. Refer to the Best Practices for procedures for converting datasets that are provided in proprietary formats (Section 3 and Appendix A).

5. Ensure that each data file can be opened.

6. Verify data file format (Best Practices, Section 3), in particular that:

   • Data format is consistent throughout the files
   • Header row is descriptive and linked to Metadata, if applicable
   • Column headings clearly describe content of columns
   • Data are delimited in proper columns
   • Date format is yyyy-mm-dd or yyyymmdd
   • Time format is in 24h rotation (ex. 13:30 hrs or 1330 hrs instead of 1:30 p.m.)
   • Spatial coordinates are decimal degrees to at least 4 digits
   • Data organization is consistent
   • Units are clearly indicated

7. Perform data quality assurance, if applicable (Best Practices, Section 6), in particular regarding:

   • Missing values for key parameters (e.g. sample identifier, station, time, date, geographic coordinates)
   • Content of measured or derived values
   • Impossible values
   • Geographic coordinates

8. If you have reviewed a dataset and you have determined that it is difficult for a user who is unfamiliar with the project to understand, and a README file is not submitted, you can request a README file from the researcher. A README file is not required but is sometimes necessary. When reviewing an accompanying README file (Best Practices, Appendix D), be mondful of the following:

   • All applicable sections are filled out
   • Abbreviations and acronyms are defined
   • Variables/parameters and units are described
   • Data treatment and methodology are described
   • Headings are explained
   • Known limits of the data/problems are mentioned (this should include explanations of missing data, negative values (for parameters this is not expected for), no reads are explained, etc.)
   • Reference to papers describing methodology, if applicable
   • Related datasets are properly cited

9. Ensure that accompanying documentation files can be opened and are self-explanatory.

Part IV: Frequently Asked Questions

User Interface

1. How do I change my login information?

   Once you are logged into the PDC input, select “Profile” from the drop-down menu in the navigation menu.
   

   You will then be able to edit your profile by selecting “Edit” or change your password by selecting “Change Password.” You have access to change every field, except for your email address (due to security reasons). If your PDC account is registered with an email address that you no longer have access to, or will no longer have access to, contact the CCIN administration at pdc@uwaterloo.ca. Please do not create a new account with this new email address.

   
2. What if I forgot my password?

   On the home page of the PDC input, click the “Forgot Password” next to the sign in fields. Enter your email address, and you should immediately receive an email with a new temporary password link to reset your password.
   

   Enter your new password in the “Password” and “Password again” fields and click “Submit.” You will be directed to the PDC input page. Verify that your new password allows you to log in to your account.

   
3. How do I report an error I experienced with the PDC?

   Once you are signed in to the PDC input, there is a “Report Error” option in the navigation menu.
   

   Click on the “Click here to email error report” you will be directed to mail application installed on your computer. You can also right click to get the option to copy the email address and send the email through your browser. Send us an email describing the error you received. You will need to include your email address so we know whom to contact once the problem is resolved.

   Please provide a clear and detailed description of the error that occurred, by answering the following questions:

   1. What page were you on? Please provide the URL or name of the page.
   2. What were you doing? Please provide your steps preceding the error, as well as your last steps that produced the error.
   3. What happened? Please include the text description of the error.
   4. When did this happen? Please provide the date and approximate time of the error.

   Note: Some errors occur as a result of the usage of an unsupported browser, or if you do not have JavaScript or cookies enabled.

   

Metadata and Data Entry

1. What is Metadata and why is it important?

   Metadata is basically data about data. Metadata provides the what, where, when of data and by whom it was collected, as well as its current location. Metadata facilitates the understanding, use, and management of data, and is a tool for networking and collaboration. Standardized metadata is an internationally confirming standard of information fields that must be included within the metadata to allow interoperability between metadata management facilities.
2. What information is required to submit metadata?

   Please refer to the “Descriptions of required information in Metadata Input Form,” available on the PDC’s Help page.

3. How do I submit metadata and data?

   1. Log in to the PDC and click the “Submit Metadata” option on the Dashboard or in the navigation menu.
   2. Fill out the Metadata Input Form completely and appropriately.
   3. Validate and save the metadata record.
   4. Submit data to accompany the metadata record, if available.
   5. Submit the metadata record and wait for approval. If your record is sent back, make the required changes and submit the record again.

4. How do I view my metadata records?

   Log in to your account in the PDC and click the “My Metadata” option on the Dashboard or in the navigation menu. You will be directed to a table which contains all your metadata records.
5. How do I view my data files?

   Log in to your account in the PDC and click the “My Data” option on the Dashboard or in the navigation menu. You will be directed to a table which contains your data files corresponding to your metadata records.
6. How do I update my metadata?

   Metadata can only be edited if it is “SAVED,” “APPROVED” or “SENTBACK.” You cannot update “SUBMITTED” metadata. Log in to your account in the PDC and click the “My Metadata” option on the Dashboard or in the navigation menu. Select the metadata record you want to update. Click the “Update” button at the bottom of the record. Make the required changes and click “Update.” You will then be prompted to “Submit Metadata.” Click this button and resubmit the metadata. The updated metadata will then be resubmitted to an Approver for review.
7. Is there a way I can upload several similar metadata records without typing the same information each time?

   Click on the metadata record you would like to copy from your “My Metadata” page. Scroll to the bottom of the record and click on the “Similar Entry” button.
8. Why do I receive emails from the PDC?

   Users who create metadata or submit data files receive an email when their metadata records are “SUBMITTED,” “RESUBMITTED,” “APPROVED,” OR “SENTBACK,” and when their data files are “APPROVED.” Approvers also receive emails when metadata and data are submitted for approval.
9. What happens after my metadata is reviewed by the Approver?

   Once reviewed, each metadata record will be “APPROVED,” “UPDATED,” OR “SENTBACK.”“

   1. Approved: Metadata record is approved and will be searchable online through the PDC Search Tool shortly.
   2. Update: Approver may make small changes and save the record again.
   3. Sent back: If significant changes are required, the record will be sent back to the submitter.

10. What happens if the approver does not approve my metadata?

    The Approver will email you directly with details for improving your metadata, or your metadata will be “SENTBACK” with comments/changes to be made to improve your submission.
11. How soon can I find my approved metadata in the PDC Search tool?

    If an approved record is updated and “REAPPROVED,” the search tool updates and provides the new metadata online immediately.

Quality Assurance

1. Why do metadata and data files need to be reviewed and approved?

   Before data can be publicly available through the PDC search tool, the record needs to be checked for quality assurance. This is to ensure that the record is documented without error. After users create and submit metadata, they are sent to the Approvers of the associated Research groups. Approvers can “APPROVE,” “UPDATE,” or “SEND BACK” the record to the submitter for major revisions.
2. Who are Approvers?

   Approvers are appointed by the PDC to review and approve submitted metadata and data records. The PDC Data Manager is responsible for approving most metadata and data records. Additionally, Approvers from other organisations collaborate with the PDC Data Manager to approve metadata and data for specific research programs. Approvers see the “Approve Metadata” and “Approve Data Files” tabs, in addition to the options available to the average user.
3. What functions do Approvers have?

   Approvers can:

   1. Approve - Metadata record is approved and will be searchable shortly.
   2. Update - Approver may make small changes and save record again.
   3. Send back - The record will be sent back to the submitter, with suggestions for improvements.
   4. Cancel - Returns to “My Approvals” page.