[CF-metadata] standard names for variables in 'raw engineering' units

[Nan Galbraith]

> What does "the raw data are a proxy" mean, please?  (Proxy for what?) 
I'd guess that it means that raw_temperature (in counts) is representing
- standing in for, and indicating the possibility of obtaining - 
temperature
(in degrees).

> This makes me realize that the most abstract version of this use case 
> is data in any units that can not be transformed to the canonical 
> units, for example:
>  - partially transformed units that aren't raw but aren't in science form
>  - data not in UD_Units -- alternate formats for certain complex data 
> values
>  - data not in UD_Units --  new or atypical measurements not in 
> UD_Units, like 'counts' 

At some point, it becomes meaningless to use a standard, if you
are storing and presenting data in a form that can't be used without
further processing and without a lot more information.

It's always allowable to include non-standard parameters in a CF file, 
as long
as they don't have standard names. This seems like the most efficient 
way to
deal with these 'proxy' parameters.

I still agree that CF should be expanded to deal with non-geophysical 
parameters
that are useful to the observational community, like signal-to-noise 
ratio or error
velocity, and that agreeing on a convention for naming proxies would be 
useful.

Use cases showing a need to store 'partially transformed' data or  'complex
data in alternate formats' using standard names and requiring new kinds of
units would be helpful.

- Nan
> I think we should consider some particular use-cases and try to be as much like
> standard names for geophysical parameters as we can in our treatment of these
> unprocessedd quantities. I would suggest not deciding in advance that we have
> to treat them in different ways, because it's best to minimise the complexity
> of the convention. It's often tempting to regard something as a new case and
> invent new conventions for it, but it may be easier in the end to find a way to
> express it using structures we already have.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Jonathan


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* Nan Galbraith                        (508) 289-2444 *
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