CalCOFI IEH-formatted ascii files
The IEH format was developed in 1983 as an archive & ascii distribution format for CalCOFI data. Coined by programmer David Newton during development of the 128-character format, IEH stands for "Is Everybody Happy?". During its design, computer punch card for data entry were 128 characters wide & space was at a premium. In order to maximize the data reporting space, decimals were removed. So IEH's ascii format is column-specific, refer to the IEH Index page for the data index. Although IEH data files are still generated for each cruise, they are considered legacy data products. They are generated strictly for continuity of the time-series and for end-users who have IEH-specific requirements such as data processing or import scripts that require this format.
IEH's are available for each cruise in two formats:
- Observed data only (file nomenclature: YYMMarch.ieh; YY=year, MM=month). Tabulation of data from seawater samples collected and analyzed.
- Interpolated standard levels (file nomenclature: YYMMt.ieh). Tabulation of data from seawater samples collected and analyzed plus interpolated (calculated) standard depth data. Since bottles hung on wire or CTD bottle trips may miss target depth by a few meters, standard depths may need to be interpolated from nearby observed-depth data. Standard depth data allow models or specific-depth contour figures to be generated.