v0.1-alpha: Initial alpha release for testing

YAML Observation Data Archive & Exchange (YODA) Format

This initial release is about 2 years overdue, as there are several components of this repository that are functional and have been well-tested. These release notes point to those files, and describe what work that is still in progress.

Although active development of YODA-File ended in 2017, there is still a clear need for a human-readable, machine-parseable, text-based data exchange and data archiving format for an ODM2 Dataset data array, and easy-to-use Excel Templates for creating a YODA-File, as we originally envisioned. There is strong interest by the ODM2 team to pick this work back up once additional funding is secured.

YODA Profiles

• The concept of a YODA Profile as the expectations and constraints within the defining data array block, is a powerful concept for defining any dataset.
• Three YODA Profiles have been defined:
  • Time Series
  • Specimen Time Series
  • Specimens

Tested Excel Templates & Example Files

• YODA Time Series profile Excel templates:
  • Blank template: YODA_TimeSeries_Template_0.3.3-alpha.xlsm
  • Example: YODA_v0.3.3_TS_climate.wHeaders.xlsm + Example/ReadMe
• YODA Specimen Time Series profile Excel templates:
  • Blank template: YODA_SpecimenTimeSeries_Template_0.3.1-alpha.xlsx
  • Example: YODA_SpecimenTimeSeries_Template_0.3.1-alpha_LR_example.xlsx + Example/ReadMe](https://github.com/ODM2/YODA-File/tree/master/examples/specimen_time_series)

Work in Progress

• YODA Specimens profile Excel templates:
  • An example YODA_Specimens_Template_0.3.2-alpha-Example1-Fisher-Cores.xlsm has been developed and is functional, with the exception that a corresponding YODA-Tools Python code has not been developed to automatically parse this file to a YODA file or into ODM2.
  • A manually mocked-up for this example is at YODA_Specimens_Template_0.3.2-alpha-Example1-Fisher-Cores-YODAmockup.yaml