General Requirements
Requirement Comment Who oversees this requirement?
The float and its data are consistent with Argo governance (IOC XX-6; IOC-EC_XLI.4) It is the PI’s responsibility to ensure that floats are managed according to Argo governance. This includes using national points of contact for notifying float deployments and drifting into EEZs. AIC will monitor consistency with Argo governance. If the float does not conform, AIC will notify national points of contact, who will take whatever
action is necessary.
The float has a contact point for its entire lifetime, and for the data processing after the float is dead The AIC requires a contact point for all floats identified as Argo floats by their WMO number. Where individuals’ responsibilities change within national programs and research groups, contact points must be maintained. PIs must consider the long-term ownership of and responsibility for their floats. It is possible that ‘ownership’ of a float could be passed to a contact in a national program, but this should be planned before the float becomes part of Argo. Points of contact in the national program of the PI deploying the float. Where AIC is uncertain of a contact point, AIC will refer to points of contact in the relevant national program.
The float PI will recover the float safely if beached Once a float is part of Argo, the PI must remain responsible for the float or identify delegated responsibility, throughout the float lifetime. The float cannot stop being an Argo float because it has drifted out of a PI’s area of interest, or fulfilled the PI’s initial purpose. It may or may not be possible to delegate this responsibility to points of contact in national programs. AIC, supported by national points of contact.
Data Quality and Management Requirements
Requirement Comment Who oversees this requirement?
The data have established end-to-end pathway Before a Principal Investigator proposes to their national program that a float will become an Argo float, there must be an agreed pathway
for:

  • data telemetry to a real time DAC
  • preparation of real time files for the GTS and submission to GDAC through an existing DAC that include all telemetered parameters
  • Real Time Quality Control (RTQC) procedures for all parameters
  • a pathway to agreed Delayed-Mode Quality Control (DMQC) procedures for all parameters
  • a DMQC group identified and funded for all approved parameters
  • a commitment by a DMQC group for long-term curation of the data, with the ability to respond to evolving
    requirements from ADMT.

This should be in place when a float is notified to Argo Information Centre (AIC) and added to the Argo data system, which is the moment at which a float becomes an Argo float.

 The person making the notification to AIC.

If this is an established Argo point of contact,
it is the notifying person’s responsibility to be sure everything is in place.

If a float is notified to AIC from a
new source, the AIC should check that the PI is ready to fulfill these obligations.
The data meet Argo targets for accuracy and vertical sampling characteristics New sensors that measure parameters already established in the Argo system must have been demonstrated to meet Argo targets for accuracy. This can be established through peer-reviewed papers. Vertical sampling
must be appropriate. Where no published statements of requirement exist, the AST or ADMT will evaluate proposals or
develop statements of requirement.		 AST advised by ADMT
The PI has agreed data management arrangements with a recognized Argo DAC and delayed-mode group, including the supply of all technical and metadata The PI is advised to negotiate the pathway for real time and delayed mode activities with one of the recognized Argo DACs before stating in funding applications that floats will be a contribution to Argo. This includes timely delivery of appropriate technical and metadata. Argo DACs may require funding for extra staff time to handle extra floats, sensors and parameters. Real Time DACs will ensure the necessary arrangements are in place before starting to accept data from new floats. This should be agreed between RT DACs and float PIs before the float is deployed or notified.
Addition of new sensors and parameters on floats in the Argo data system requires endorsement from the AST & ADMT Argo requires all data from all sensors on an Argo float to be made available at the Argo GDACs. The list of documented Argo PARAM names (Reference Table 3 in the Argo User’s Manual) cannot be allowed to grow indiscriminately without undermining the Argo data system. The AST and ADMT should only endorse the addition of new sensors and new parameters when there is a reasonable future prospect of those sensors being deployed in sufficient numbers and with appropriate global distribution. The PI must supply the variables names for data sent by additional sensors and not included in Reference Table 3 of the Argo User’s Manual. AST advised by ADMT
DAC Requirements for data beyond core data
In order to accept data for distribution on the Argo GDACs that originate beyond the core temperature, salinity, pressure and BGC (oxygen, chlorophyl, BBP, nitrate, pH and irradiance) data from standard and BGC mission Argo floats deployed by national programs, a DAC must ascertain that:
Requirement Comment Who oversees this requirement?
There are sufficient resources to manage and archive these data in perpetuity according to evolving ADMT requirements As Argo has evolved, the ADMT has agreed to a number of changes to the Argo data system. The most recent major change was the introduction of v3 format NetCDF files, with substantial impact on the contents and storage of profile, trajectory, technical and metadata. DACs have had to bear the burden of updating or converting legacy files in the Argo archive. Lesser examples include reprocessing data to review TNPD floats and requests for more complete metadata on sensors. The burden is disproportionately large for floats that lie outside the core T/S/P capability. DACs and PIs need to consider the long-term responsibility for float data before a float can be accepted into the Argo system. DACs will ensure the necessary arrangements are in place before starting to accept data from new floats. This should be agreed between DACs and float PIs before the float is deployed or notified.
A delayed-mode group has agreed to perform calibration and quality control in perpetuity From time to time, the ADMT has asked DACs to revisit DMQC for the approved variables in the light of new insight into sensor behaviour. Floats must have a plan for long-term responsibility, so that floats do not become ‘orphans’. DACs should ensure they know who is responsible for short- and long-term DMQC for all floats that fall in their directory at the GDAC. This should be agreed between DACs and float PIs before the float is deployed or notified.
Sufficient meta data are provided by the PI. PIs must undertake to provide to the DAC whatever metadata are defined from time to time as mandatory by the ADMT. DACs should notify national points of contact of any floats that do not conform to the ADMT’s metadata requirements.