HOT-DOGS: A user-friendly interface for access to the Hawaii Ocean Time-series data

L. A. Fujieki and D. M. Karl

University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA

Abstract

The Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) Study is an ongoing, 15-year ocean observation program with a large and growing data base of physical, bio-optical, and biogeochemical parameters. On approximately monthly intervals since October 1988, a multidisciplinary suite of environmental measurements has been made, discrete samples collected and analyzed, and experiments performed; all HOT data are freely accessible via the internet from servers at the University of Hawaii ( http://hahana.soest.hawaii.edu/hot/hot_jgofs.html and http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/HOT_WOCE/) and Oregon State University ( http://picasso.oce.orst.edu/ORSOO). In order to make these data sets fully available and interactive we have developed a user-friendly, WWW-based interface called Hawaii Ocean Time-series Data Organizational and Graphics System (HOT-DOGS). Independent modules facilitate: (1) data extraction to obtain a text file consisting of one or more data columns, (2) data display to plot selected variables, (3) comparisons of a selected data set, or depth-integral thereof, in time, and 4) time-series analyses of data grouped by depth, potential density or temperature. We believe that this interface will be invaluable for both research and teaching applications.