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Data Catalogue

Ionogram Data File Name

File locations

The ASWFC data server provides clean and raw ionogram data files. Under https://downloads.sws.bom.gov.au/wdc/wdc_ion_archive/, each directory holds ionogram files for a particular station and type of ionosonde. For example, tvl5d holds ionograms for the Townsville 5D ionosonde. Each directory has raw and/or cln sub-directories, under which are directories for individual years. The archived ionograms are zipped into day files, and stored in the appropriate year directory.

Raw ionograms contain the full channel vs height information and can range in size from 250 to 750 kBytes per ionogram.

Cleaned ionograms have gone through a process of removing noise, with only the ionogram trace remaining.

A description of the ASWFC ionograms formats can be found in Ionogram Data Format, or in the file Ionogramformat.txt in the doc directory on the data server.

Software for viewing and scaling ionograms can be found under the Software Tools section of the Data Download page. This software is provided as is. The software have been intensively tested on Windows XP/Vista. In addition, it has undergone routine testing on Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000. We can give no guarantee that the software will work properly on systems other than these. ASWFC will not bear responsibility for any damages or loss of income incurred due to use (or misuse) of this software. Use it at your own risk.

ASWFC ionosonde station names, station name abbreviations and station IDs are listed in the following table. The station name abbreviation is used as the first part of the corresponding directory name. The station ID is used as the first part of each data file name.

Station Name Station Abbreviation Station ID
Auckland auk au
Biak bik bk
Brisbane bri br
Casey cas cy
Canberra cbr cb
Camden cdn cn
Christchurch cch cc
Darwin dwn dw
Davis dav dv
Hobart hbt hb
Kiruna kir ki
Kokubunji kok ko
Learmonth lth lm
Lycksele lyc ly
Macquarie Island mac mq
Manila man mn
Mawson maw mw
Mundaring mun md
Niue nue nu
Norfolk Island nlk nf
Okinawa oki ok
Port Moresby pom pm
Salisbury sal sl
Scott Base sct sc
Townsville tvl tv
Uppsala upp up
Vanimo vno vn
Wakkanai wak wa
Yamagawa yam ya

The following table lists ionosonde types and corresponding codes. Each ionosonde code is used as the second part of an ionogram data file name.

Ionosonde type Code
IPS 4a a
IPS 4b b
IPS 4c c
IPS 4d d
IPS 5a e
IPS 5b f
IPS 5c g
IPS 5d h
IPS 5f n
cadi i
Lowell digisonde j (used at Davis, Casey, Learmonth)
Swedish sonde k (used at Kiruna, Lycksele and Uppsala)
Kel 51 sonde l (used at Biak)
Japanese sonde m (used at Kokubunji, Okinawa, Wakkanai, Yamagawa)

The following table listed the ionogram data directories on the ASWFC data server. From this table, you can find the corresponding directory for a specified station and ionosonde type. The rows correspond to ionosonde stations and the columns to ionosonde types. The table cells indicate the corresponding directory names. Those that are highlighted and preceded by an asterisk are currently active. Missing or blank cells indicate that no corresponding data is available.

Station 4c 4d 5a 5c 5d 5f CADI Lowell Swedish Kel 51 Japanese
Auckland auk4d
Biak bik42
Brisbane bri5c *bri5d
Camden cdn4c cdn4d cdn5a cdn5d *cdn5f cdncd
Canberra cbr4d cbr5a *cbr5d cbrcd
Casey *cascd casey
Christchurch cch4d
Cocos Islands *cck5d
Darwin dwn4d dwn5c *dwn5d dwncd
Davis dav4d dav5d *davis
Hobart hbt4d hbt5a *hbt5d hbtcd
Kiruna kirun
Kokubunji *kokub
Learmonth *lea5d learm
Lycksele lyc
Macquarie Is mac4d maccd
Manila man4d
Mawson maw4d maw5d *mawcd
Mundaring mun4d muncd
Niue *nue5d
Norfolk Island nlk4d nlk5a *nlk5d nlkcd
Okinawa *okina
Port Moresby pom4d
Salisbury sal5a sal5c
Scott Base *sct4d
Townsville tvl4d tvl5a *tvl5d tvlcd
Uppsala uppsa
Vanimo vno4d vno5a vno5d vnocd
Wakkanai *wakka
Yamagawa *yamag

Ionogram data file name convention

The files in the directories use name like:

cbd970102.zip (2nd January 1997 Canberra 4d sonde raw data)
cbin970102.zip (2nd January 1997 Canberra cadi sonde cleaned ionograms)

The characters of the file names are as follows.

Charater positions Content
1-2 station ID
3 sonde type code
4 if the file is not a raw ionogram data file then this may be an 'n'. An 'n' indicates these are cleaned ionograms so no processing need be done on these files except to expand them. If the file is a raw ionogram data file then from this field will indicate the year, month, day and/or time fields.
4-5 year for raw data ( fields 5-6: year for clean file types)
6-7 month for raw data ( fields 7-8: month for clean file types)
8-9 day for raw data ( fields 9-10: day for clean file types)

The extension is zip, indicating that the files are archives that have been zipped. The ASWFC data server provides only zipped files.

Some files are tarred (.tgz) using the command:

tar cvbf 20 <tarfile> <files>

The tar blocking factor is 20. To expand these files, first gunzip them, then extract the data from the tar archive using:

tar xvbf 20 <filename>

For example to expand the file tvgn9709.tgz do:

gunzip tvgn9709.tgz
tar xvbf 20 tvgn9709.tar

To expand the file dwd980601.zip do:

unzip dwdv980601

In the case of IPS ionosonde (4a to 5d) raw files, expansion of these files will provide the day files that will require 4d2ips to be run to produce the cleaned ionograms. These files have names according to the convention below.

Charater positions Content
1-2 station ID
3 sonde type code
4-5 year
6-7 month
8-9 day
10-13 dot with extension. The extension may be station ID plus sonde type code or others.

For example, cbd970129.cbd (day file for 29 January 1997 Canberra 4d sonde).

Note that very occasionally there will be two raw data files for the same day for a station. This is because the two files contain different data. They might be named something like cbd960129a.cbd and cbd960129b.cbd.

In the case of the CADI sonde, the raw files may have been tarred into day files, or the raw files may have simply been zipped/tarred into the final file. Expansion of these files will result in raw data files that require cadi2ips to be run to produce clean ionogram files. These raw files have the following name format.

Charater positions Content
1-2 station ID
3 sonde type code: i
4-5 year
6-7 month
8-9 day
5-8 HHMM where HH=hour and MM=minute

For example, cbi9803120100.cbr (hour file for 0100 UT on 12 March 1998 Canberra CADI ionosonde.

In the case of the Lowell digisonde, expansion of the files will result in files with the following naming format.

Charater positions Content
1-2 station ID
3 sonde type code j
4-5 year
6-7 month
8-9 day
10-17 HMMS.XXX

where:

  • H = hour (A-X)
  • MM = minutes
  • S = seconds (5 s intervals A-L)
  • XXX = file type

Julian Day Calendar (for non-leap years):

Day Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1001032060091121152182213244274305335
2002033061092122153183214245275306336
3003034062093123154184215246276307337
4004035063094124155185216247277308338
5005036064095125156186217248278309339
6006037065096126157187218249279310340
7007038066097127158188219250280311341
8008039067098128159189220251281312342
9009040068099129160190221252282313343
10010041069100130161191222253283314344
11011042070101131162192223254284315345
12012043071102132163193224255285316346
13013044072103133164194225256286317347
14014045073104134165195226257287318348
15015046074105135166196227258288319349
16016047075106136167197228259289320350
17017048076107137168198229260290321351
18018049077108138169199230261291322352
19019050078109139170200231262292323353
20020051079110140171201232263293324354
21021052080111141172202233264294325355
22022053081112142173203234265295326356
23023054082113143174204235266296327357
24024055083114144175205236267297328358
25025056084115145176206237268298329359
26026057085116146177207238269299330360
27027058086117147178208239270300331361
28028059087118148179209240271301332362
29029088119149180210241272302333363
30030089120150181211242273303334364
31031090151212243304365

Julian Day Calendar (for leap years):

Day Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1001032061092122153183214245275306336
2002033062093123154184215246276307337
3003034063094124155185216247277308338
4004035064095125156186217248278309339
5005036065096126157187218249279310340
6006037066097127158188219250280311341
7007038067098128159189220251281312342
8008039068099129160190221252282313343
9009040069100130161191222253283314344
10010041070101131162192223254284315345
11011042071102132163193224255285316346
12012043072103133164194225256286317347
13013044073104134165195226257287318348
14014045074105135166196227258288319349
15015046075106136167197228259289320350
16016047076107137168198229260290321351
17017048077108138169199230261291322352
18018049078109139170200231262292323353
19019050079110140171201232263293324354
20020051080111141172202233264294325355
21021052081112142173203234265295326356
22022053082113143174204235266296327357
23023054083114144175205236267297328358
24024055084115145176206237268298329359
25025056085116146177207238269299330360
26026057086117147178208239270300331361
27027058087118148179209240271301332362
28028059088119149180210241272302333363
29029060089120150181211242273303334364
30030090121151182212243274304335365
31031091152213244305366
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