[Platforms] Lithuanian Vejas call sign confusion]

[Roy Lowry]

Hi Mitch,

In an ideal world I would agree.  We should have ship metadata linked to the hull using something like the IMO number as a primary key (if only that were universal....)  and then implement one-to-many relationships to attributes like names, flags, operators and so on.  Unfortunately, we have inherited a vocabulary-based data model and the only way I can find to sort this into something usable is to make the code-referenced entity definition a combination of 'hull plus name'.  It is the application of this general rule that requires a new code for Vejas.  If we don't have generalised rules and make decisions on a case by case basis we will descend back into the chaos that we have been making such progress cleaning up in the past year or so.

The suggestion from Syd's group is a typical short-term fix that is easy to do today, but has long-term consequences.  I will try and explain.  Consider the use case that we want to locate metadata or data associated with "Vejas".  The data/metadata records are marked up using a code, so the first thing we have to do is translate "Vejas" into a code.  Most programmers will write their search code to look up "Vejas" in the name field of the code table, find nothing and give up.  Programmers aware of the suggested use of the comment field will also look for "Vejas" in the comment field and get back the code for "Lev Titov", which will be used in the search.  Result will be to pull back everything for both "Lev Titov" and "Vejas", which isn't exactly what we wanted.

So, for the sake of everbody else's data and metadata systems could you please persuade Syd's group to accept an additional code.

Cheers, Roy. 

>>> francis Mitchell <Francis.Mitchell at noaa.gov> 9/13/2007 2:19 pm >>>
Roy:  SEE BELOW

Since Syd L.'s group has data, they do not want an additional code 
assigned UNLESS there is  data which will be sent to NODC, soon.

=Mitch=


-

Mitch,

Ship name VEJAS (NODC Code LTVE, OC5 Code 6914) is assigned to the 
former ship "LEV TITOV"   that has NODC Code 90LV (OC5 Code 6447). I 
found that the OC5 Data Base has data from "LEV TITOV" from 1985 to 
1990. These data are linked to the NODC Code 90LV. OC5 Data Base doesn't 
have any data from R/V "VEJAS".    These two ships, "VEJAS" and "LEV 
TITOV", are the same ship that was renamed in 1992. I suggest to stick 
with the "LEV TITOV" code 90LV (OC5 Code 6447) and include information 
about ship name change into comments to the NODC Code 90LV.

Regester of ships 1990-91 shows:  Lev Titov; built in 1980; IMO *7833016*.
Regester of ships 2006-07 shows:  Vejas; ex Lev Titov 1992; call sigh 
LYDS; built in 1980; IMO *7833016

*Alexandra.


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-- 
Francis Mitchell
Data Officer
NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center
1315 East West Highway, SSMC3, Room 4637
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-713-3272 x113