Table of content

GEODESC descriptive data

How you got here

You are presented with the GEODESC descriptive data page because you reached it in one of two ways:

Directly at https://web.iodp.tamu.edu/DataAccess/
Through the LORE data portal at https://web.iodp.tamu.edu/LORE/

If you were using the LORE portal:

In the Select Report pane on the left, you clicked on Descriptive Information, where you found two items:
- DESC Reports
  - Descriptive data were collected using the DESClogik application, and exported to Excel files, for Expedition 317-393 (2009 - August 2022).
- GEODESC Data Access
  - Starting with Expedition 397 (October 2022), the GEODESC applications has been used to collect descriptive data. Here you can export tab delimited (*.txt) text files on demand.

The Data Access application has only a few user interface windows (Fig. <user interface overview>): This main page to access data files, and the catalog pages accessible via the menu on the top left of the window.

Figure <user interface overview>.

Filter the descriptive data

Using the check boxes on the page, you can access two categories of files:

- - - Descriptive data files (the observations you are typically interested in)
    - Descriptive metadata files (description of the template configurations for potential analysis).

Using the menu button at the top left, you can also navigate to the GEODESC catalogs.

On the top right of this page, you can sign in if you are accessing data under moratorium and if you have the credentials to access them.

To download data files:

Select one or more of:
- Expedition(s) (you have the option Select all)
- Site(s) (you have the option Select all)
- Hole(s)
Optionally filter the file records by one or more of the template keys:
- Scale
- Type
- typing any word into the Search field (click the Apply button or anywhere outside the field)
Optionally de-select one of the file type check boxes:
- Data files
  - Data files contain the observations made for a hole, using a template. They are created and stored automatically by the GEODESC Data Capture application whenever the observers publish the data in their project worksheet. See Descriptive data file in the GEODESC glossary for a description of the structure and content of the download file.
- Metadata files
  - Metadata files contain the template configuration used to record observations in the data capture worksheets. They are created by the GEODESC Template Manager application whenever the template maker last saved a project template. See Descriptive metadata file in the GEODESC glossary for a description of the structure and content of the download file.
Click the Download selected file(s) button.
If you want a list of the file records returned by your filters, click the Download table button.

Data files and metadata files are exported as tab-delimited text files for longevity and ease of analysis and visualization. Multiple files are are downloaded as a Zip file.

Data Access sign in

You probably arrive on this page (Fig. <sign in>) because you tried to access moratorium data.

To sign in:

Enter your Username
Enter your Password
Click the Sign in button

Figure <sign in>.

GEODESC catalogs

You are presented with the GEODESC catalogs dashboard. Click any of the buttons to view, filter, and/or download GEODESC catalog content. The catalog buttons are presented in two groups for convenience:

Core description
- Template catalog
- Observable catalog
- Values catalog
- Qualifier catalog
Micropaleontology
- Taxa catalogs
- Zone catalog
- Datum catalog

Template catalog

The template catalog is an inventory of all catalog templates designed for immediate use in a project, or to be modified during a project using the Template Manager application.

To download template catalog records:

Optionally filter by scale, type and/or objective.
- Without using filters, all catalog templates appear in the list.
Click the Download catalog template(s) button. One file is generated per template.
If you want to download a list of the templates returned by your filters, click the Download table button.
To return to the catalog portal, click the Return button.

Files are downloaded as tab-delimited text files for longevity and ease of analysis and visualization. Multiple files are downloaded as a Zip file. Each file has four sections:

Template settings (see Catalog templates for details)
Scope columns (see Scope of description for details)
Observable columns (see Observable definition for details)