Quick check

Before uploading a dataset to the COAT Data Portal, we suggest to perform a quick check of compliance to mandatory formatting requirements.

This section provides a checklist for dataset uploading new datasets. For a full detailed description of the formatting rules please refer to the data formatting section

The data formatting rules are also included in the COAT Data Management Plan.

1. Dataset requirements

  • A coordinates file is mandatory. Se below for more details

  • A Sampling Protocol related to the dataset needs to be already available in the portal

2. Data files

  • All tabular files formatted as “;”-separated txt files

  • All column names should start with sn_, sc_, t_ or v_ for variables that are either spatially nested, spatially crossed, temporal, or other (i.e. data variables).

  • No empty cells - use NA

  • Only lower case (except NA)

  • Correct spelling of spatial names (according to COAT vocabulary for localities)

  • Date format: yyyy-mm-dd

3. Sampling protocol

  • The protocol should be formatted using the template for COAT protocols available on BOX folder COAT/Protocol/COAT Research protocol

  • A protocol need to be added to the portal before the datasets referring to it

  • A protocol will be saved as a PDF/A and the name should start with “protocol_"

  • A protocol is a special type of dataset in the data portal, and will be added with a similar procedure, with slightly different metadata

4. Coordinates file

  • Should be a txt file

  • Same formatting requirements as for data files

  • The file should include the coordinates of all dataset’s sampling sites

  • Coordinates need to be provided both as geographical (decimal degrees) and UTM33 (easting and northing in meters)

  • The file should include the following columns: ‘sn_site’, ‘e_dd’, ‘n_dd’, ‘e_utm33’, ‘n_utm33’

  • Find an example in BOX folder COAT/Data management

5. Auxiliary files

  • Same formatting requirements as for data files

  • The file can include further information about the sites included in the study design

  • For example the years when a site has been included in the study design

  • Another example: old site names

  • Example on BOX folder COAT/Data management

6. Readme file

  • The file should be saved as PDF/A

  • No special formatting rules

  • The file can include other necessary information about the dataset, for example a description of the variables included in the dataset, or changes in the protocol