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History of the Continuous Plankton Recorder Database

D. Stevens and P.C. Reid

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Introduction

• Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey

• The development of the CPR database

• Recent and future development

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The CPR Survey

• Monitor the near-surface plankton of the North Atlantic and North Sea on a monthly basis

• Year to year changes in abundance

• Seasonal cycles of species

• Geographical distributions

• Effects of fisheries and climate change

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CPR routes map 1948-2001

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How data are collected

• The CPR is a plankton sampling instrument designed to be towed from merchant ships on their normal sailings

• Alister Hardy used the first prototype to sample krill in the Antarctic on the Discovery cruises of 1925-27

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The CPR

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How data are analysed

• Phytoplankton x450 magnification

~1/8000 of sample

• Zooplankton traverse (<2mm)x48 magnification

~1/40th of sample

• Zooplankton eye count (>2mm)removed and counted

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How data are STORED

• Before computers• The first computerised database• Geographical effects• Updated computer languages• Current system

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Before Computers

• All calculations had to be carried out by hand

• Sample positions

• Cutting points

• Local time

Before1969

1970 1980 1990 2000

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Before Computers (2)• Data were stored on paper for each tow

• This data would then be transposed onto cards for each species

Sample No

Spe

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Tow record

Sample NoT

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Species card

1970 1980 1990 2000

Before1969

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Before Computers (3)

• This task was very time consuming.

• The analysis team of more than 12 spent 1/3rd of their time entering data.

• Process was in need of speeding up.

1970 1980 1990 2000

Before1969

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The first computerised database• Based at Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre (ERCC)• Prior to this Principle Component Analysis had been

carried out using a DEUCE electronic computer• Data processed using a KDF 9 (32Kb)

1969

1970 1980 1990 2000

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Card Reader

Operator's Console Tape Drives

Pictures from www.cs.bham.ac.uk/.../history/ photogallery/pages/1968-3.htm

1969

1970 1980 1990 2000

KDF 9

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The first computerised database• Based at Edinburgh Regional Computing Centre

(ERCC)

• Prior to this Principle Component Analysis had been carried out using a DEUCE electronic computer

• Data processed using a KDF 9 (32Kb)

• ALGOrithmic Language (ALGOL)

1969

1970 1980 1990 2000

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External Changes

• ALGOL no longer supported by the ERCC

• Programs transfer to IMP and Fortran (IV)G

1969

1970 1980 1990 2000

1971

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Relocation

• Move to Plymouth, UK

• PDP 11 (16-bit)

• Programs rewritten into BASIC

Image from: www.montagar.com/dfwcug/VMS_HTML/timeline/16-bit.htm

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977

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PDP11

Source: http://www.telnet.hu/hamster/pdp-11/

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977

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Hardware changes• CPR database was moved to a GEC 41/90

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982

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1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982

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1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982

Disc Drive (70Mb)

Tape Reader

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1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989

Further Changes

Out with the old...

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1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989

IBM 93/70

..in with the new

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Rapid Changes• The database moved home again

to RS 6000– This home was short lived due to

problems networking the RS 6000

• Now all data processing was programmed in Fortran 77

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991

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Development using Fortran

• The database was stored on a Solaris 2.4

• Processing was carried out using an IBM PC

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1992

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ORACLE

• First relational database contain CPR data

• Due to cost of maintaining ORACLE system was dropped

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1993

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ACCESS - Current system

• Relational database developed in ACCESS

• User friendly interface

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995

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ACCESS - Current system

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995

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1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995

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Further development• Sample processing transferred to

Microsoft Access

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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Consistency• Strategy to ensure all systems are stored on

current media.– Some programs can be lost because the media on

which that have been stored has become obsolete

• Ensure same algorithms are applied to data

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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Quality Control

• Computers are not always a good thing.

• Basic QC programme used to check data and advice given.

• Analysis sheets are checked by experienced analysts.

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1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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Data Policy

• SAHFOS operates an open access data policy

• Data requests made to the Data Manager.

• Policy statement available on the web site

– www.sahfos.org

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1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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CPR Plankton Atlas

1970 1980 1990 2000

2001

1973

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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DATA AVAILABLE• The CPR database contains information for

– 185902 samples (1946-2001)• 4.7 million miles towed

– 2198052 positive plankton entries.

• 90906078 plankton entries • CPR bibliography contains

– 775 references.

– http://www.sahfos.org/bibliography.htm

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1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

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Web Development

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 2001

http://www.sahfos.org/standard_areas.htm

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Future development

• Web based development– increase ease of access to the database

• Expansion to include further environmental variables.

• Plankton Atlas available on CD or the Web

• CPR Browser available on CD

1970 1980 1990 2000

1969 1971 1977 1982 1989 1991-93 1995 Future

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History of the Continuous Plankton Recorder Database

D. Stevens and P.C. Reid