The data levels available in the dataset-form follow the definition from ICOS (ICOS data level). The levels are listed here to help you select the most appropriate for your dataset.

Data levels

Level 0: or Raw data

Raw data are information or objects directly obtained from human measurements or automated sensors that have not undergone any transformation. They may provide quantitative or qualitative information about physical variables of the environment and may be of various forms, such as images, text files or physical samples. Level 0 data are data in physical units either directly provided by instruments or converted from engineering units (for example, mV, mA, Ω) to physical units.

Level 1: intermediate observational data

These data are generated in intermediate steps in the data processing of Level 1 NRT or Level 2 data preparation, and for this reason they are not handled as persistent data and not shared outside the ICOS RI. The Level 1 data are used for internal quality checks, for example in communication between Central Facilities and Principal Investigators. During the production of internal working data and following quality checks, important provenance information is generated that will be part of the provenance metadata of Level 2 data.

NRT data is a special type of Level 1 data that are developed for fast distribution using only automated quality control within a certain short time interval (typically 24) hours of the measurement. NRT data are defined as a high-quality data set that will be distributed in the default way to the users. These data sets have their own provenance metadata that describe the raw data used, the versions of the software and the scripts, the settings and the results of the automatic quality control.

Level 2: final quality controlled observational data

Level 2 data are the main product of ICOS and form the final, quality-checked ICOS RI dataset, published by the Central Facilities, to be distributed through the Carbon Portal.

Level 3: elaborated products

All kinds of products elaborated by scientific communities that rely partly or completely on ICOS data products are called Level 3 data. The Carbon Portal will provide resources to integrate and disseminate Level 3 products, which will be provided on a voluntary basis by the research community and/or, if agreed upon, by collaborative projects. Data products that are based on ICOS observational data can be presented at the Data Portal as an elaborated product. In this case, please contact info (at) icos-cp.eu for more information.