This file format is used to store data of the Thies DL1/N pluviometer at BFO. The files are produced by program DL1logger, which accomplishes data acquisition by controlling the Thies DL1/N data logger and reading the data from the logger.

Sections in this page:

Structure of a data file

A typical data file stored by DL1logger is 20110911.asc:

# Logger status :
# ---------------
# Date:  12.09.11
# Time:   1:01:15
# Battery : BAT OK
# MemCycle:  Event
# ERROR: duplicate sample (index 1439): 24.000   0.0 11.09.11 24:00
# earliest date: 254 11.09.2011 00:00:00.000000
# latest date:   255 12.09.2011 00:00:00.000000
# creation date: 255 12.09.2011 01:01:19.000000
# initial line:  Data : 11.09.11  0:00
# final line:    END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a
Data : 11.09.11  0:00
16.233   0.1 11.09.11 16:14
16.250   0.2 11.09.11 16:15
16.267   0.1 11.09.11 16:16
16.283   0.1 11.09.11 16:17
16.317   0.1 11.09.11 16:19
16.617   0.1 11.09.11 16:37
16.650   0.1 11.09.11 16:39
16.667   0.1 11.09.11 16:40
16.683   0.1 11.09.11 16:41
16.867   0.1 11.09.11 16:52
17.483   0.1 11.09.11 17:29
19.417   0.1 11.09.11 19:25
19.483   0.2 11.09.11 19:29
19.500   0.1 11.09.11 19:30
19.517   0.1 11.09.11 19:31
19.566   0.1 11.09.11 19:34
19.600   0.1 11.09.11 19:36
19.633   0.1 11.09.11 19:38
19.800   0.1 11.09.11 19:48
19.850   0.1 11.09.11 19:51
19.883   0.1 11.09.11 19:53
19.983   0.1 11.09.11 19:59
20.050   0.1 11.09.11 20:03
20.067   0.1 11.09.11 20:04
20.117   0.1 11.09.11 20:07
20.150   0.1 11.09.11 20:09
20.333   0.1 11.09.11 20:20
20.600   0.1 11.09.11 20:36
20.717   0.1 11.09.11 20:43
21.533   0.1 11.09.11 21:32
24.000   0.0 11.09.11 24:00
24.000   0.0 11.09.11 24:00
END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a

 It begins with a header produced by DL1logger, first reporting the
 current status when creating the data file:

# Logger status :
# ---------------
# Date:  12.09.11
# Time:   1:01:15
# Battery : BAT OK
# MemCycle:  Event

 Then reporting log messages or error conditions produced while decoding
 the data stream:

# ERROR: duplicate sample (index 1439): 24.000   0.0 11.09.11 24:00

 This is followed by a statement indicating the time span for which data
 was requested from the data logger, the time of creation of the data file
 and the first and final line sent by the logger:

# earliest date: 254 11.09.2011 00:00:00.000000
# latest date:   255 12.09.2011 00:00:00.000000
# creation date: 255 12.09.2011 01:01:19.000000
# initial line:  Data : 11.09.11  0:00
# final line:    END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a

 All these header lines have a \c # in the first column.
 After the header, the actual data sent by the Thies DL1/N logger is
 dumped.
 It starts with the initial line sent by the logger:

Data : 11.09.11  0:00

 After the initial line, the logger produced one data line for each minute
 for which precipitation was recorded.
 Minutes for which no precipitation has occured, no lines are present. 
 Each line consists of four fields. For example:

16.233   0.1 11.09.11 16:14

The fields are:

the time in decimal hours (in UT)
the recorded precipitation for the reported minute in mm
the date in format DD.MM.YY
the time in format HH:MM (in UT)

The data file is finished with the final line sent by the logger:

END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a

This line indicates the station for which data was recorded (here: BFO) and the type of instrument used (here: DL1/N).

Timing at end of day

The time reported in the data line is the time when the current precipitaion count interval ended. A line for 22:46 provides the amount of precipitation recorded for the time interval from 22:45 to 22:46. Consequently the last line in a file is for 24:00. For example the file 20090714.asc ends with

...
23.917   0.2 14.07.09 23:55
23.933   0.3 14.07.09 23:56
23.950   0.7 14.07.09 23:57
23.967   0.7 14.07.09 23:58
23.983   0.6 14.07.09 23:59
24.000   0.7 14.07.09 24:00
END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a

The next file (20090715.asc) starts with

# Logger status :
# ---------------
# Date:  16.07.09
# Time:   1:01:17
# Battery : BAT OK
# MemCycle:  Event
# earliest date: 196 15.07.2009 00:00:00.000000
# latest date:   197 16.07.2009 00:00:00.000000
# creation date: 197 16.07.2009 01:01:19.000000
# initial line:  Data : 15.07.09  0:00
# final line:    END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a
Data : 15.07.09  0:00
00.017   1.2 15.07.09 00:01
00.033   0.8 15.07.09 00:02
00.050   0.7 15.07.09 00:03
00.067   0.5 15.07.09 00:04
00.083   0.5 15.07.09 00:05
...

File for the current hour

Files for the current hour (i.e. hours not yet completed) are given the name active.asc. An example is

# Logger status :
# ---------------
# Date:  13.09.11
# Time:   7:55:02
# Battery : BAT OK
# MemCycle:  Event
# earliest date: 256 13.09.2011 00:00:00.000000
# latest date:   256 13.09.2011 07:57:02.000000
# creation date: 256 13.09.2011 07:55:05.000000
# initial line:  Data : 13.09.11  0:00
# final line:    END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a
Data : 13.09.11  0:00
03.383   0.1 13.09.11 03:23
04.400   0.1 13.09.11 04:24
END OF DATA BFO   1  DL1/N  V1.10a

The time span for which this file is valid is only apparent from the file header.

References

See also: Product page of the Thies company: http://www.thiesclima.com/Datalogger%20DL1%20N.html; Thies DL1 data acquisition program: https://git.scc.kit.edu/Seitosh/Seitosh/tree/master/src/conv/ThiesDL1; Reading module for: Thies DL1 data