Import RMS DAARC500 Binary Data

Use the Database > Import > RMS DAARC500 Binary Data menu option (geogxnet.dll(Geosoft.GX.DBUtilities.ImportDAARC500;Run)*) to import data from one or a set of RMS DAARC500 binary files, into a Geosoft Database, and optionally merge the data into a single line based on the fiducial values.

Import RMS DAARC500 Binary Data dialog options

DAARC500 Data File
File name "xDDMMYY":	Browse to select any of the file in a set of DAARC500 binary files. These files have the format "xYYMMDD", where "x" is one of the four binary files "d" (mag), "a" (analog), "s" (serial) and "t" (Ethernet, or TCPIP), and  Y, M, D refer to the year (00-99), month (01-12) and day (01-31). Once a file is entered, all associated files, are searched for automatically. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.FILE
Import to database: New or Current	Import the data to a new database, or to the current database. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.DB (0: Current, 1:New, default = 1)
Magnetometer/Compensation Data
Import mag data	Check this box to import the mag data. Because other data is optionally merged into the mag data, based on the fid channel, this box must be checked for the three merge data check boxes to become active. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.IMPORT_MAG (Default = 1)
Total field channels	Enter the number of total field channels (1-4) recorded by the instrument. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.TOT_FIELD_CHANS (Default = 3)
Gradients	Enter the number of gradient channels (0-3) recorded by the instrument. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.GRADIENT_FIELD_CHANS (Default = 0)
Analog Data: "aDDMMYY" If an associated analog data file is found in the same directory as the input data file, the file name is displayed as part of the group box title, and the controls are enabled.
Import analog data	Check this box to import the data. The data is automatically merged/interpolated with the mag data, based on fiducial. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.IMPORT_ANALOG (Default = 1)
16 Differential channels / 32 Single-ended channels	Select whether the analog data is to be exported as 16 differential channels or 32 single-ended channels. The data is stored as either a single 16-column array channel, or a single 32-column array channel. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.ANALOG_CHANS (0: 16-Differential, 1: 32 Single-Ended, Default = 0)
Merge analog data with mag data	If this box is not checked, the analog data is imported to a new line. If this box is checked, the data is automatically merged/interpolated with the mag data, based on fiducial, and no separate line is created. Data is interpolated to the mag fiducial using the Akima spline method. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.MERGE_ANALOG (Default = 1)
Serial Data: "sDDMMYY" If an associated serial data file is found in the same directory as the input data file, the file name is displayed as part of the group box title, and the controls are enabled.
S1-S8:	Up to 8 separate serial data channels may be recorded. The serial data file is queried, and only those channels containing data have the corresponding controls enabled. Check the enabled S1-S8 check boxes to import data from those channels. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.IMPORT_S1, (etc.) (Default = 1)
Data type	The import auto-detects the data type by scanning the serial data file. If the format is recognized, it is automatically displayed. If the format is not recognized, the data type defaults to "Unknown/Do not import". It may be necessary in that case to use the manual import method described below. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.S1_TYPE (etc.) (0: Do not import, 1: Generic ASCII data, 2: Raw GPS strings, 3: GR820 256-Down, 4: GR820 256-Down, 256-Up; 5: GR820 512-Down, 512-Up, 6: Navigation with line numbers; Default: 0)
Merge serial data with mag data	If this box is not checked, the each channel of serial data is imported to a new line. If this box is checked, the data is automatically merged/interpolated with the mag data, based on fiducial, and no separate lines are created. The fiducials for Serial GSP data are automatically corrected before merging by replacing the fiducial with that the fiducial of the previous mag data record bearing a non-zero event value, which corresponds to the PPS signal at which time the GPS reading was actually generated. The original GSP fiducial values are backed up in the "GPSFidOrig" channel, and are 0.1 to 1.0 second larger than the corrected fid values. GPS or Navigation Latitude, Longitude and Altitude values are interpolated to the mag fiducial values using the Akima spline method. The Line, NumSat (number of satellites), HDOP, and GPS_Quality channels are interpolated using the "Nearest" method, since it makes no sense to interpolate these values. Spectrometer data is matched to the mag fiducial values, but is not interpolated. Other numeric channels are interpolated using the Akima spline method. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.MERGE_SERIAL (Default = 1)
Ethernet Data: "tDDMMYY" If an associated Ethernet data file is found in the same directory as the input data file, the file name is displayed as part of the group box title, and the controls are enabled.
Import GR820 data	If an associated Ethernet data file is present, and GR820 spectrometer data has been recorded, check this box to import the data. The data is automatically merged/interpolated with the mag data, based on fiducial. GR820 data can also be imported as Serial Data. At the present time this is the only data format supported for Ethernet files. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.IMPORT_ETHERNET_GR820 (Default = 1)
GR820 spectral channels:	Select the number and types of channels recorded by the GR820 spectrometer. Selections include "256-Down", "256-Down", 256-Up" and "512-Down, 512-Up". Data is imported as 256 or 512 column array channels. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.TGR820_SPEC_TYPE  ("256-Down", "256-Down", 256-Up" or "512-Down, 512-Up".)
Merge Ethernet data with mag data	If this box is not checked, the Ethernet data is imported to a new line. If this box is checked, the data is automatically merged/interpolated with the mag data, based on fiducial, and no separate line is created. Spectrometer data is matched to the mag fiducial values, based on the serial fiducial values, but is not interpolated. Script Parameter: RMSDAARC500.MERGE_ETHERNET (Default = 0)

Application Notes

The RMS DAARC500 instrument is capable of importing a large quantity of data, of various types and from various sources, simultaneously. This import is designed to extract and optionally merge an important sub-set of the possible data types into one or more Geosoft Database lines.

It is important that the various dialog fields (e.g. Total field channels, Gradient channels, Channel numbers for serial data, spectral channel types, etc.), be correctly specified. If not, the data may import but be corrupted and/or nonsensical. Various import errors associated with mis-identified field locations may also be enountered, as the binary import GXs used to import the data depend on the control values to correctly locate the individual channel values. The fiducial values are also likely to be corrupted, preventing the correct merging of data.

Data is merged based on the fiducial values. The DAARC500 instrument exports the fiducials in integer milliseconds, but to conform to other RMS imports (and general practice in Oasis montaj), these values are converted to floating-point seconds inside the Geosoft Database. GPS fiducials are corrected before merging to account for the delay between the PPS signal and the arrival and recording of the GPS strings in the serial input.

Supported Serial Data Formats

The following serial data formats are supported:

Generic ASCII data

In this import, data strings are first modified by replacing all non-numeric characters with spaces, then tokenizing the string using the space characters as delimiters. The tokens are then interpreted as numbers and assigned to individual channels. The channel names are created using the import channel, and the token number, e.g. "S3_1". This import works for CSV (comma-separated-values) data. It also has been enabled to identify and work with some special formats, such as those with text like "?01CP=45.2", where the value "45.2" is imported to the channel "CP".

Raw GPS strings

The import recognizes and imports raw GPS strings in both of the following formats:

 "$GPGGA,124027.00,5348.0420,N,07250.7422,W,2,09,1.0,407.12,M,-32.19,M,11,0100*5D"

and:

 "125206.00,5348.0412,N,07250.7443,W,2,09,1.0,406.09,M,-32.19"

As noted above, GPS fiducials are corrected before merging to account for the delay between the PPS signal and the arrival and recording of the GPS strings in the serial input. The original GSP fiducial values are backed up in the "GPSFidOrig" channel, and are 0.1 to 1.0 second later than the corrected fid values.

Navigation with line numbers

This is similar to GPS, lacking items such as the number of satellites, but with line numbers:

"45626.00, 53.800700,-072.845703, 00407.1, 641876.7, 5963500.6,10,01.0,00000"

Though navigation data fields are substantially the same as GPS data fields, they are imported and named using the "Nav_" prefix on the channel names to distinguish them from the equivalent GPS fields. In cases where both GPS and navigation data are present and imported, this prevents the latter from overwriting the former when the data is merged. When merged, line numbers are merged using a "Nearest value" lookup, as opposed to most other data, which is interpolated using the Akima spline method.

GR820 Spectrometer data

Three different formats are recognized, 256-Down,  256-Down/256-Up, and 512-Down/512-Up.

Importing and merging data not supported by this Import

At present, this import supports an important but limited sub-set of the possible serial or Ethernet data types and instruments supported by the DAARC500. To import non-supported types, use the following procedure:

Use the RMS Instruments-supplied data exporting programmes (e.g. ExportSerial.exe, ExportEth.exe) to create an ASCII version of the required data.

Import the data into a new Geosoft Database using the ASCII import (space delimited). Name the first column of data "Fid", and make the channel type "double".

Inside the new database, convert the "Fid" channel (the first column of the data in the exported ASCII file) to seconds after midnight by first removing the channel protection (if it is enabled), selecting all the data, and entering the channel expression "=Fid/1000".

Finally, merge a single channel at a time into the original mag database using the cross-database channel lookup GX: "Database Tools -> Database Utilities -> Cross-Database Channel Lookup".  Make the newly imported data the current database, then run the GX and specify the original mag database as the "Lookup database:" The "Reference channel" is "Fid", and the "Data channel" contains the data you wish to merge into the mag database. Choose a lookup method (e.g. "Exact" or "Interpolate") and select "OK". If you want to interpolate using the Akima spline method, instead of the linear interpolation method used by the "Interpolate" lookup method, use the "Exact" lookup method, then run the "Interpolate..." method under the "Database Tools->Channel Tools" menu.