The hour-day format requires the entry of a three line header block followed by 24 of lines of hourly data, with one column per day of the month. It is useful for entering hourly data from one station for one parameter, for one month.
Header Block
Line 1: Keyword, File description
Line 2: Station_ID, Month, Year, DST Flag, PCode, CCode, Mult
Line 3: Column headings over the hour column and day columns.
Line 1: The keyword that describes the format of this file: HOURDAY.
The file description is used to describe the contents, purpose, and/or origin of the file. It’s contents can be anything defined by the user.
Line 2: Station_ID is the station identifier associated with this entire dataset. The Station_ID must be present in the WRDB STATIONS Support table. If data from more than one station are to be input, they must be placed in separate input files. The governing rule is: one file, one station.
Month must range from 1 to 12; or the month can be identified using 3-character labels such as Jan, Feb, etc.).
Year is in the form: xxxx (for example, 1996).
The DST Flag must be either blank, to indicate standard times, or DST to indicate that data are in daylight saving time and are to be converted to standard time by DBCONV.EXE.
PCode is any valid PCode (parameter code) found in the WRDB PCODES Support table used to designate the parameter appearing in the data block below. For example, to designate that the data block contains dissolved oxygen values, enter the PCode of "DO" here.
CCode (compositing code) must be found in the WRDB CCODES Support table and will be applied to all values appearing in the table below.
Mult is numeric multiplier to be applied to all values in data block below. In addition to simple multipliers, the following special keywords are recognized:
blank no multiplier or multiplier is 1.0
C2F convert degrees C to degrees F
F2C convert degrees F to degrees C
COEF2C convert degrees F to degrees C after multiplying by 0.10 (needed for special files created by Corps of Engineers monitors)
Line 3: These column headings are used to verify that the correct number of days per month are being entered in the correct order. Typically, enter:
HOUR 1 2 3 4..... n
where n is 28 through 31, depending on the month. DBCONV checks to see that correct day numbers are entered and that the largest day number entered is valid for the month and year specified on Line 2.
Data Block
The table of hourly data appears starting on the 4th line, and 24 lines must be present; all lines after the 24th are ignored. The first column in the data block should be the assigned time in one of the following forms:
hh:mm, h:mm, hhmm, hmm, hhmmss, hmmss, hh:mm:ss AM, h, hh
The first column of the first line in the data block typically starts with 0:00 and ends with 23:00 or starts with 1:00 and ends with 24:00.
Columns 2 through n+1 of the data block contain data corresponding to days 1 through n where n is 28 through 31, depending on the month. When entering values in these columns, the following special provisions apply:
<x.xx non-detect value, where the detection limit is specified as x.xx. There should be no space between the < and x.xx or DBCONV will consider them to be in different columns.
< or ND non-detect value, where the detection limit is taken from the WRDB PCODES Support table.
>x.xx data exceeded some maximum value for that parameter. The maximum value is specified as x.xx. There should be no space between the > and x.xx or DBCONV will consider them to be in different columns.
NA or N/A skip this value. Upper or lower case are allowed. Blank entry also skips the value. Note that blank cells are not allowed in space-delimited files, but they are allowed if comma or tab delimiters are used. To be safe, always explicitly indicate that a reading is to be skipped using NA or N/A.
Header
Block
Data
Block
See also Example of Hour-Day Format.