ACADIS ReadMe Template
(You can replace your dataset title above)
For NSF OPP ARC Datasets submitted to ACADIS
The ‘readme’ file is a critical part of your dataset documentation. It should briefly describe files in your dataset so that colleagues in your field can quickly understand what the data files are and how to read them. In most cases it will take you less than 30 minutes to complete. Please contact if you have questions or comments.
At least one completed readme should accompany all dataset submissions and contain the information below. Feel free to expand the sections as necessary. We recommend using .rdf or .txt file formats when creating readme files and naming the readme. Please use file names that are specific to the dataset, i.e. borehole_sitename_2013_readme.txt.
Your dataset may contain more than one file type. For example, files of surface air temperature measurements are associated with files containing soil property measurements. Please provide a readme for each file type.
Keep in mind that although each category below might not work for each dataset, the following outline should be adhered to as closely as possible. Detailed description of your data encourages the reuse of your data by the Arctic Science research community. If you have any questions about this template, please contact .
Dataset Title: If you have already submitted your data to ACADIS, you will have already have created a dataset title when you created metadata for your dataset. Use that title here. Otherwise, please give your dataset a title that is less than 220 characters. It should be descriptive enough so that when a user is presented with a list of titles the general content of the dataset can be determined. Please contact ACADIS Community Support at for more advice on how to name your datasets.
Document Information: Name the document author(s) and the date you are writing this. Including the date is important.
Other Main Contacts: Please list any main contacts connected with the creation of this dataset. Include their titles and roles, if available. Relevant roles include principle investigators, data managers, and other assistants that were responsible for the collection and processing of this data set.
Summary Description: In a paragraph describe 'Who, What, Where, When, and Why' about the dataset you are submitting to the ACADIS Gateway (aoncadis.org).
Background Information: If not captured in the ‘Dataset Description’ section, please describe other background information about these data, for example; is this dataset part of a larger experiment or collection of datasets? If nothing is needed here, use N/A for not applicable.
Temporal Coverage: Indicate the beginning and ending dates of data collection.
Platform/Station/Site/Ship Information: Describe the platform(s) or sites from which the data was collected. Be descriptive as possible.
Location Information:This section can include location keywords (e.g. Greenland), station names, geographic coordinates and elevations, or bounding box coordinates (Easternmost, Westernmost, Northernmost, Southernmost). The more specific you can be, the better.
Parameters: Indicate what measurement types were used when collecting data. ACADIS Data Curators recommend that you use the list of Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Convention standard names for measurement types for this section. These are listed, with precise definitions and units, at
Sensor and Instruments: Describe the instruments/and or sensors that were used during data collection. If readily available, include instrument make, year, model, vendor, calibration and maintenance history, deployment info, and geo-location. If there were any errors or highlights about the use of these sensors and instruments, indicate so in this section. Malfunctions or weather interruptions would be examples of this. Include sampling and reporting frequencies in this section.
Methods and Processing: Describe how you went about collecting and processing your data in order to achieve major findings. Include software that was used and instructions for restitution within the applications that were used to process your data.
Funding Source: Include the grant number or numbers and funding agencies that supported the work.
External Resources: In this section, provide links to external resources, i.e. related web pages, departmental websites, or other online resources that will assist with the reuse of your data.
File Naming Guidelines:Include the file naming convention you used to name your files. Please reference
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ACADIS NSF ReadMe Template – Last Updated 20130716