Recovery of Logbooks And International Marine Data RECLAIM Task L23

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Recovery of Logbooks And International Marine
Data (RECLAIM) (Task L-23)
Project aim A cooperative international project
to image historical ship logbooks and related
marine data and metadata, and digitize the
meteorological and oceanographic observations for
merger into the International Comprehensive
Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) and for
utilization for climate research
Eric Freeman, Sourcecorp/CDMP Clive Wilkinson,
CDMP U. East Anglia UK Scott Woodruff, Earth
System Research Laboratory (ESRL) OAR/NOAA
HMS Ajax Example half-page from logbook, 1939.
By courtesy of The National Archives, Kew (UK)
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Primary FY08 focus English East India Company
(EIC) Logbook Digitization
A fleet of East Indiamen at sea, by Nicholas
Pocock. (Courtesy of the National Maritime
Museum, London)
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Purpose

• To capture marine observations during 1784-1830
  containing instrumental data from EIC logbooks
  held at the British Library
• Cooperative project with the UK

Significance

• These very early instrumental data will be
  crucial for filling historical data gaps when
  data over the oceans were extremely sparse,
  spatially and temporally
• The data are very important for climate change
  studies as well as atmospheric reconstructions
  over the globe

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EIC Sample Logbook Image with primary elements
(mainly daily data) being keyed

• Wind Direction/Force (closest to noon)

• Lat/Long (noon)
• Barometer (noon)
• Air Temperature (noon)

• State of Weather/Visibility (all available)

• State of Sea (all available none pictured)

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FY08 EIC Accomplishments

• 1100 logbooks imaged (UK funded)
• Indexed in WSSRD
• Selected data from 200 logbooks digitized
• Preliminary QC assessment and translation into
  the International Maritime Met. Archive (IMMA)
  format for ICOADS (implemented by UK)

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Scope of Proposed FY09 EIC Work

• Digitize remaining 700 logbooks not captured in
  FY2008
• Provide IMMA observations to ICOADS
• Also to UK project partners including
• Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the
  Earth (ACRE)
• British Antarctic Survey

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Scope of Additional RECLAIM Work Proposed in
FY09-beyond

• Dr Wilkinson will continue to document UK archive
  holdings, linking with ACRE and other UK projects
• Imaging and proposed digitization of UK Royal
  Navy World War I (1914-23) Ships Logs
• UK Hydrographic Holdings (e.g. Remarks Books)
• UK Met Office Archive (e.g., 4K 19thC Met.
  Registers)
• Expeditionary, whaling data, platform metadata,
  etc.
• Continue to populate the RECLAIM website
• http//icoads.noaa.gov/reclaim/
• E.g., published data and literature inventory
  (currently 250 entries of marine and
  oceanographic interest)

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For questions, please contact
Eric.Freeman_at_noaa.govc.w.wilkinson_at_uea.ac.ukScot
t.D.Woodruff_at_noaa.govhttp//icoads.noaa.gov/recla
im/