ISIS User Guide
Welcome to ISIS, the Integrated Station Information System. ISIS is a web-based software used to access and edit station metadata. Its flexible design allows different station networks to incorporate their data. ISIS's current implementation includes only the Climate Reference Network.
This User Guide is intended to provide a general overview of ISIS's features without going into the details specific to each station network. Below is a list of the features found in ISIS.
Introduction to ISIS
The core of the ISIS data model consists of the concepts of stations, networks, events, fields, and values. Stations are grouped into networks --- each station is a member of exactly one network. ISIS can support an arbitrary number of networks, each containing an arbitrary number of stations. Station information is stored in fields which have values that change over time. An event for a station is a change to the value of one or more of that stations fields. ISIS tracks the history of the values of each stations fields by storing a sequence of events for that station. Associated with each event is a list of the fields changed by that event, and their new values.
Logging In
There are several ways to login to ISIS. The first involves navigating to the login page directly. For example, on the NCDC Web Site, you can access ISIS via this hyperlink: /access/isis/login.htm
Another way to login to ISIS is to click on the "login" hyperlink which appears in the header of some ISIS pages when you are not logged in. For example, the station list page can be viewed by anyone without logging in, but it provides a link to the login page.
When you are not already logged in to ISIS, one final way to login is to attempt to access a page which requires authentication. For example, if you attempt to access the home page, you will be redirected to login first.
Logging Out
If you are logged in, your user name will display in the page header. Below your user name there is a link to "Logout". Click on this link, and you will be logged out of ISIS and taken to the Login screen.
Your ISIS Home Page
If you have an account on ISIS, logging in will take you to your home page. From there, you can navigate directly to some of the most commonly used tasks. You will only be shown tasks which you are authorized to do. Following is a list of options you may see.
Your Network
If you have logged into a network, or if you only have access to one network (most users), the top of the screen will show which network you are logged into.
View Stations
All users will be able to access a list of stations from the home page. From there you can view stations, station history, and events.
Unfinished Events
When you are authorized to add events to ISIS and you have at least one which is unfinished, you will see a complete list unfinished events. You can edit or remove them by clicking on the appropriate icon.
Add a Station
If you are authorized to add stations to ISIS, you will have an "Add Station" button on the control panel on your home page.
Edit Profile
When you need to update your information in your ISIS account, such as your name or organization, select the "Add Station" button from the control panel.
User Guide
Additionally, everyone will have a link to the User Guide from the home page.
Viewing a List of Stations
Anyone may view a stations in ISIS. Navigate to the ISIS station list page. If you are already logged in to a network (such as the Climate Reference Network), a list of stations for the network will be shown. Otherwise, if multiple station networks are available, select the network you are interested in to view the station list.
From the station list page, click on a station to view that station's event history.
If you have authorization to add stations to this network, you can do so from here. Click
the "Add Station" icon (
)
at the top or bottom of the page.
Viewing a Station's History
In ISIS, anyone may view a station's history. Navigate to the ISIS station list and select the station you are interested in. [help]
You see a table of station events showing the date, type, and description (if there
is one). Click on the 
icon
on the same row to view an event's details.
If you have authorization to add station events to this network, you can do so from here. Click
the icon at the top or bottom of the page.
If you are authorized to modify an event, you may also do so from here. Click on the
icon
next to the icon to change the values originally entered.
Viewing Event Details
In ISIS, anyone may view an event. First navigate to the station history page of the station you are interested in help.
A table of station events is displayed showing the date, type, and description (if there
is one). Click on the icon to view an event's details.
Details about the event (station, date, description) are shown at the top of the page. Below the details is a form showing the value for each field prior to the event and the value that the field changes to as a result of the event. If the event does not change the field value, this latter value is not displayed.
There are two event views. The default shows only a list of fields which change as a result of an event, but you may also view values for all fields in the station as of this event. Switch between these views by selecting the desired option at the top of the page.
If you have authorization to modify this event or add station events to this network, you can do so from here. Click the "Add Event" or "modify" icons at the top of the page. You will only be shown the options which you are authorized for.
Adding a New Event
You must login to ISIS and have proper authorization to add a new event to the database. Navigate to the station history page of the station you are interested in [help].
Select
to add an event for this station. You will only be
shown this option if you are authorized to add a new event.
Screen 1
In the first screen you will be prompted to enter the date and select an event type.
First enter the date. The date and time fields are automatically filled in with the current UTC date/time, but they should match the documentation of the date/time this event occurs. The date must be UTC and in the format YYYYMMDDHHmmSS. If you attempt to enter the date in some other format, the software will not let you advance to the second screen. The time field is not required, and will default to 00:00:00 if left blank.
The event types are customized to the network you are logged in to. Each event type causes a different set of fields to be available on the second screen. Your network's ISIS documentation should describe what each of these event types should be used for.
When you are ready to advance to the next screen, select . If you have filled in a valid date and selected an event type, you will be taken to Screen 2.
Screen 2
In the second screen you will be prompted to enter an event description (optional) and fill in values for fields associated with the event type you selected in Screen 1. Follow the instructions below, and when you are ready to advance to the next screen, select . If you have filled in all fields with the appropriate type of data and completed required required fields, select and you will be taken to Screen 3. From this screen you may instead select to save this event to your workspace help.
Enter Changed Values
In ISIS, you only need to enter the values for fields which change. So if Temperature Sensor #1
is not replaced, you probably won't need to make any changes to the Manufacturer or Model. However,
if the sensor is recalibrated you will need to enter new calibration coefficients. Enter the new
values in the text boxes or select the value from the list. If you see a
next to a field, that field has a constraint. For example, in CRN the calibration coefficient must
be a number. Clicking the icon will open a popup window describing the constraint. Your browser
must allow javascript and popups for this site to use this feature. You may also hover over the image to see its
title.
Removing Values No Longer Used
In some cases you may wish to remove a field which is no longer in use. This has the effect of
entering "null" into the database as the new value. This is the only way to enter "null" into the
database, since if you do not enter a value for the field, ISIS will assume this value did not
change. You may only remove a field if there is a 
next to the field name. This will
happen only when the instance of this field is optional - for example, if you may have three or four
temperature sensors, and this is Temperature Sensor #4.
You can also remove a group of fields. If there is a
next to a group of fields, selecting it will
remove the whole group. This has the effect of entering "null" in the database for all fields in
the group.
Adding Field Instances
If the maximum number of instances of a field do not appear in the form already, there will be
an "add" icon to add an additional instance. For example, a network may allow you to enter an
unlimited number of telephone numbers for a contact. In this case there will always be a button
to add another phone number for that person. Select
and hit
. A field will appear
with a message asking you to fill in the phone number. You can also add groups of fields, such
as another contact (a name, address, phone number, etc.), when the maximum number has not been
met.
Error Messages
If you attempt to advance to Screen 3 but have not entered required information or have entered a value which is not valid for a field, you will not advance to the next screen. Instead, a list of error messages will appear at the top of the page as well as next to the field they affect. For example, if you try to enter "1.3w" instead of "1.32" for a calibration coefficent, you will get an error message, because this field must contain a number. If this happens, you will not lose the data you have already entered. Fix each error referenced by the message before advancing to the next page.
Screen 3
Screen 3 shows you the changes as they will be submitted to the ISIS database. You may modify your entry or select to confirm you have input the event values correctly; nothing is entered into the database until you do. From this screen you may instead select to save this event to your workspace help.
Warnings
You may see a warning at the top of this page. For example, if you enter an event date which is within 24 hours of some other event for this station, you will see a warning messages and a link to the conflicting date. If you determine the warning requires no further research, you may override it by selecting . Warnings are different from error messages because you can override them. You can not override an error message.
On completion, you will be taken to the Event Viewer to view this new event.
Return to an Unfinished Event
To complete an unfinished event, access it from your
ISIS home page, where
you are taken each time you login. There you will find a list of your
unfinished events. You may restore the event to complete it with the
icon or click
to remove unfinished events you no longer need.
Returning to an Unfinished Event
Selecting an unfinished event's
icon from your home page is
just like adding a new event, except that any fields you completed before you saving are filled
in for you. Simply complete the event
as if it had not been saved off in the first place [help].
Removing an Unfinished Event
Selecting an unfinished event's
icon from your home page takes you to a page
which asks you to confirm the deletion. Select
to have it permanently
removed from your workspace.
Correcting an Event
Introduction
Correcting an event in ISIS is done only to fix an error, such as entering the wrong phone number or misspelling a word. Since the ISIS database tracks changes, a change to a field value (such as a new contact for a station) should be made with a new event, not a correction. Corrections do not appear separately in the station history [help]. Rather, when viewing an event [help], the corrected value is shown as if it were a part of the event as originally entered. If quality control processes are in place, corrections should be made infrequently.
Warning
Recall that ISIS tracks changes to a field's values. Because of this, correcting an event can have side effects. Notably, if there are station events which follow the one you are correcting, your new value will "bubble through" the events until this field is changed by another event. If no events follow this one, like when correcting a recent event, this does not matter. However if you are correcting a historical event, you should carefully assess the changes to ensure they do not have undesired effects. This is even more important if you change the date an event occurred, causing the order of events to change. If you do the latter, ISIS will warn you before you confirm your changes, giving you the opportunity to view the other events before submitting your changes.
Instructions
You must login to ISIS and have proper authorization to correct an event. Navigate to the event you wish
to modify
[help] and select the
icon. You may also select this icon from the
station history page
[help].
The correction page restores the event to its state as it was before it was last entered into the database. Values which were entered into fields are restored to the input fields, and the previous values (before the event was entered) are displayed next to the input fields.
Correcting the Event Date
If you wish to edit the event date, first select . On the next page, enter a reason for the correction and the new date on the next screen and click . If you have provided a reason for correction, a date in YYYYMMDD format, and (optionally) the time in HHmmSS you will be taken to a page to review and confirm your submission. Be sure to review any warnings which appear at the top of the page. Select to confirm your correction. You will be taken to the event viewer page where you can begin additional corrections if desired.
Correcting Event Values
If you wish to edit mistakes made on the original event entry, enter the reason for making the correction (required). Then make changes to the values originally submitted or add new values. Select to continue to the next page.
If you have provided a reason for correction, made at least one edit, and the values provided meet the field requirements, you will be taken to a page to review and confirm your submission. Be sure to review any warnings which appear at the top of the page. This page looks just like the event entry confirmation page but event corrections are highlighted differently than the original event changes.
Select to confirm your correction. You will be taken to the event viewer page, where you can begin additional corrections if desired.
Adding a Station to ISIS
Adding a station to the database is done before a station is installed. Often installation is the first event in a station's history. Your network administrator establishes a list of fields which must be completed in order to add the station to ISIS.
You must login to ISIS and have proper authorization to add a new station to the database.
From your ISIS home page [help] you will see a section entitled
"Add Station". Select the
icon. You may also navigate to the
station list [help]
and select the
icon.
Enter the date in YYYYMMDD format. Time is optional (if left empty it defaults to 00:00:00) but must be entered in HHmmSS format or left blank.
Below the date is a list of fields in which you may enter values. Note that these fields may be different for each network, and some fields may be required. Fill in appropriate fields and click .
If you have entered a valid date and valid data in all required fields, you will be taken to a page where you will be asked to review and confirm the data you entered. Select to complete your transaction.
Authentication
Many ISIS features require authentication to use. For example, anyone may view station metadata, but only an authorized user may add new metadata. A user who has privileges to add metadata or modify an event may not have authorization to add a new station to the database.
We try to hide features from users if they are not authorized to use them, so a user who has privileges to add a new station will see that option on the station list page, but will not see it if they have not yet logged in.
If you have an ISIS account (a login name and password), your network administrator assigned privileges to you when creating that account. Contact the administrator if you think your privilege level is incorrect.