= The SONAR-netCDF4 convention for sonar data

This directory contains the text and source files necessary to generate the SONAR-netCDF4 convention.

It is also the place where new versions of the convention are discussed and developed.

Version 2.0 of the SONAR-netCDF4 convention is available http://nbviewer.org/github/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/blob/v2.0/Formatted_docs/crr341.pdf[here]. Compared to version 1, more types of sonars are supported, including echosounders, multibeam systems, and doppler current profilers. An overview of the main changes are given in Section 7 of the convention.

Version 1.0 of the SONAR-netCDF4 convention (as ICES CRR No. 341) is available https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/report/The_SONAR-netCDF4_convention_for_sonar_data_Version_1_0/18624056[here].

== Ongoing and future developments

Refinements to version are currently under development to store processed and summarised versions of the acoustic data. As these changes are added to the main convention document, the Revision history section of that document is updated to provide a summmary of what has changed.

A preview of the latest working draft is available https://htmlpreview.github.io/?https://github.com/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/blob/master/Formatted_docs/crr341.html[here] (or as a http://nbviewer.org/github/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/blob/master/Formatted_docs/crr341.pdf[pdf]).

image::https://github.com/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/workflows/BuildDocuments/badge.svg[Embedded]

=== Procedures for publishing a new version of the convention

The convention receives changes through submission and acceptance of Github pull requests to the convention document. When these changes make up a coherent and consistent set of new or changed features, a new version of the convention can be released.

The following procedures should be followed prior to the release of a new version:

• Notify contributors and interested parties that a new version is planned and request that pending additions or changes be submitted as pull requests within 2 weeks,
• Review these pull requests and accept, reject, or delay all such pull requests within 2 weeks,
• Obtain reviews of the convention and accept only corrections and clarifications within a 3 week period,
• Publish the convention (needs a list of more specific steps here)

== Suggestions and contributions welcome WGFAST welcomes suggestions, discussion, and contributions to this SONAR netCDF-4 convention.

Before submitting a pull request, please take a moment to find out whether your idea fits within the scope and aims of the convention, and whether your idea can be achieved within the existing SONAR netCDF-4 convention. It is your role to adequately explain and justify the merits of what you want. Please provide as much detail and context as possible. Good pull requests remain focused in scope and avoid containing unrelated commits.

Please ask the convention coordinators before starting on any significant edits. Otherwise you risk spending a lot of time working on something that the convention coordinators might not want to merge into the project.

== How to contribute The metadata convention is written in AsciiDoc markup language. Suggestions, discussions, and contributions are done through the facilities provided by GitHub. Please use the https://github.com/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/issues[issue tracker] for suggestions and discussions, and create https://github.com/ices-publications/SONAR-netCDF4/pulls[pull requests] for contributions.

For guidance on Git, GitHub, and AsciiDoc syntax, as well as the suggested Git workflow for contributors, please refer to documents in the https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGFAST/tree/master/How_to_contribute[How to contribute] folder.