Units

    Units #

    Simply put, all units for all values MUST be non-prefixed International System of Units (SI / Metric) units.

    This may not always be the easiest choice but this rule will vastly simplify interoperation and conversion of data between different databases.

    Rules #

    1. Implicit units MUST be assumed to be SI units #

    Any field that does explicitly mention a unit MUST be assumed to be in SI units.

    2. Explicitly mentioned units SHOULD be SI units #

    A field may include the name of the unit in it’s name if it helps clarify the meaning of the value.

    The unit name SHOULD NOT be abbreviated.

    CSV distance measurement in meters:

    distance_meters
12030

    3.Values that violated the above rules MUST name the unit explicitly #

    A field SHOULD NOT store any non-SI unit.

    It MAY store a non-SI unit if the unit it is explicitly stated in the field’s name.

    The unit name SHOULD NOT be abbreviated.

    Examples:

    CSV distance measurement in kilometers:

    distance_kilometers
12.03

    JSON distance measurement in miles:

    {
    "distance_miles": 7.4750954
}

    Further definitions #

    Dates #

    Dates must be stored in the ISO8601 format.

    The ISO8601 format is a standard format for representing dates and times. It is flexible in some of its forms. For example:

    • The most common form is YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss
      • this is a local date, that is, a date that is ambiguous in the exact time it occurs because it has no UTC offset information.
    • You can add fractional seconds YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sss
    • Or you can use an alternate separator: YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss.sss
      • using a (space) separator is recommended for dates that need to be parsed by Excel
      • using the T separator is the recommended default
    • 24-hour times MUST be used.
    • AM and PM times MUST NOT be used.
    • You can add UTC offsets: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss+HH:MM
    • Or include dates in UTC: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ

    Durations #

    Durations SHOULD always be stored in seconds.

    A duration MAY be stored in the ISO8601 duration format, but it is not recommended.

    Offsets #

    Offsets MUST be stored in seconds.

    Offsets MUST NOT be negative.

    GPS Coordinates #

    GPS coordinates MUST adhere to the following rules:

    • latitude and longitude MUST be stored in decimal degrees
    • where a geodetic datum is not specified it should be assumed to be WGS84
    • you SHOULD avoid storing coordinates in other datums
      • if you do you MUST include the datum in another field
    • coordinates MAY be stored in the following formats:

      • two fields, typically named latitude and longitude, in the WGS84 datum

        latitude,longitude
-27.3812533,152.7130153

      • three fields, typically named latitude, longitude and geodetic_datum

        latitude,longitude,geodetic_datum
-27.3812533,152.7130153,WGS_84

      • one field, using the ISO 6709 standard String (Annex H) format, typically named location.

        location
-27.3812533+152.7130153/

        With altitude:

        location
-27.3812533+152.7130153+28.4CRSWGS_84/

    Frequency #

    Frequency values MUST be stored in hertz (Hz).

    Temperature #

    Technically, the SI unit for temperature is kelvins (K). However, we recognize that outside of physics and chemistry, using kelvins is impractical.

    As degrees Celsius (℃) is a derived SI unit, has the same magnitude as kelvins, and is trivial to convert to and from, we recommend that temperature values be stored in degrees Celsius.

    Advice for working with user-facing units #

    Units should be converted to an appropriate format when shown in a user interface, or when otherwise presented to a user.

    For example: a field survey form should accept units in the most relevant format. This might mean miles or kilometers for a distance measurement.

    When the data is saved, it MUST be converted to non-prefixed SI units.

    Example: making an app #

    If you’re making an app, you can convert units in your view-model or in the binding expression of the UI component.

    Example: using a spreadsheet #

    If you’re recording data in a spreadsheet, you can accept user input in one cell, and have another hidden cell that converts the user input to SI units.