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NovaStar Data Model / Station

Stations are physical or virtual locations where data are collected or generated.

Overview

Each NovaStar station corresponds to a physical or virtual location where data are collected (e.g., from a sensor) or generated (e.g., from a calculation). Stations properties include information to help software know how to communicate (e.g., ALERT, polling, data import) and manage the frequency of data collection.

Each station has one or more points, which correspond to data collection data types (precipitation, water level, etc.).

Station Data Best Practices

Many station data properties are clearly defined, including selection from predefined lists or numerical values. However, in some cases, there is flexibility to define data. The following are are best practice recommendations for station data.

Station Numerical Identifier

The station numerical identifier is a unique integer value that identifies the station within NovaStar. This is not the same as the internal identifier that is used for database relationships. The numerical identifier is typically set as follows:

  • For legacy ALERT stations:
    • ...
  • For ALERT2 stations:
    • ...
  • For other stations that are owned and maintained by the NovaStar system entity:
    • ...
  • For stations that are owned and maintained by another entity:
    • ...

Station Tag Name

The station tag name is used for data displays as an alternate to the numerical identifier. Because it is text, it is generally set to an identifier that has meaning in the data collection system:

  • For legacy ALERT stations:
    • ...
  • For ALERT2 stations:
    • ...
  • For other stations that are owned and maintained by the NovaStar system entity:
    • ...
  • For stations that are owned and maintained by another entity:
    • ...

Station Remote Tag Name

The remote tag is typically used for data import and is the identifier in the remote system. For example, if importing data from the United States Geological Survey, it is the USGS site identifier. This allows data that is imported in the NovaStar system to be checked against the external system.

Station Name

The station name is displayed in user interfaces and information products and should be defined as a short phrase without special characters. The following table lists recommendations. Using a regional jurisdiction name allows stations from multiple jurisdictions to be added to a system over time and the names can be easily sorted in lists.

Station Name Recommendations

System Type Recommended Station Name                                
Small or private system that will not include regional stations with imported data. Stream Landmark
XYZ Stream at CR 123
ABC River at XYZ Street
ABC Reservoir
Medium to large system that may include regional stations with imported data. Regional Jurisdiction - Stream Landmark
ABC County - XYZ Stream at CR 123
CityName - ABC River at XYZ Street
ABC County - XYZ Reservoir

Station Description

The station description provides a longer description and may contain Property=Value strings to define station properties. See the data web services documentation for standard description property names. The following are examples of station descriptions.

Located 1.2 miles east of HWY 1 and road x junction and above River1 and River 2 confluence.  Installed by ABC on 2013-07-01.

Located in ABC City at the Big Bend Bridge.

Out of Service

The station "out of service" value indicates whether a station is out of service. The value should be set to true when a station is out of service for the following reasons:

  • maintenance that requires multiple days to fix a station (e.g., lightning strike, equipment failure)
  • winterized station
  • retired station (see also description properties)