checking file names against contents, and ambiguous sensor serial numbers

[BrianKingNOC]

I have started checking the file names against contents

ie is the sensor or platform json file name correctly and uniquely made from the details of the float or sensor inside the file.

This showed a couple of examples where this wasn't the case, eg SBE63 instead of SBE63_OPTODE in a sensor json filename

I guess that once platform and sensor makers start doing this automatically from internal databases, it will always be correct, but it is good to check.

But there is an issue of sensor or platform serial numbers

First note that if the platform/sensor serial number is used in the filename, then it can't contain any characters that wouldn't be allowable in a unix file name. eg spaces. It can contain dashes, even thought the three elements of a platform or sensor ID are delimited by dashes. A third dash in the string isn't a problem.

But some single sensor json files contain multiple 'sensors', eg CTD and FLBB.
In a SBE41, the first serial number is the Truck pressure. The more commonly agreed serial number for the 'CTD sensor' is the serial number entered into the TEMP or CNDC sensors. Clearly the sensor json file name should be constructed from the 'CTD serial number', but there can be ambiguity about where to find that.

This is all part of not keeping really careful track of the serial numbers of the P,T,C and whole sensor separately, where those things aren't all identical.

[SBS-EREHM]

Frankly, it's the content of the JSON file, not it's name, that's important I think. The complexity of the instrument (e.g., multiple sensors) just can't be represented in the filename. As long s manufacturers are consistent, I think the DACs can live with it.