BiologicalMeasurementType and hidden units

[KirstenBirchHaakansson]

Issue from WGRDBES-StockCoord

The codes used in the National and Regional Catch Estimates Format (RCEF) (still under development) relies in most cases on code list already used in RDBES and InterCatch and the table where the Age/Length/Width distributions are declared encompass almost all the codes from the ‘BiologicalMeasurementType’. The idea is that if new biological measurement types are added, the format can also support reporting these. However, the issue lies in the fact that the units for these codes are currently embedded within the description of the variables or codes in the RDBES data model (see figure below). This is prone to errors. Therefore, the WG suggest to include the unit in the variable name (e.g., WeightLive_g and LengthTotal_mm). We cannot add a separate field for the unit if we continue to use the BiologicalMeasurementType code list, as the unit is already specified in the description. Adding a new field could potentially create contradictions with the existing descriptions. Alternatively, we would need to develop a new code list to address this issue.

[HenrikK-N]

The issue is not really seen, in the field 'Type of biological measurement measured'/BVtypeMeasured e.g. 'TotalLenght' is inserted. In the BVvalueMeasured the measured value is inserted e.g. 570. In the field 'Value unit or scale'/'BVvalueUnitOrScale' the unit 'Lengthmm' is inserted. So the Total length have to be in millimeter, there should not be any contradiction, length cannot be in other measurement units that millimeter.