GENERAL 



The punch card used by the NODC is the SO-column^ Hollerith punch 

 card. Each column contains ten numerals, through 9; and two additional 

 places above the 0, designated as the 12 punch (also called the y or high 

 overpunch) and the 11 punch (also called the X or low overpunch). Only 

 one number or letter is punched in each column; the 12 punch, 11 punch, 

 and are used in combination with the numerals 1 through 9 "to produce 

 letters or various special symbols. 



Three basic oceanographic station cards currently are in use at the 

 NODC for recording the physical, chemical, and meteorological data from 

 an oceanographic station. These are the Master Card and two basic types 

 of Detail Cards — the Observed Depth Card and the Standard Depth Card. 

 Actually, a single, miilti-purpose card is used on which the three headings 

 are printed; the identification of the card and the headings to be used 

 are indicated by a numeric entry in Column 80. (See Appendix II, page 115 

 for sample Oceanographic Station Card, Physical and Chemical Data.) 



Two distinct sets of punch cards are produced diiring the processing 

 of oceanographic data at the NODC. One set contains the observed data 

 (or observed data and interpolated data provided by the originator) and 

 serves as the Data Input Deck for the IBM 7074/1^01 Computer System used 

 by the NODC. The other deck contains all the infomiatlon that appears in 

 the Data Input Deck as well as the interpolated and computed values gen- 

 erated by the computer. This second deck eventually becomes the NODC 

 Cruise Archive Deck for oceanographic station data. All station data re- 

 leased in punch card or listing form is based on the Cruise Archive Deck. 



