CSV Output

CSV format provides tabular data ideal for Excel analysis, operational planning, and integration with external systems. The output includes detailed operation schedules with a relevant subset of parameters.

Note

CSV output is available from the schedule command (cruiseplan schedule --format csv). For configuration-based data, consider extracting station coordinates from YAML files.

Purpose and Use Cases

Primary Uses:

Excel-based on the fly updates to the cruise schedule
Operational planning spreadsheets
Integration with ship management systems (e.g. to provide waypoints)

CSV Structure and Fields

The CSV output contains operational data with the following columns:

Core Fields

Standard CSV Columns
Column Name	Data Type	Description
`activity`	String	type of activty (e.g., “Port_Departure”, “Station”, “Transit”, “Area”)
`label`	String	Unique identifier for each operation (e.g., “CTD_001”, “MOOR_A_DEPLOY”)
`operation_action`	String	Operation category (CTD, mooring, transit, calibration) and action (deploy, recover, profile)
`start_time`	ISO DateTime	Operation start time (ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ)
`end_time`	ISO DateTime	Operation end time (ISO 8601 format)
`Transit dist [nm]`	Float	Route-based distance to this operation (nautical miles)
`Vessel speed [kt]`	Float	Vessel speed used for transit calculation (knots)
`Duration [hrs]`	Integer	Operation duration in minutes
`Depth [m]`	Float	Target operation depth (e.g., CTD cast depth, meters)
`Lat [deg]`	Float	Station latitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
`Lon [deg]`	Float	Station longitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
`Lat [deg_rounded]`	Float	Station latitude in integer (rounded) degrees (WGS84)
`Lat [min]`	Float	Station latitude in decimal minutes (WGS84)
`Lon [deg_rounded]`	Float	Station longitude in integer (rounded) degrees (WGS84)
`Lon [min]`	Float	Station longitude in decimal minutes (WGS84)
`leg_name`	String	Leg identifier for multi-leg expeditions

Example CSV Output

Sample Data Structure

 activity,label,operation_action,start_time,end_time,Transit dist [nm],Vessel speed [kt],Duration [hrs],Depth [m],Lat [deg],Lon [deg],Lat [deg_rounded],Lat [min],Lon [deg_rounded],Lon [min],leg_name
Port_Departure,Departure: Halifax to Operations,,1970-01-01T00:00:00,1970-01-03T09:46:00,577.8,10.0,57.8,0,44.6488,-63.5752,44,38.93,-63,34.51,Mixed_Survey
Station,STN_001,Station profile,1970-01-03T09:46:00,1970-01-03T10:18:00,0.0,0,0.5,58,45.0,-50.0,45,0.0,-50,0.0,Mixed_Survey
Transit,Transit to ADCP_Survey,Transit,1970-01-03T10:48:00,1970-01-03T16:49:00,60.0,10.0,6.0,0,46.0,-50.0,46,0.0,-50,0.0,Mixed_Survey
Transit,ADCP_Survey,Transit (ADCP),1970-01-03T16:49:00,1970-01-04T04:49:00,60.0,5.0,12.0,0,46.0,-50.0,46,0.0,-50,0.0,Mixed_Survey
Transit,Transit to Area_01,Transit,1970-01-04T05:19:00,1970-01-04T11:19:00,60.0,10.0,6.0,0,48.0,-50.0,48,0.0,-50,0.0,Mixed_Survey
Area,Area_01,Area bathymetry,1970-01-04T11:19:00,1970-01-04T13:19:00,0.0,0,2.0,0,48.0,-50.0,48,0.0,-50,0.0,Mixed_Survey
Port_Arrival,Arrival: Operations to Cadiz,Port_Arrival,1970-01-04T13:19:00,1970-01-13T00:14:00,2029.1,10.0,202.9,0,36.5298,-6.2923,36,31.79,-6,17.54,Mixed_Survey

Data Types and Formatting

Timestamp Format:

ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
UTC timezone for consistency
24-hour time format
Sortable chronological order

Coordinate Precision:

Decimal degrees: 5 decimal places (±1m accuracy)
DMM format: 2 decimal place for minutes (±.1m accuracy)
Signed values (no hemisphere indicators). When degrees are negative, minutes are also negative allowing direct addition.

Distance and Duration Values:

Nautical miles: 1 decimal place
Hours: 1 decimal place

Excel Integration

Example Excel Display

CSV output displayed in Excel showing cruise schedule data — CSV schedule data from `tc4_mixed_ops_enriched.yaml` displayed in Excel, showing the complete timeline with activity types, coordinates, timing, and transit information organized in a spreadsheet format suitable for operational planning.

Note that as provided, the CSV file does not include any special formatting, formulas, or styling. Users can apply their own Excel features as needed. E.g., the timing can be updated using formulas and the duration column, and conditional formatting can be applied to highlight daytime vs nighttime operations, or specific types of operations.