Pre-launch day preparation

Topic: Checklist of steps and detailed instructions for final preparations to complete before mission launch day

Last Updated 2025-06-02

This process, particularly prepping the basestation and some file formats, looks different if using the OSU basestation or seaglider.pub/basestation3. These differences are noted in the task list details below

Supplies

Laptop with Putty (or other terminal), WinSCP (optional), MATLAB, text editor

Goals

Review pre-shipment and any other self test files
Prep basestation with mission folder and final piloting files
Set up local desktop file storage
Set up agate configuration files

Task details

Review any pre-launch day self tests

Any pre-shipment self tests should have already been reviewed but it is helpful to review again and use the outputs to prep the intial cmdfile with new trim centers, intial dive depth, etc.

Look for critical errors or warnings
- If using seaglider.pub review the online report, otherwise review the capture file (.cap)
Review all loaded parameters (in the .log file) and note those that need to be updated for a mission

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Prep basestation

Connect to the basestation via SSH terminal or WinSCP to view current status of basestation files. Previous mission files may need to be cleaned up and a new mission folder needs to be set up. Specific instructions are different for seaglider.pub/basestation3 and the OSU Basestation.

seaglider.pub/basestation3 basestation prep

Connect to seaglider.pub via terminal (see Command Line Guide for help with the command line)
Navigate to the glider’s home directory /home/jails/noaaosu/gliderjail/home/SGxxx
All piloting files from the last mission should be in a mission-specific folder (named with YYYY-MM-DD_location_MonYear) that is also mapped as the current folder
- Check the current folder with the command ls -la from the home directory. This will display all files with details and the current folder will be listed with -> with the folder it is currently mapped to
If there are mission-specific piloting files (e.g. baselog, p######.log, .nc, etc.) those need to be moved using MoveData.py (this is unlikely as it was the old approach) BEFORE setting up the new mission or they may be overwritten

Old mission files need to be moved with MoveData.py

(only if NewMission.py was NOT used to set up the previous mission)

Navigate to the glider’s home directory e.g., /home/jails/noaaosu/gliderjail/home/SGxxx or the folder with the files to be moved
Run basepy MoveData.py -m <currentLocation> -t <newLocation>
- <currentLocation> is the location of the files to be moved. Use . if you are in the home directory. Alternatively it can be specified as the full path to /home/jails/noaaosu/gliderjail/home/sgxxx (the glider’s home directory) or a different folder
- <newLocation> should be YYYY-MM-DD_deployment_location or if it is just sim dives to be moved, YYYY-MM_DD_sim_dives. Path only has to be specified relative to the present working directory

NOTE: I think this script does not move wispr files (ws0001az.x00, etc) and so those must be moved manually

Create the new mission directory

Navigate to the glider’s home directory e.g., /home/jails/noaaosu/gliderjail/home/sgXXX
Use NewMission.py to create a new folder for this specific mission
- The function will set up the mapping of the current folder so all newly created piloting files will be saved here when the glider calls in
- It will also copy general files from the home directory like pagers.yml, all the files that start with . that we don’t really use except .pagers, and piloting files like science, cmdfile, targets and sg_calib_constants.m. The originals stay in the home directory but this provides a starting point for this particular mission
To run the function use:

basepy NewMission.py ./ <newMissionFolderName>

# note the above uses seaglider.pub's shortcut to map full python paths
# alternatively could use full paths
/opt/basestation/bin/python /usr/local/basestation3/NewMission.py ./ <newMissionFolderName>

<newMissionFolderName> is the folder name that includes deployment date as yyyy-mm-dd the mission title string from sg_calib_constants.m that follows the format of Location_MonYYYY and both parts separated by an underscore
- Example: 2024-08-23_CalCurCEAS_Aug2024
Check that it was set up properly by running ls -la from the home directory

Add the mission to `missions.yml`

Update the missions.yml to properly display this mission on the seaglider.pub vis

The syntax is very specific and errors can be difficult to debug so it is best practice to create a backup copy before making any changes - Navigate to your user folder (/home/jails/noaaosu/username) and use cp ../gliderjail/home/missions.yml missions.orig to create a backup of the existing missions.yml in your user directory

Navigate to /home/jails/noaaosu/gliderjail/home
Open missions.yml for editing (using vi or nano)
Copy the previous mission to the # past missions section if needed
- Mark the previous mission as complete by adding the line status: complete
Update the mission name and folder path in the # current missions section

Example syntax

# long form
  - 
    glider: 680
    mission: CalCurCEAS_Sep2024
    path: sg680/2024-09-14_CalCurCEAS_Sep2024
    also: [ {asset: newport} ]
    
# condensed
  - { glider: 680, mission: CalCurCEAS_Sep2024, path: sg680/2024-09-14_CalCurCEAS_Sep2024, status: complete}

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OSU basestation prep - OBSOLETE

By default the OSU basestation keeps all the current mission files in the home directory. So, before a new mission that home directory needs to be cleaned up and all those files need to be moved to a subdirectory for the previous mission.

Connect to the basestation via WinSCP to view current status of basestation files
If old files are on there, need to clean them up!
Create a subdirectory within that glider’s folder. Name based on date, mission, or selftests
Move all old data in one step
- Open terminal window to basestation and login with password
- Navigate to main directory by typing cd / and hitting enter
- Type usr/local/basestation/MoveData.py -m <current data location> -t <new data location> into the terminal windown and hit enter
  - <current location> is usually /home/sgxxx
  - <new location> should be /home/sgxxx/YYYY-MM-DD_deployment_location (i.e., /home/sg607/2023-04-25_deployment_MHI)
  - some text will print confirming it worked, and now /home/sgxxx will be mostly cleaned up and ready for new mission
  - this script does not move wispr files (ws0001az.x00, etc) and so those must be moved manually

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Prep and upload final piloting files

Review the below files and upload them to the current mission folder. These can either be edited directly via the command line (using either vi or nano editors if using seaglider.pub) or by downloading and re-uploading manually using WinSCP. See the Command Line Guide for help with the command line.

sg_calib_constants.m
- Change mission name and mass and update any calibration coefficients
- If not using basestation3, also update rho0, volmax and the hydrodynamic parameters
sg_plot_constants.m
- Set vis map figure lat/lon extents
Upload cmdfile
- Check all params and update where needed for first short dive
Check/update science (note format varies slightly for v66.12 or v67.0 gliders)
Upload targets
- For help creating a targets file, see the Mission planning page of the agate documentation
Check pmar.cnf (if PMAR system only)
Check/update pagers.yml (basestation3) or .pagers (OSU basestation)
Check/update any pdoscmds.bat or create placeholders
- Shouldn’t need one to start a mission but sometimes is useful to have a placeholder such as pdoscmds.bat_target that is loaded and ready to be copied/modified as needed. Examples of these can be stored in your user directory and copied into the specific glider’s mission folder

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Set up local file structure

Create a ‘mission’ folder on the desktop or somewhere else easily accessible for downloading any glider basestation or piloting files locally. Suggest naming by the glider and mission name e.g., sgxxx_mission_MonYYYY to match the conventions used in agate
Either manually create the basestationFiles and flightStatus folders within this mission folder, or use mkdir in MATLAB to create them

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Set up agate

Check for any updates to agate from GitHub (https://github.com/sfregosi/agate), if desired
Set up a configuration file for this glider and mission
Create a download script for easy downloading of basestation files to the local machine and generating some summary stats for the mission
See agate documentation for more detail on these steps

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Topic: Checklist of steps and detailed instructions for final preparations to complete before mission launch day

Supplies

Goals

Task list

Task details

Review any pre-launch day self tests

Prep basestation

seaglider.pub/basestation3 basestation prep

Create the new mission directory

Add the mission to missions.yml

OSU basestation prep - OBSOLETE

Prep and upload final piloting files

Set up local file structure

Set up agate

Add the mission to `missions.yml`