Tideda - Time Dependent Data
Tideda is a software package for making databases to store and analyse any time series data. It is particularly suitable for processing environmental and hydrological data.
Introduction
Tideda evolved from a hydrological database system first developed in New Zealand in 1969. It has been continuously developed by NIWA and used by a wide range of organisations ever since, making it amongst the most durable software in the world.
NIWA runs New Zealand's national hydrological, environmental and ecological databases. It has 14 regional field teams that collect, quality assure and archive data using Tideda. Most provincial authorities around NZ also use Tideda.
Institutional advantages of using Tideda
Tideda is a core product for our own use and as such we are continuously improving and developing it. These developments are passed on to our customers free of charge.
The software is always rigorously tested by our own scientists and field teams before it is released to customers. This ensures the highest quality and reliability. The software is based in solid science, the scientists who contribute to Tideda's development are world renowned e.g. Dr Richard Ibbitt, chairman of the Regional Steering Committee for UNESCO's International Hydrology Program (IHP) in SE Asia. Dr Ibbitt has been involved with the development of Tideda since 1970.
Advantages of using Tideda
- Tideda can input data from any digitiser and any chart type.
- Tideda has excellent manual data entry features.
- Tideda can accept data input from many dataloggers and ASCII text file formats.
- Tideda can be integrated with telemetry. We have a telemetry system that is fully integrated: this is sold separately.
- Data can be stored at any resolution down to one second. This is in keeping with modern datalogger technology
- Data can be stored at any interval(s). There is no need to distinguish between fixed and non fixed interval data.
- Data is easily managed as all data types and sites can be kept in just one file. There is no limit to the number of sites or quantity of data in a file.
- Tideda is relatively easy to learn and use. It is primarily a database for archiving, managing, and analysing hydrological data and so avoids unnecessary complexity.
- We have excellent facilities in the Tideda software for exportingTideda data to other systems e.g. Mike-11, Excel, Access. In addition we can supply software libraries to directly access Tideda data files with their own or other vendors software.
- Software is thoroughly tested within NIWA before any release. This means staff will not waste their time trying to overcome problems in the software
- A DOS version is available which would allow any old PCs to continue to be useful for data entry purposes (Manual entry or digitising).Tideda file format is fully compatible between DOS, Windows and all releases of Tideda. Newer PCs can then be dedicated to management and analysis of the data and not be tied up with the data entry.
- Tideda is sold as a "site licence", up to 10 users at one site.
- Tideda is cost effective, since we charge the minimum to cover our costs
Technical details
All versions of Tideda are fully compatible with each other.
Tideda (32 bit version) will run on any PC capable of running Windows XP, 2000 or NT. Tideda has absolutely no special requirements for CPU, disk space or memory. Over its 31 years of development Tideda has become a versatile and efficient package so that today its functionality and speed of operation are unrivalled.
| Operating system support with full file compatibility | Windows Vista, Windows XP, 2000 and NT |
|---|---|
| Digitising | Yes |
| Manual entry | Yes |
| ASCII file data entry | Unlimited |
| Data capacity | Unlimited |
| Timing accuracy | Nearest second |
| Time intervals | Accepts any data |
| Graphics | Advanced, a wide of standard hydrological and meteorological graphics |
| Graphical editing | Yes, both data and rating curves can be on-screen edited with a range of editing options. These include add, delete, move, ramp, undo |
| Copy and Paste | Yes |
| Linkages between modules | Yes, selected site and time ranges preserved between processes |
| Inserting data | Easy, data can be processed in any order or inserted at any time |
| Rainfall-runoff simulation | Process SIMulate (PSIM) offers solving capability also links to more advanced packages |
| Statistical and time series analysis | Yes |
| Water Quality (WQ) database and analysis features | Yes (not yet released, undergoing testing). ODBC allows Tideda to connect to other WQ databases |
| Open Database Base Connectivity (ODBC) to relational databases | Yes |
| Quality Assurance | Yes, new versions are tested by our scientists and field teams and only released when there are no known bugs. Field teams are ISO9002 registered |
Note 1. Graphics
Advanced graphics have long been a feature of Tideda. Tideda allows you to plot different parameters and different sites on the same graph; there is no limit to the number of plots on the same graph.
Users of Tideda
Tideda is used in many countries around the world, including:
Malaysia (Official National Database)
- Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID)
- Tenaga Nasional Berhad (National power company)
- Regional Humid Tropics Center
- Malaysian Meteorological Service (MMS)
Indonesia (Official National Database)
- Directorate of Water Resource Development
- PT Inco (Power and Mining Company)
Vietnam
- HydroMeteorolgy Service (HMS), Hanoi
Myanmar
- Hydrological Databank
Nepal
- Department of HydroMeteorolgy (DHM)
Ireland
- University of Galway
- Trinity University
Switzerland
- Fribourg University
Environmental agencies in the Pacific islands of
- Fiji
- Cook islands
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Papua New Guinea, Bureau of Water Resource Management
- Australia
- Vanuatu
Contact
Tony Hill
Tel: +64 3 343 7895
Fax: +64-7 856 0151
tony.hill@niwa.co.nz
