Generally, leading zeros are suppressed to provide spacing between fields. It is composed of the measured values and associated quality control flags that together make up the Element field. Figure 3-1 Block Structure Click here to expand figure. Assigning only one header per block saves space and enables a searcher to skip over the data-set portion of undesired blocks. Only one type of data parameter is recorded for the block interval.
Blocks begin on natural time boundaries.
If an instrument begins processing in midblock or if the instrument goes offline before the end of the block, the block is filled with missing data indicators and is not truncated. Nulls fill the end of the sets for some time resolutions to ensure that the blocks end on natural time boundaries. The fields within a block are laid out in a sequential manner, as illustrated in Figure 3-2. The Xs indicate the length of each field. The strips are labeled with the field code, indicating the name of the field, and the tape field number.