Thread: event query with catalog/contributor

Started: 2013-03-14 22:05:29
Last activity: 2013-03-15 01:07:12
Topics: Web Services
Philip Crotwell
2013-03-14 22:05:29
Is there a way in the event service to query for events that are in the
NEIC PDE-W or NEIC PDE-M but not get events that only occur in the NEIC
PDE-Q or NEIC ALERT? In other words, I want to process using the weekly or
the monthly, but I don't want to use the Q or the ALERT.

Some time ago I was told that you cannot specify more than one contributor,
which seems to be the case as this query returns no data. So, my guess is
that I need to do this as 2 separate queries and merge the results locally
if both return data?

http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=NEIC+PDE-M,NEIC+PDE-W&orderby=time&output=xml

Also, if you are not going to accept multiple contributors or catalogs, it
might be good to cause an 400 error on this query instead of a 404. You do
checking on some other fields like orderby and output, so might as well
check catalog and contributor.

In other words this query gives a 404 but probably should give a 400.

http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

Similar for this one.

http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&catalog=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

thanks,
Philip

  • Chad Trabant
    2013-03-14 21:24:14

    Hi Philip,

    No, there is no way to select via a list of contributors. This is also not part of the specification for the FDSN version of the service, and it's not an extension we plan on offering unless a more people ask for it (a comma-separated list would also mean comma's are disallowed in a contributor string, not really a big deal but a consequence to consider). Honestly, the use case is pretty narrow and something like your suggestion of making two separate queries is probably more appropriate.

    As for returning a 400 or 404, we will think on that a bit. I think I understand your logic (the list of contributors is know and it could be checked), but I could extend that argument to networks, stations, locations, channels and perhaps more. Should we return a 400 when a network is requested that we have no data for? Or do we return "no data" (404 in the case of this service).

    Chad


    On Mar 14, 2013, at 12:05 PM, Philip Crotwell <crotwell<at>seis.sc.edu> wrote:

    Is there a way in the event service to query for events that are in the NEIC PDE-W or NEIC PDE-M but not get events that only occur in the NEIC PDE-Q or NEIC ALERT? In other words, I want to process using the weekly or the monthly, but I don't want to use the Q or the ALERT.

    Some time ago I was told that you cannot specify more than one contributor, which seems to be the case as this query returns no data. So, my guess is that I need to do this as 2 separate queries and merge the results locally if both return data?

    http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=NEIC+PDE-M,NEIC+PDE-W&orderby=time&output=xml

    Also, if you are not going to accept multiple contributors or catalogs, it might be good to cause an 400 error on this query instead of a 404. You do checking on some other fields like orderby and output, so might as well check catalog and contributor.

    In other words this query gives a 404 but probably should give a 400.

    http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

    Similar for this one.

    http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&catalog=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

    thanks,
    Philip
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    • Philip Crotwell
      2013-03-15 01:07:12
      Fair enough. In fact the only reason I am asking about it is because of the
      dynamic nature of the PDE "catalog" or "catalogs" and the fact that the W
      dissappears once the M comes out. In some sense asking for "only the PDE-W"
      is kind of weird in that the result you get back today might dissappear
      tomorrow, and yet the notion of wanting locations that are of "from teh
      NEIC and at least PDE-W quality" (whatever that means) seems natural as a
      seismologist. Not sure if you want to go there, but I wonder if
      contributor=PDE_W should really mean "PDE-W or better" in the sense that
      the Monthly is the replacement for the W and so asking or the W should
      include M if the time range overlaps both. And PDE-Q would mean PDE-Q and
      PDE-W and PDE-M. Just an idea.

      It is really too bad that web service query params and/or quakeml can't
      cleanly deal with the notion of a dynamic catalog that becomes "better" in
      stages over time. The old static notion of a fixed catalog doesn't really
      match and similarly the exact match catalog/contributor query params seems
      to slightly miss as well.

      Not really sure I have an answer, and simply sending two queries seems a
      reasonable work around.

      Understand your point about 400 vs 404. You have to draw the line
      somewhere. I guess catalog/contributor seem to both be short enough and
      static enough of a list. Maybe rule of thumb should be if you list the
      possible options in the documentation, then check and 400, otherwise 404.
      Not a big deal.

      Philip



      On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 5:24 PM, Chad Trabant <chad<at>iris.washington.edu>wrote:


      Hi Philip,

      No, there is no way to select via a list of contributors. This is also
      not part of the specification for the FDSN version of the service, and it's
      not an extension we plan on offering unless a more people ask for it (a
      comma-separated list would also mean comma's are disallowed in a
      contributor string, not really a big deal but a consequence to consider).
      Honestly, the use case is pretty narrow and something like your suggestion
      of making two separate queries is probably more appropriate.

      As for returning a 400 or 404, we will think on that a bit. I think I
      understand your logic (the list of contributors is know and it could be
      checked), but I could extend that argument to networks, stations,
      locations, channels and perhaps more. Should we return a 400 when a
      network is requested that we have no data for? Or do we return "no data"
      (404 in the case of this service).

      Chad


      On Mar 14, 2013, at 12:05 PM, Philip Crotwell <crotwell<at>seis.sc.edu>
      wrote:

      Is there a way in the event service to query for events that are in the
      NEIC PDE-W or NEIC PDE-M but not get events that only occur in the NEIC
      PDE-Q or NEIC ALERT? In other words, I want to process using the weekly or
      the monthly, but I don't want to use the Q or the ALERT.

      Some time ago I was told that you cannot specify more than one
      contributor, which seems to be the case as this query returns no data. So,
      my guess is that I need to do this as 2 separate queries and merge the
      results locally if both return data?


      http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=NEIC+PDE-M,NEIC+PDE-W&orderby=time&output=xml

      Also, if you are not going to accept multiple contributors or catalogs, it
      might be good to cause an 400 error on this query instead of a 404. You do
      checking on some other fields like orderby and output, so might as well
      check catalog and contributor.

      In other words this query gives a 404 but probably should give a 400.


      http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&contributor=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

      Similar for this one.


      http://www.iris.edu/ws/event/query?starttime=2010-10-27T06:30:00&endtime=2011-10-01T06:30:00&minmag=7&catalog=BLAH&orderby=time&output=xml

      thanks,
      Philip
      _______________________________________________
      webservices mailing list
      webservices<at>iris.washington.edu
      http://www.iris.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/webservices



      _______________________________________________
      webservices mailing list
      webservices<at>iris.washington.edu
      http://www.iris.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/webservices



17:40:45 v.01697673