A language defines the rules for written and oral communication, which makes use of that language. Books, magazines, flyers, newpapers and letters, all these are representations of communication. On theGEF language page the syntaxis of the GEF language is described. This page describes the currently known forms of communications in GEF. Since GEF has a lot to do with standardisation, all written info in GEF is standardised and should be registrered. An analogy: a printed book has been registered and can be easily retrieved by its ISBN, so all written GEF files should be registered as well. Intentionally there aren't two different books with the same ISBN.
A dictionary and the synstaxis form the rules of a language. Yet as different books as Homers Illias or "Modern day gardening in the Namibian dessert" can be composed, using the same language. They are merely different expressions. The same is valid for GEF files, they can be dealing with pore pressure measurements, Cone Penetration Tests or even measurements using image processing techniques.
A specific type of measurement which uses GEF for the storage of data, is called a standard. Where the analogy with books and language does not stand up for GEF standards, is that a GEF standard is a form -a kind of template- for a specific type of measurement. Many measurements can be stored in as many different files, using the same specific GEF standard.
There are two advantages of registring a GEF standard:
- other users with similar measurements can use the same specific standard for their data.
- confusion is prevented, no one else can use the same name for a standard dealing with a different type of measurement.
Public and private
It is not far fetched that an organisation may conceive a private standard, since it wants to keep the contents secret, for reasons of company interests. Nevertheless, by registering the name of the standard, with a 'private' or 'secret' attribute, confusion is prevented.
Public standards are public, i.e. there is no fee or obligation connected to the use of the standard. Nevertheless a standard remains the intellectual property of the organisation or person that has conceived the standard. Standards are subject to improvements. After an improvement or extension the release, version or update must be changed. This will ensure that standards remain unique and distinct, like an ISBN. It prevents confusion about the contents of a file.
Changes
If you think that a standard needs an update, there are two options.
- Contact the organisation that has conceived the standard and try to convince them that your update is needed.
- If the person or organisation rejects your proposal, derive a new standard, based on the old standard you wanted to improve. Give it a new distinct name and add your improvement.
ad. 1. If a standard is conceived and maintained by an organisation, this organisation has the right to make changes. When an alteration has been implemented, the release, version or update must be changed. Anyone can still use the previous version(s) of the standard. Nobody else is allowed to change the release, version or update of the standard. where is written "organisation" one may read "a public person" as well.
ad 2. It will depend on the reaction of the organisation which maintains the contents of a standard whether you will start a standard of your own. E.g. if you have proposed to add a column with the concentration of Hydrochloric Acid to a pore pressure file, it is not likely that your idea will be accepted. Nevertheless it may be brilliant for your situation, so you can start a new standard, with a different name.
Table of public GEF-standards
The table as presented below has five columns.
- Name of the standard.
- SMARF code. SMARF is an acronym:
- S = Setup
- M = Measurement
- A = Analysis
- R = Report
- F = Filing
- Description. What is the purpose of this standard? For what kind of measurements or data is it applied?
- Version. Which release, version and update? Combined into one group of numerical characters, like 3.5.2: Release 3, version 5 and update 2.
- Contact. Who has conceived the standard and who is maintaining it?
Public standards
Name | SMARF | Description | Version | Contact |
GEF-Bore-Report | R | Description of (Dutch) soft soils, obtained by boring technique. Text in Dutch. | 1.0.0 | National standards |
GEF-CPT-Report | R | Cone penetration Test (CPT) (1999) | 1.0.0 | National standards |
GEF-CPT-Report | R | Cone Penetration Test (CPT) (2000) | 1.1.0 | National standards |
GEF-CPT-Report | R | Cone Penetration Test (CPT) (2004) | 1.1.1 | National standards |
GEF-CPT-Report | R | Cone Penetration Test (CPT) (2006) | 1.1.2 | National standards |
GEF-DISS-Report | R | Dissipation test during a CPT. | 1.0.0 | National standards |
GEF-Sieve-Report | R | Particle size analysis. | 1.0.0 | National standards |
GEF-BOURDON-Measurement | M | Mechanical pore pressures | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-IPDISP-Measurement | M | Displacements via Image Processing | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-PLATE-Measurement | M | Settlement via Settlement Plate | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-PPT-Measurement | M | 1 Pore pressure transducer. General purpose. | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-PR-Measurement | M | Pore pressures via Piezo Resistive element | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-Pt100-Measurement | M | Temperature via the Pt100 resistive transducer | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-SP-Measurement | M | Pore pressures via Stand Pipe | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |
GEF-VWP-Measurement | M | Pore pressures via Vibrating Wire transducer | 1.0.0 | Deltares, The Netherlands |