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title: "Creating an Observation Type"
canonical: "https://docs.rubiconwater.com/space/WDNC/2053800239/Creating%20an%20Observation%20Type"
format: markdown
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> Macro (toc)

You must define observation types before you can use them to add observations to a WaterML or WDTF dataset definition.

Observation types are defined to conform to the WaterML 2.0 standard. For information about the settings used, see See [OGC WaterML](http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/waterml) for details of the WaterML standard.

You can also use observation types for WDTF observations, and a set of existing observation types are provided, keyed by the WDTF category and sub-category for the observation. Any unused settings in the observation type definition will be ignored when generating WDTF datasets.

**To add a new observation type:**

**Step 1**

In the Observation module click **Add** to create a new observation type and complete the following details:

| **Property** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Meaningful name for the observation type |
| Short description | Label for the observation type. This is used in the drop-down menus when selecting the observation type for an observation in the WaterML and WDTF Datasets modules.<br>By convention, observation types for WDTF data use the data category and subcategory specified in the WDTF standards. |
| Unit | Unit of measurement for this observation type. Required for both WaterML and WDTF data. |
| Medium | The physical medium that was measured to obtain the data as specified in the WaterML 2.0 standard. For example, water or snow. |
| Interpolation | The method by which a value is generated from time-series data. For example by instantaneous readings or by aggregating in various ways over a set of readings. |
| Process | The process used to collect or generate the data. For example, by sampling or by simulation. |
| Default quality | The default quality of the water data. |
| Aggregation duration | Time period over which data is aggregated (for aggregated data types). |
| Long description | Optional longer description of the observation type. |

**Step 2**

Click **Save** to save your changes.

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