Check: attribute measurementScale interval vs. ratio accurate

[eeerika]

Purpose

This check will look to see if an attribute is accurately described as interval vs. ratio. (can maybe expand this to check to include more measurementScale types?)

Components

• measurementScale = interval or ratio for the attribute in question
• the units of the attribute in question
• list of all units that should definitely be ratio
• list of all units that should definitely be interval
• list of units that are edge cases (ie. degree): go to checking the attributeName and/or attributeDescription to make a determination

Result

SUCCESS: if the attribute is accurately described
FAILURE: if the attribute is not accurately described or the unit of the attribute is not found in a list
ERROR: on system error or exception in the check code, representing a bug in the check system

[mbjones]

@eeerika This looks good. Two notes:

1. Please note what I said in issue Check: Text file format valid #2 about the use of ERROR -- it shouldn't be for normal failures
2. While this check is great, it is really a metadata-only check, and so is probably better implemented with the rest of that type of check over in the metadig-checks repo

I propose we might want to define the scope of checks in this metadig-rake package to 1) data quality checks and 2) metadata-data congruency checks .. i.e., stuff that requires opening the data files.

[eeerika]

Got it, thank you Matt! I did see that other issue regarding the use of ERROR and thought I had phrased that correctly -- what would be a way I could phrase it better here? (by the information cannot be accessed, I had meant due to a system failure or something of the sort)

[mbjones]

yeah, I think we're on the same page. I think something like:

ERROR: on system error or exception in the check code, representing a bug in the check system