During the last decade the demand for magnetic observatory data has steadily increased both from the scientific community and in particular from commercial organisations. Not only are the quantity of data products greater now but the speed at which they are delivered is faster and the
quality of the data provided better.
The modern user requirements for timely data have prompted
the need for improved automatic procedures utilising the new
technologies available. This has to be balanced against the user requirements for accuracy, which necessitate rigorous quality control procedures. While some of these have been automated, as is shown in the flow diagram, there remains a requirement for human interpretation and action if and when the data contain errors. Software development to reduce this human intervention is on-going
