Now that the field season is over, we can all just go home and not think about work until next summer, right? Not by a long shot. As fun as it would be to hang out at Pavilion Lake for a few weeks each summer, diving and watching (or piloting) subs as they’re used to explore the lake, we wouldn’t be contributing anything to the science or exploration communities unless we share the data we collect. While each of us on the project came away from the lake with great memories and a lot of anecdotal experience that will undoubtedly make next season that much better, it’s the analysis of the hard data that was collected over the course of the field season that will lead to research publications, ensuring that the work conducted at PLRP remains fresh and relevant.
Nick Wilkinson helping DeepWorker begin its mission. (Photo: Greg Slater)
But what is this “hard data” and how is it used? This summer, the various research groups working at the lake generated several terabytes of data that included digital video from each sub flight, pilot logs, sub tracking data, rock sample information, data from the Gavia autonomous vehicle, weather station data, water samples, photos and video of the lake bottom collected by SCUBA divers and much more. One of my roles on the team this summer was to help make sure that this information was gathered and stored in an organized fashion. This included tracking down the original source of the data (such as hard drives and voice recorders from the subs), making sure that all files were named and stored according to an agreed upon format, and ensuring that our network-enabled data storage was as up-to-date as possible. Of course, this was a team effort and many people spent long hours tracking down data and keeping things organized.
Spending so much time making sure that we’re keeping track of these details might seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but it’s important to realize that time in the field is always at a premium and researchers want to spend as much field time as possible gathering their data. Analysis of this data can sometimes take a long time or require access to special facilities that aren’t on site, so most of the analysis generally happens after the field season. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that the field data is organized in a structured way so that you can find what you’re looking for weeks or sometimes months after the field season.
Think of the post-season data analysis like tax-time: organizing your receipts and other paperwork year-round takes a bit of work, but in the end, it makes filing your return that much easier. If your paperwork is spread all over the place, tax-time, which can be pretty laborious to begin with, is made that much more difficult. Thankfully, data analysis is generally more enjoyable than filing taxes.
With the field season behind us, we’re moving into a new mode of operation. The data has been collected and archived, and soon it will be distributed among the entire research team for their perusal and analysis. Personally, I’ll be looking at new ways to help the team share and interact with that data, enabling them to zoom in on exactly what they’re looking for, quickly and easily. I’m excited about what new discoveries will be made during this period of analysis, and I’m looking forward to how these insights will help shape plans for next summer, and beyond.
-Nick
