Overview

The following tabs provide information, tips and advice on data collection for principal investigators and scientists who are part of the Australian Antarctic Program.

Alternatively, you may be interested in:

• GIS User group information
• Field Training Officer information
• Station Leaders information

Principal Investigators

If you're a principal investigator in charge of one or more Australian Antarctic Science (AAS) projects, there are things that the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC) can do to help you successfully complete your project(s) and meet any associated data management obligations.

Pre-approval of your project

• If you are not already familiar with the Australian Antarctic Divisions data management policy, you should have a look at it to learn about your data obligations.
• Contact the manager of the AADC, as not only can we provide advice on data collection, storage and analysis of data, but we may also be able to offer more specialised kinds of assistance (GIS support, programming, etc). If you are interested, then we can also point you towards other scientific data relevant to your project that may already be held at the AADC. Involving us from the beginning of the project can greatly facilitate the smooth transferral of data at the completion of the project.

Post-approval of your project

• You should now have a look at our Down South checklists.
• If you will be using other personnel to collect data for your AAS project (e.g. employees or students), then you should also strongly encourage them to have a look at the Down South checklists.

Down South - Before You Go

So you're a southbound scientist, and have just had your Australian Antarctic Science project approved (or are working for someone who has had their project approved). Below are a list of tasks and information that you should consider before you depart.

1. Check with us about how to best capture scientific data efficiently and easily
2. Find out what formats are best for storing and delivering your data
3. Organise any maps you may need for your work
4. Talk to us about any extra GIS support or assistance you may need
5. Contact us for advice about GPS data collection

Capturing scientific data

Sometimes the most efficient method of capturing data in the field can be with pencil and paper, but if data can be collected electronically from the outset, then it can present great benefits both in the field and down the track (automatic quality checking of data, almost instantaneous manipulation and analysis, no subsequent data entry, etc).

To help assist with efficient data capture, the AADC can provide (amongst other things):

• Advanced GPS units which can also be used for logging and collecting data - as well as training in the use of these units.
• Advice on how to best set up data collection forms, spreadsheets, databases, etc to save time and effort later on.

For further assistance with capturing scientific data, please contact the AADC.

Formats for data collection and storage

When collecting your data, if at all possible, it is best to use open and/or common formats such as the ones listed below. This helps with the archival of your data, and their long-term preservation. Data in these formats can be easily re-used.

• Documents - PDF, MS Word, TXT, HTML, XML, RTF
• Non-database text and spatial - Shapefiles, NetCDF, MS Excel, CSV
• Database - MS Access, Oracle DBF
• Images - TIFF, JPEG2000, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP
• Video - MPEG, MOV, WMV
• Audio - WAV, MP3, OGG, AIFF, WMA

However, we understand that this is not always possible, and that you may need to use specialised, proprietary software to collect your data. If this is the case, please discuss this with the AADC beforehand, as we will need to determine how best to handle these data.

For further assistance with data formats, please contact the AADC.

Organising and obtaining maps before you go

The first thing to do is to search our map catalogue for maps that you require.

• If the map you require is available in digital format, then all you need to do is print it out.
• If the map is not in digital format, but is a published print map, then contact the AADC map curator to obtain a copy.
• If the map is not publicly available, but is part of our reference collection, you can contact the AADC map curator and organise a time to view and study it.
• If you can't find a map that meets your needs at all, then contact the AADC map curator, and state your problem!

For copies of station related maps (e.g. station area maps, station buildings, etc), please contact your station leader.

If you require charts, the AADC does not provide them (although you can view them in our reference collection). Charts can be obtained/purchased from map retailers, or the Australian Hydrographic Service.

See Obtaining Maps for further information.

For further assistance with organising and obtaining maps, please contact the AADC.

GIS support and advice

In many cases we can provide you with up-to-date information about your field sites, supply basic GPS training, provide assistance with using GIS software, and show you how to access any digital datasets that you may need.

The Data Centre uses the GIS program ArcGIS, produced by ESRI. A copy of ArcGIS on CD will be available from your Station Leader. However, expeditioners MUST contact the Data Centre to obtain a registration file to use the software. The software MUST be removed from your computer when you have finished using it.

For further assistance with GIS, please contact the AADC.

Using GPS units for data collection

The AADC can provide advice in using differential GPS (combining readings from a mobile unit with a permanent base station at each of wintering stations) to greatly increase the accuracy of regular GPS readings.

Additionally, the AADC also have several high quality GPS and data logger units (Trimble GeoExplorers) available for loan. These units can be used to obtain accurate location data, but also can be pre-loaded with forms of your own devising for entering data in the field. The data can then be downloaded onto a PC and instantly analysed with GIS software, Excel, etc.

For further assistance with GPS units, please contact the AADC.

Down South - While You're There

1. Important data you should ALWAYS collect
2. Take detailed notes on HOW you collected your data
3. Organise your datasets logically

Important data you should ALWAYS collect

When collecting your scientific data, there are certain types of data that you should ALWAYS collect to ensure that your data can be used to it's full potential. These are:

• Date and Time - if possible, in UTC format. If that's not possible, be sure to specify what time zone you are using (eg Mawson local time, UTC+6)
• Latitudes and Longitudes - if possible, properly collected with a GPS and presented in decimal degrees format.

For all other data that you collect, ensure that you use standard, metric units (eg celsius as opposed to farenheit). Always specify in your datasets what units you have used.

For further assistance with important data, please contact the AADC.

Take detailed notes on HOW you collected your data

This is crucially important for anyone trying to interpret your datasets at a later date. Also be sure to provide information on exactly how you determined the spatial coordinates (latitude and longitude) of your data.

For further assistance with detailing how you collected your data, please contact the AADC.

Organise your datasets logically

In your spare time/during bad weather/on the return journey home, take the opportunity to logically organise your datasets. This will help save time when you return home, and also make the process of cataloguing your data that much easier.

For further assistance with organising your datasets, please contact the AADC.

Down South - When You Get Back

1. Complete a metadata record for your data
2. Hand-over of your data to the AADC
3. What to do with your samples
4. Feedback!

Complete a metadata record for your data

Once your data have been collected, they need to be catalogued for archival and preservation, which means completing one or more metadata records. For further information, have a look at our metadata frequently asked questions, and our metadata writing guide.

For further assistance with metadata, please contact the AADC.

Hand-over of your data to the AADC

As well as writing a metadata record, you will need to provide the AADC with a copy of your data. To aid in the transfer of data to the AADC, we have a set of preferred media:

• Email
• DVD
• CD
• Flash Disk - eg USB key
• External hard drive

We will also accept other media, but only under extraordinary circumstances. Please contact the metadata officer if you think you may need to use one of the following:

• Floppy disk
• Zip disk
• Hard (paper) copy
• Jazz disk
• Magnetic tape

For further information, have a look at our metadata frequently asked questions, or please contact the AADC.

What to do with your samples

Presently the AADC is not set up to store scientific samples, so you will need to come to some other arrangement for the long term storage of your samples.

However:

• Geoscience Australia has been identified as the approved repository for all geological samples. Chief Investigators should contact GA on return to Australia to ensure samples are registered. Registered samples should be forwarded to GA on the completion of analysis.
• There is a requirement for all bird-banding records to be submitted to the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Schemes as a matter of priority.

Feedback!

If you have any feedback about the process of collecting, cataloguing and archiving your data in relation to the AADC, we would really like to hear about it! You can lodge any feedback you may have in our Feedback/Requests database.