FW: [Babase] GPS Notes for Babase/General Use

Catherine Markham amarkham at princeton.edu
Wed Sep 9 10:23:56 EDT 2009


So the "S" and "E" indicate the begin/end of subgroup formation, or the 
begin/end of the team's time with a particular subgroup?  If you don't 
mind me asking, what do the hand-written subgroup notes look like for 
Weaver's group on this day?

Catherine

Lacey Maryott wrote:
> To Be clear, I don't believe these notes in the GPS are to the exclusion 
> of handwritten notes.. It is notes to me saying, "These two points were 
> with a subgroup, then we went back to the main group."  For example, 
> (and I sent Niki an attachment off-list)
> 
> W0830     04/09/2009 08:30     37 M 287371 9699372     1131.8
> WBS     04/09/2009 09:05     37 M 287978 9697232     1140.5
> W0930     04/09/2009 09:31     37 M 287978 9697230     1142.6
> WES     04/09/2009 09:48     37 M 287980 9697234     1141.4
> 
> 
> The note to me in this case would be that they were with the subgroup at 
> WBS ( i am interpreting this as 'Begin Subgroup'), W0930, and at WES 
> (End Subgroup?).  There are notes written to me to imply this. We just 
> want to be sure that it is clear what these notations mean, or be able 
> to integrate the notes associated with the files to let the user know 
> what the notations mean, OR come up with a standard system, or all of 
> the above.
> 
> I really hope this is making more sense now. I certainly didn't mean for 
> this to get so complex.
> 
> Lacey
> 
> Niki Learn wrote:
>> Perhaps an example would help?  Where can I find one?  'Cause I'm really
>> quite sure the conclusion of the one part of that string (I think this 
>> was
>> while you were out for the wedding) was that the notes should still be
>> handwritten, so I'm not sure how that might have gotten lost on the Kenya
>> end since Susan was very involved in the conversation.  I think they were
>> supposed to include an S on the GPS (sorry - don't know where I pulled 
>> psion
>> out of...) to denote that it is a subgroup but beyond that the GPS was 
>> not
>> supposed to contain further information.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Lacey Maryott [mailto:lacey.maryott at duke.edu] Sent: Wednesday, 
>> September 09, 2009 9:18 AM
>> To: Niki Learn; The Baboon Database Project
>> Subject: Re: FW: [Babase] GPS Notes for Babase/General Use
>>
>> The GPS is what these are collected in. That is where you will find 
>> the data, and I send that to Catherine periodically.   But yes, as 
>> Susan recalls they never came to an agreement as to what to do in the 
>> GPS, although the team has been recording these subgroupings as best 
>> as possible in the GPS units with notes, and different notations. I 
>> don't think the data is lost, it is there, it is just a matter of 
>> understanding it, and being able to get it back out somehow. That is 
>> what my initial e-mail was in reference too.
>>
>> I hope this clarifies
>> Lacey
>>
>> Niki Learn wrote:
>>  
>>> Sure - I tried to look it up but there were so many emails going on 
>>> then I
>>> had trouble tracing the one thread to figure out what the conclusion 
>>> was.
>>> But it looks like we are both agreed that regardless of what they were
>>>     
>> doing
>>  
>>> in the psion they were supposed to be writing down subgroup notes on
>>>     
>> paper.
>>  
>>> Wonder how they came to be putting notes in the psion...?  Maybe I 
>>> need to
>>> dig into those files to add whatever notes are in them to the subgroup
>>> tables I've been putting together. 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Catherine Markham [mailto:amarkham at Princeton.EDU] Sent: 
>>> Tuesday, September 08, 2009 5:24 PM
>>> To: Niki Learn
>>> Subject: Re: FW: [Babase] GPS Notes for Babase/General Use
>>>
>>> I do get those messages, but thanks for checking.
>>>
>>> As for what was discussed with the subgrouping, I actually thought we 
>>> had decided not to ask the team to add the "S" to the Psion (I could 
>>> be mistaken, though).  Instead, I thought it had been agreed to 
>>> record everything by hand on the subgroups datasheets.  It is a bit 
>>> discouraging to hear now that nothing was ever solidified (I somehow 
>>> had a different impression by the end of our email exchanges about 
>>> all this).  Shoot, certainly would be a real shame to have lost data 
>>> on a fission simply because protocols weren't in place.
>>>
>>> I'll be in the lab tomorrow.  Maybe we can rethink the exchange about 
>>> all this in person then?
>>>
>>>
>>> Niki Learn wrote:
>>>      
>>>> Do you get this?  Not sure if you are subscribed to both lists...  
>>>> Isn't
>>>> this off?
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: babase-bounces at eeblistserv.Princeton.EDU
>>>> [mailto:babase-bounces at eeblistserv.Princeton.EDU] On Behalf Of Lacey
>>>>           
>>> Maryott
>>>      
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 4:45 PM
>>>> To: The Baboon Database Project
>>>> Subject: Re: [Babase] GPS Notes for Babase/General Use
>>>>
>>>> Susan said that she spoke with them team while she was there, but 
>>>> nothing was ever really solidified in terms of what they are doing 
>>>> or how it should be standardized.
>>>>
>>>> Niki Learn wrote:
>>>>          
>>>>> I thought from the big discussion in June that field personnel were
>>>>>               
>>>> supposed
>>>>          
>>>>> to include an S (for subgroups) in the psion waypoint name and then
>>>>>         
>> write
>>  
>>>>> out a normal subgroups note on paper as they normally would...  Is 
>>>>> that
>>>>>               
>>>> not
>>>>          
>>>>> what is happening?
>>>>>
>>>>> By the way, in addition to the data Catherine and I are compiling on
>>>>> subgroups, I just finished putting together a table showing all
>>>>>         
>> sightings
>>  
>>>>>               
>>>> of
>>>>          
>>>>> the Ositeti subgroups in 2009.  It is difficult to tell who is in what
>>>>>               
>>>> group
>>>>          
>>>>> at any given time because, though 17 baboons have been sighted in the
>>>>>               
>>>> group
>>>>          
>>>>> at one point or another this year (Jill and 16 males, four with
>>>>>         
>> collars),
>>  
>>>>> the team typically only lists about 1-3 individuals seen in the group
>>>>>         
>> (if
>>  
>>>>> any).  And there has only been one formal census of one of the 
>>>>> subgroups
>>>>>               
>>>> all
>>>>          
>>>>> year.  I was hoping to at least sort out which group Lawyer (with the
>>>>>         
>> GPS
>>  
>>>>> collar) is in but he is often listed alone or with a subset of other
>>>>>               
>>>> males.
>>>>          
>>>>> Other times he is seen with Jill and other times with Latin (and
>>>>>               
>>>> supposedly
>>>>          
>>>>> Latin is in a different subgroup from Jill).  So maybe he is bouncing
>>>>>               
>>>> around
>>>>          
>>>>> a lot but it would be helpful to know which subgroup he is in at any
>>>>>               
>>> given
>>>      
>>>>> time so we know which is being tracked on GPS.  The groups were more
>>>>> consistently referred to as either Jill's or Latin's in the July data
>>>>>         
>> (or
>>  
>>>>>               
>>>> at
>>>>          
>>>>> least the big and small group, the small being Latin's), but not 
>>>>> always.
>>>>>
>>>>> Niki
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: babase-bounces at eeblistserv.Princeton.EDU
>>>>> [mailto:babase-bounces at eeblistserv.Princeton.EDU] On Behalf Of Lacey
>>>>>               
>>>> Maryott
>>>>          
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 3:35 PM
>>>>> To: The Baboon Database Project
>>>>> Subject: [Babase] GPS Notes for Babase/General Use
>>>>>
>>>>> Just a note about GPS data
>>>>>
>>>>> It is starting to be the case that the GPS files coming back from 
>>>>> the field are containing extensive notes about subgrouping, etc.
>>>>>  It is becoming clear to both Susan and myself that a good system 
>>>>> for 'notes' and documenting this needs to be developed.
>>>>>
>>>>> In addition, we will also need to be sure to include in the babase 
>>>>> design for GPS data (whenever that happens) that we will need to 
>>>>> have a 'notes' capability of some sort to include these notes about 
>>>>> which subgroups the observers are with, etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just something we should be keeping in mind
>>>>> Lacey
>>>>>
>>>>>                 
>>>       
>>
>>   
> 


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