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

Catherine Markham amarkham at princeton.edu
Wed Sep 9 10:42:40 EDT 2009


Ok - thanks for the clarification, Lacey.  Seems to me this would be a 
good thing to have a set rule on so that we don't have to guess what the 
B/E specifically refer to.  Just my two cents...

Catherine

Lacey Maryott wrote:
> In General, "B" and "E" indicate the beginning and end of the teams time 
> with given groups, so it seems that they mean the same thing here, and 
> are unlikely to represent the actual length of time that the subgroup 
> existed.
> The notes in the GPS file that I got just said that they couldn't find 
> four individuals. They went and found them and GPS'd them as the 
> subgroup. They then 'went back to the main group'. Handwritten September 
> Demog and Subgroup notes won't be here for a while, but you could ask 
> the team? This should be pretty fresh in their minds.
> 
> Lacey
> 
> Catherine Markham wrote:
>> 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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