Environmental Monitoring
Objectives
The collection of environmental data is not an end in itself. It must always be viewed in the context of helping understand a particular problem.
Questions Link
The primary concerns involve the following attributes:
Determining the spatial and temporal context.
Obtaining and viewing data at an appropriate resolution.
Knowing the accuracy of the data, especially when there is interpolation.
Displaying data in ways that support interpretation.
Combining data from a variety of sources.
Note that this football does not support climate specialists or people working on ecophysiology problems. Those are more specialized concerns.
Temporal Context
Where possible, the measurements are related to the following parameters.
Rainfall (daily)
Fog/Clouds (daily)
Snow (daily)
Temperature (hourly)
Humidity (hourly)
Wind speed (hourly, integrated from shorter period)
Solar Radiation (hourly, integrated from shorter period)
Stream or River flow (e.g., gauge height; daily/weekly)
Flooding (annual; start, duration, extent)
Fires (annual; season)
Spatial Context
Maps with the following information
Data recording sites
Prominent cultural features (e.g., cities, villages, special facilities)
Vegetation (e.g., vegetation cover map)
Soils
Streams and rivers
Flood inundation
Tsunami inundation
Historical fires
Transportation routes
Land use (e.g., crops, ownership, protection)
Cultural areas (e.g., parks, sacred areas)
Sociological (e.g., dominant ethnic group, tribe)
Extreme (Rare Episodic) Event Context
Tsunami inundation
Hurricane/Cyclone risk
Earthquakes
Landslides
Extensive Fires
Extreme Flooding
Data Display and Integration
Temperature and rainfall as Climate Diagrams
Wind as a Rose Diagram
Temperature Bar Charts of daily High, Low and Median
Temperature as a monthly distribution Map
Humidity Bar Charts of daily High, Low and Median
Rainfall as a daily total Bar Chart
Rainfall as a seasonal accumulation Bar Chart
Rainfall as a monthly distribution Map
Light as a spatial distribution Map
Data Sources
External Sources
Climate Summaries and Current Weather (temperature, rainfall)
Hydrology,
Extreme Events: Hurricanes/Cyclones, Floods, Tsunamis
Land Use & Vegetation (including conservation areas)
Local Sources
Skills
Data measurement
Data collection (external sources)
Data display & interpretation
Data analysis (statistics)
Hardware
Software
Literature
Skill/Behavioral Levels
Novice
Makes a few spot measurements if directed to do so.
Relies on equipment provided by other people.
Trusts the values produced by the equipment.
Does not calibrate equipment.
Transfers data well after the measurements have been taken.
Makes no efforts to integrate the data with other sources.
Does not participate in the analysis of the data.
Advanced Beginner
Conducts some searching for existing data before making any measurements.
Helps arrange to have the proper equipment available.
Tests the equipment before it is deployed.
Transfers the data soon after it is collected.
Analyzes the data superficially, usually long after all data are collected.
Uses an experimental design provided by other people.
Does not put the data into an historical or temporal context.
Competent
Promptly backs up the data and begins the analyses.
Uses a variety of data analysis techniques to assess and portray the temporal and spatial attributes of the data.
Interprets the data in the context of other studies.
Selects, calibrates and tests all of the equipment.
Properly stores equipment between uses.
Proficient
Prepares the data analysis workflow well ahead of time.
Quickly notes unexpected data values so these can be handled appropriately.
Creates qualitative categories for the measurements and applies these to the data.
Expert
Some Resources
Climate Diagrams
Holdridge zone diagram
Test Your Preparation
Last Updated: October 1, 2011.