TY - JOUR
T1 - A new digital field data collection system for dendrochronology
AU - Brewer, Peter W.
AU - Guiterman, Christopher H.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the open source software and standards that make the Tellervo-ODK data collection system possible. P. Brewer was supported by the University of Arizona and the Malcolm H. Wiener Foundation . C. Guiterman was supported by the Climate Assessment of the Southwest at the University of Arizona and by the United States Environmental Protection Agency STAR Fellowship , award # F13F51318 . EPA has not officially endorsed this publication and the views expressed herein may not reflect the views of the EPA. Finally, we would like to thank Erica Bigio for her assistance with testing the software and providing valuable feedback.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier GmbH.
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - A wide variety of information or 'metadata' is required when undertaking dendrochronological sampling. Traditionally, researchers record observations and measurements on field notebooks and/or paper recording forms, and use digital cameras and hand-held GPS devices to capture images and record locations. In the lab, field notes are often manually entered into spreadsheets or personal databases, which are then sometimes linked to images and GPS waypoints. This process is both time consuming and prone to human and instrument error. Specialised hardware technology exists to marry these data sources, but costs can be prohibitive for small scale operations (>$2000 USD). Such systems often include proprietary software that is tailored to very specific needs and might require a high level of expertise to use. We report on the successful testing and deployment of a dendrochronological field data collection system utilising affordable off-the-shelf devices ($100-300 USD). The method builds upon established open source software that has been widely used in developing countries for public health projects as well as to assist in disaster recovery operations. It includes customisable forms for digital data entry in the field, and a marrying of accurate GPS location with geotagged photographs (with possible extensions to other measuring devices via Bluetooth) into structured data fields that are easy to learn and operate. Digital data collection is less prone to human error and efficiently captures a range of important metadata. In our experience, the hardware proved field worthy in terms of size, ruggedness, and dependability (e.g., battery life). The system integrates directly with the Tellervo software to both create forms and populate the database, providing end users with the ability to tailor the solution to their particular field data collection needs.
AB - A wide variety of information or 'metadata' is required when undertaking dendrochronological sampling. Traditionally, researchers record observations and measurements on field notebooks and/or paper recording forms, and use digital cameras and hand-held GPS devices to capture images and record locations. In the lab, field notes are often manually entered into spreadsheets or personal databases, which are then sometimes linked to images and GPS waypoints. This process is both time consuming and prone to human and instrument error. Specialised hardware technology exists to marry these data sources, but costs can be prohibitive for small scale operations (>$2000 USD). Such systems often include proprietary software that is tailored to very specific needs and might require a high level of expertise to use. We report on the successful testing and deployment of a dendrochronological field data collection system utilising affordable off-the-shelf devices ($100-300 USD). The method builds upon established open source software that has been widely used in developing countries for public health projects as well as to assist in disaster recovery operations. It includes customisable forms for digital data entry in the field, and a marrying of accurate GPS location with geotagged photographs (with possible extensions to other measuring devices via Bluetooth) into structured data fields that are easy to learn and operate. Digital data collection is less prone to human error and efficiently captures a range of important metadata. In our experience, the hardware proved field worthy in terms of size, ruggedness, and dependability (e.g., battery life). The system integrates directly with the Tellervo software to both create forms and populate the database, providing end users with the ability to tailor the solution to their particular field data collection needs.
KW - Field data collection
KW - Open Data Kit
KW - TRiDaS
KW - Tellervo
KW - Tree Ring Data Standard
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U2 - 10.1016/j.dendro.2016.04.005
DO - 10.1016/j.dendro.2016.04.005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84969222325
SN - 1125-7865
VL - 38
SP - 131
EP - 135
JO - Dendrochronologia
JF - Dendrochronologia
ER -