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Data Collection Techniques and Business Analytics for Water Resource Systems and Natural Water Systems

August 22 - 23, 2023 Online :: Central Time

Streams, springs, pipelines, aquifers, wells, wetlands, and reservoirs all compose pieces of a vast water resource puzzle. Understanding the condition of these resources on the ground through data becomes critical due to their vital importance to all life on Earth. Data collection and data analysis are essential skills needed to understand and manage any body of water. But not just any data, you need accurate and efficient data that contributes to your organization's goals.

The fundamentals taught in this course will pave the way for developing and completing your data acquisition projects, from idea to presentation, by using leading and emerging technologies to search, acquire, analyze, and use proprietary and 3rd party data.

This course will focus on water resources, but the technical information can apply to any resource with the goal of having every attendee confident in their ability to go into the field to collect and interpret ground information accurately for their water organization.

Learning Outcomes

  • Create purposeful data collection projects for your water organization
  • Present and utilize the best data collection methods and technologies for the project at hand
  • Define and implement the full process of collecting data planning, preparing, collecting, post-processing, reviewing, publishing and including use of equipment for collecting high accuracy data
  • Prepare for and overcome challenges of collecting various water resource data, including troubleshooting common issues that arise when collecting data
  • Safely and efficiently prepare and conduct field work in various environments

Register

This is a recorded session - no instructor interaction is available. Recordings do not qualify for continuing education credits. Recordings will expire 30 days from date of purchase and sharing, downloading or copying of the recording in any way is strictly prohibited and will result in the termination of your license.

PURCHASE THIS RECORDING:

Recording license(s)$ 1195.00 each
Day one

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Day two

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Agenda

Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Central Time

Online

Log In

8:45 AM

Lunch Break

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Adjourn for the day

4:00 PM

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

Log In

12:00 - 12:30 PM

Lunch Break

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Course Timing

Short breaks will be taken throughout the sessions (30 minutes total)

Thoughtful Data Collection Planning: Setting Up for Success

  • Thinking about the why: what is the purpose?
    • What questions need answered
    • What data contributes to these answers
      • What additional data needs to be collected?
    • Building an effective data dictionary
      • Make it easy for use in the field: Drop downs (domains) where possible

High Accuracy Data Collection

  • Collecting the appropriate accuracy for the right situation
    • Don't always need submeter/ centimeter
    • Cell phone/tablet can work and collect workable data
  • GPS metadata and what they mean
    • HDOP/ PDOP
    • Horizontal and vertical accuracy
  • Using base stations
  • Collecting submeter accuracy
    • Technology (standalone units, external antennas)
    • dealing with various canopy and topography
  • comparing accuracies of different devices and methods
  • Points, lines, polygons for water data- keeping each geometry accurate

Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection

  • qualitative vs quantitative
    • why you need both
  • being prepared for data in the grey area
  • The benefits of categorizing
  • Right sizing quantitative accuracy and rounding

Time Before the Field: Planning

  • Practice data collection
    • Lessons learned
  • Making a field collection plan
    • Planning for transects
    • How will work be split
    • Printing maps
  • Preparing for technological failures/ field troubleshooting
  • Proper metadata and trip documentation

Time in the Field: Being Efficient and Not Getting Lost

  • Getting to the site
    • Avenza Maps for navigation using geocoded pdfs offline
    • have the full picture,
      • weather, drive time, road conditions
    • Making full use of field and drive time
      • Camping/ per diem hotels
      • combining projects when possible
        • Prepare for the possibility
      • Working longer days
    • Staying safe

Time After the Field: Reviewing and Analyzing Your Data

  • FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable)
  • How to know what authoritative data is
    • Federal Agencies that collect water resources data
  • Making your data interoperable with state and national standards
  • QAQC techniques
  • Creating a big picture with data
    • Using related data to analyze quality of your field work
    • Telling a story with data

Day One Wrap Up and Q&A

Agenda

Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Central Time

Online

Log In

8:45 AM

Adjourn for the day

12:00 PM

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

Log In

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Course Timing

Short breaks will be taken throughout the sessions (15 minutes total)

Data Collection Technology:

  • Use of emerging GIS/GPS technologies
  • Improvement of data collection workflows
    • Pros and cons of different data collection applications and software
    • GPS devices and hardware
  • Software
    • ESRI ArcGIS Online
    • ESRI Collector
    • ESRI Survey 123
    • Avenza
  • Hardware
    • Cell Phone and Tablet GPS: with and without external receivers
    • External receiver options (Bad Elf, EOS Arrow, Geneq iSXBlue II, Trimble)
    • Dedicated GPS units
  • Drones 
    • The opportunities for using drones to collect water data with precise, high quality aerial imagery
    • Rules and regulations
      • FAA 's Small UAS Rule (Part 107)
    • Areas of potential monitoring
      • hydrologic features: streams, springs, lakes
      • Water quality: algal blooms, debris flows after fires, large events (gold king mine spill on the animas river)
      • riparian areas: Non native treatment effectiveness over time
    • Technology for use with drones- flight planners, image stitchers
    • Drone recommendations

Hands On-Exercises: Turning Drone Data into 3D Maps

  • Using drone imagery in ArcGIS Pro

Course Wrap Up and Q&A

Instructor

Taylor Christian

Water Data Scientist and Coordinator

Texas Water Development Board

Taylor Christian has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Science in Geography from Texas State University with a focus on natural resources, geomorphology and data collection. During graduate school she spent extensive time in the field in Glacier National Park studying beaver ponds and collecting data. Since school she has worked for a decade at a state agency focused on water resource data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Current career focus is making all water data FAIR (Findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) for better and more informed decision making about water resources at a local, state, and national scale.