Rain gauge info

[micropterus79]

 

If we want to start sharing data among members, those of you all that have rain gauges, start an Excel spreadsheet and record the date, time, rainfall amounts, etc... and if we get enough data to get something going, I WOULD BE WILLING TO TRY TO COMPILE IT and share it on this forum.

 

If you have data, send it to me as an excel attachment to a PM and I'll see what I can get started.

 

You compile and maintain the database and I'd be willing to turn it into a precipitation Google Earth layers and/or other maps.

 

 

I wonder if there is anyway we could have a spreadsheet that anyone could get on and enter data into so long as the data are standardized....

 

Conceptually, it's quite easy IMO. Hundreds of ways to do it I'm sure, without researching, a couple come to mind.

 

1 - Use a open source document management system (so it's free - http://www.opendocman.com/) where the source data (spreadsheet) can be "checked out" by one individual, they add to it, and "check in" their modifications. One consideration, everyone would need the same software such as MS Word to access it.

 

2 - Google has been coming out with new features in Google Docs. https://www.google.com/forms/about/

You could make a form that writes to a google spreadsheet and go from there. There are also customization forms Adobe makes that can do the same thing.

 

This would be quite the commitment for all involved but there is no doubt it could work and be beneficial to CWT members.

 

Okay. 10-4. I'll check these options out and get back to you guys ASAP. I agree, it won't be hard, it will just take ground work but once we get it rolling, it should be easy to maintain.

 

Making a layer of the data on google earth is a freaking awesome idea!!

 

I will be checking in with a progress report by next Friday.

[micropterus79]

Okay guys n' gals.

 

Sorry i didn't get back on more quickly. I have devised a Google Doc spreadsheet (follow link on last line).

 

For those interested, please visit the Google Doc link and let me know what you think. We can easily add/remove fields; or if you feel like this is not the correct approach entirely, let me know (I would just ask that you give me an idea for a better alternative).

 

If this is to be used and be useful, it is incredibly important that folks are entering data in a standardized fashion.

 

First, USE ONLY DECIMALS (no fractions; 1 3/8" of precip = 1.375, etc...) and do not include any text/letters/symbols within the quantitative data fields (1.67 NOT 1.67").

 

For the date, use 8 digit code that indicates year, month, and day in a single numerical line (YYYYMODD). For example, August 5th, 2015 would be 20150805. Time should be entered as a 24 hour clock (military).

 

Please use only standardized postal abbreviations for State (AZ not Arizona, etc..) and spell out the full name of the county if you wish to enter it.

 

The units to be used are included in the field (column) headings; decimal inches for all precip values, feet for elevation, and decimal degrees for latitude and longitude, Fahrenheit for all temps. Please double check the field headings to ensure you are entering data in the correct units.

 

The comments field is for anything you wish to add that might be relevant; whether you saw game that day, what type of game, ANYTHING else that you think might be a contribution or be important when the data are analyzed.

 

It is also important that any cells you wish to leave blank, use a . (period) for "no data." Where observations are numerical zeroes, use a zero. Point is, we want to be able to distinguish "no data" from a true zero. Placing a period in empty cells will also diminish the likelihood of folks entering data in the wrong cell (if all cells are filled up as we go, then the next person that gets on to enter data won't have to think very hard about where to start).

 

If all goes well and people like this, we could have quite a nice data set in a year or so and thank you in advance for any feedback and participation!!

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11O4y4wRdTAKIv-ql3SKx9521_KN6d-ctjnPNRYMLd3Y/edit?usp=sharing

[CouesPursuit]

Unavailable

[CouesWhitetail]

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8-4-2015 9-07-53 AM.jpg

 

 

i was able to open the document, so it seems to be working now.

[5guyshunting]

Me too, im just to computer illiterate and dont know what to do next.

[micropterus79]

Me too, im just to computer illiterate and dont know what to do next.

 

Should be able to just enter what you have just like a normal excel spreadsheet...I hope. I went ahead and entered the data for our house this afternoon to hopefully give folks an idea of what/how to enter the data.

 

Also, another member PM'd me and we thought about just starting a new thread called something like "Current Weather Conditions" where people can just post any inclement weather or conditions they see relevant to outdoors activities in their areas. This would provide a more immediate resource whereas the spreadsheet would be used to look at longer term patterns.

 

As this other member mentioned, and I think it is worth repeating, temperature and precipitation are not the only weather phenomena that affect hunting and travel so if you all think of any more fields that should be added, let me know (things such as lighting, ice, etc...).

[CouesPursuit]

Must be a restriction or permission issue on my computer, I'm still getting the same thing. I'll try a few things, sorry about that, thanks.

 

Edited/Addition:
I can pull it right up on my phone, looks very good, a couple suggestions now that can make this spreadsheet more versatile later..

 

1. Make the date fields all integers,Year (yyyy), Month (mm), and Day (dd). This way, we can concatenate to one date field that will always have 8 characters i.e. 20150805. Now the dates can be queried and sorted.

 

2. Nit-picky for sure, but some databases don't like spaces and special characters (/). It doesn't look as pretty, but I typically use underscores or bumpy caps i.e. Elevation_ft , Wind_mph , etc.. I also try to keep field names as short as possible. Then, the data can be taken into any database language, and it will never need to be modified.

 

3. Add a 'userid' field.

 

Great stuff micropterus, even if you didn't make any changes, the existing fields could be manipulated. I only mention the 2 things above so there will never need to be a schema change, and it will always be a 1:1 relationship.

 

I'm hoping people use it!

[micropterus79]

Thank you CouesPursuit. Sent a PM with some other details but I went ahead and made the edits you suggested!