Day1/Week3

Some more professors arrived today making things both complicated but also relaxed, like a transition day should be. When I got to out to the field, I set out with Cole to get a few vantage points. Since I still didn’t have a solid question, I wanted to get an overview and he needed to get some panoramas taken. We then split up and I walked along the coast contemplating project ideas. I hadn’t actually been down to the shore yet (near the Ka’a’awa valley), but I noted that it seemed similar to the beach back by our ranch. Deciding that it would be good to get back and watch the UAV flights, I took a road I’d never been on and looped back around to the staging area.

I was starting to get nervous since I hand’t developed a question yet. It’s funny how during class analysis research projects, I can come up with far too many questions. But now that I am in an actual field, I’ve found it pretty difficult to pick variables to check against each other. While the various UAV groups spent hours staging and preparing for lights, I took notes and talked to some professors about several ideas. I want more experience with the software programs that I haven’t used before (eCognition, ERDAS, PhotoScan), but most of these tools won’t be utilized of offshore projects. So I have shifted away from the idea of exploring seeps. Although it may need to be refined, I was thinking about looking at the unusual hydrological regions in the valley, such as where stops flowing and then reappears.

Tomorrow morning should be pretty useful. We are going to have a much needed open discussion to throw ideas around. Hopefully then I will get a chance to talk to Dr. Becker in more detail about some of my questions and explore the tools like the arduino boards he has been talking about.

Nice job cooking tonight team 1. The grilled vegetables were quite delicious.

Cheers