Planning & Staging a Research Expedition

Collecting field data has always been a scientist’s stock in trade. Direct observations shed insights on weather, climate, and related Earth-system phenomena. For instance, sampling the atmosphere as Asian dust plumes blow across the Pacific to North America offers insights on the impacts of aerosols and pollutants on North American weather. Or, driftsondes, let loose over western Africa, supply data on storm genesis that can be used to better predict hurricane formation around the globe.

While the average field campaign ranges anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, ensuring successful data collection generally requires years of detailed planning. Even before submitting a proposal to funding agencies, principal investigators do well to think out the plan of action that will drive their field program.

Though scientific investigators are responsible for generating the research question, and identifying which observations will be required to answer such questions, guided by years of hands-on experience, NCAR’s Field Project Services staff – part of the Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) – helps scientists with all aspects of planning and executing field programs. From tracking instrument status of all participating facilities, real-time reformatting of raw data into easier-to-interpret imagery to making sure data collection and distribution plans are created, they work one-on-one with principal investigators and research teams to secure the resources, logistical plans, and people that will allow the science team to achieve its desired ends.