Results/Raw Data

Last Updated 22 September, 2005

Maps

Map showing the latest location obtained - 22 September, 2005

 

Map showing Sputnik's locations since 13 July, 2005 to the most recent location of 21 Sept, 2005(shown in blue). 

The last reading shows Sputnik heading back to the main cluster of locations.  He's moved from the side stream of his last location, back to the main stream (Adelaide River). 

I have some new software called ArcGIS Tracking Analyst which will allow me to map date sequences to show his movement with pop up dates.  I should have this up and running in the next week or two.  I'll also be putting some more maps on the website, including monthly maps and zoomed in maps which should show more detail.

I've changed the colours of the map to try and make them more visible.

The total distance movement from the "Release" location and the top location (obtained on Aug 7, 2005) is approximately 12km.

It is expected he will move around a bit more when the seasons change, particularly during the wet season in Dec/Jan. 

These maps will be updated as the data comes in, with the next update on Sept 27, 2005.  See below for more detail on the data used to produce these maps.

 

Raw Data

Data gets collected for a 24 hour period, every 5th day.  I log on to the Argos website and download the data at regular intervals.  It's possible to get data automatically sent to you via email, fax etc, but I haven't selected this option. Each location has a location class with it which tells how accurate the location is, based on the satellite/transmitter geometry during satellite pass, the number of messages received during the pass and the transmitter frequency stability. These classes are:

3        accurate to within 150m

2        accurate to between 150m and 350m

1        accurate to between 350m and 1000m

0        > 1000m

A&B    not assigned a value as not enough messages were received

Z        rejected locations (invalid)

I get approximately 12 - 15 location readings per 24 hour data period.  Of these, approximately 50 - 60% have a location class of 2 & 3.  Because this is quite a high number of accurate readings, I am only taking note of locations with location classes of 3 and 2, and only mapping those with a 3. 

The above map only shows one location per date. This location is the latest class 3 location obtained during that data period.  This prevents the map from getting congested with lots of similar readings.  However, in certain circumstances I will be mapping more than one location per 24 hour data period if the movements are noteworthy. 

The raw data gets downloaded in a text file format, which is modified slightly (as discussed below) and uploaded into the GIS for mapping and analysis.  The columns that come in are Location time, Location class, Longitude, Latitude and Temperature.  There are also a few other bits of data to do with the remaining battery life that are in the download.

The time associated with the raw data comes in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) so has to be converted to the local time in Darwin, which at present is 9 and a half hours earlier than GMT.  Also, the raw data comes in Minutes, Degrees and Seconds and has to be converted in to Decimal Degrees so it can be mapped.

As more data comes in, I will be able to separate the data based on the month and various other forms for viewing the movement.  I also plan to analyse the data with various types of meteorological data so any movement patterns (if there are any) can be identified.  These results will be put on this website as they become available.