AICE Enviro 2.3 -2.5

Qualitative Data

non-numerical data, descriptive

Quantitative Data

Numerical Data

Discrete Data

Quantitative Data that has a finite number of possible values and only takes whole numbers.

Ex. 1,2,3,4,5

Continuous Data

Quantitative data that have infinite possibilities and can take any value.

Ex. 1.51 speed

Primary Data

Data collected by the researcher or group doing an investigation, serves purpose to the specific investigation

Secondary Data

Data that is already readily available, usually has extra unnecessary information.

Collecting all data in an investigation is unnecessary or impossible because of?…

It is expensive and time consuming

What is a sample?

A representation of a target population

What is Target Population

The subset of people or organism to which the conclusions of the study can be applied

What is Point Sampling?

Data collection done at an exact point

What is line sampling?

Data collected along a line or transect

What is Area or quadrat sampling?

Data is collected within quadrants

What is Random Sampling?

sample points are selected using random numbers to avoid bias

What is Systematic Sampling?

Sample points are selected using a regular pattern

What is Stratified sampling?

When a population is divided up into groups

What is a Questionnaire or Survey

-Method of research used to gain peoples opinions

-Both use stratified sampling

-Consideration of time, place, location

Pilot Survey/Study

Test surveys or studies done before the investigation

-Should always be done

What does a good questionnaire have?

-No ambiguous questioning

-Quick completion

-Have closed questions at the beginning

What is a quadrat?

A square of known size used to sample ground living organisms (sessile) in an ecosystem

-Used to study changes over distance

-Mostly used to count plants in an area

Transect

A sampling method in which sampling devices are laid out along a line already placed across an area

-Used for sedentary organisms

-Systematic Sampling

What are Pitfall traps?

A trap that consists of a jar sunk up to its rim in the soil, that is covered (may not be b/c it depends on weather).

-Used for non-sedentary organisms (mostly insects)

-Can be used randomly or Systematically

What is a Pooter (Bug aspirator)?

A tub or jar that traps insects that is used for transportation from nets to a laboratory

-Used for non-sedentary organisms (insects)

-Insects are usually trapped in a net beforehand

What are advantages to Quadrats?

-Quick

-Inexpensive

-Portable

What are advantages to Transects?

-Quick

-Inexpensive

-Portable

What are advantages to Pitfall Traps?

-Inexpensive

-Easy to setup

-Easy to use

What are disadvantages to Quadrats?

-Not always very accurate

-Unless many are placed, the sample can be biased

What are disadvantages to Transects?

-Often used in inappropriate situations (where the environment isn’t suitable for this method)

What are disadvantages to Pitfall Traps?

-Often kill organisms captured

-May oversample OR undersample

What is a Beating Tray?

Consists of a pale colored cloth that is stretched using a frame and then held under shrubs and shaken.

-Invertebrates fall from foliage and land on the cloth and are examined

What are Light Traps?

Traps that use light to attract certain insects

-Doesn’t have to be UV

-Designs differ according to behavior of insect being targeted

-Light traps are mostly used for nocturnal insects.

What is Capture Mark Recapture (CMR)?

An animal survey method in which the counted statistic is the total number of animals caught, and associated detection probability is the probability of capture.

-Animals are captured and marked and then released back into the wild

-Ratio of marked:unmarked is determined

What is Water Turbidity?

Measure of how clear or cloudy the water is

What is a Secchi Disk?

Used to measure light penetration (turbidity). A disc is lowered until no longer visible and the depth is recorded then it is lifted until seen again and recorded the depth again

-Mean of 2 depths = Transparency of water

-Black and white disc

Lincoln Index Formula

N= n1 x n2 /m

N= Total Population

N1= # Of animals captured on 1st day

N2= # Of animals recaptured

M= # of MARKED animals recaptured

What are the assumptions of the Lincoln Index Formula?

-All individuals in a given area have an equal chance of being captured with random sampling

-Marked individuals will be randomly distributed after release

-Marking individuals will not affect the mortality or natality of population

How can the Lincoln Index improve its accuracy?

-Increasing the size of the capture samples

-Taking repeated samples to create a statistical average

Simpson’s Index of Diversity

D= 1 - (E(n/N)²)

-Takes into account both richness and evenness of a ecosystem.

-Probability that any randomly selected individuals will be of different species

-Value of D without being subtracted tells that any 2 randomly selected individuals will be the same species

What is richness?

#of species per samples

What is evenness?

abundance of different species (population sizes)

What is Big Data?

extremely large sets of data that is collected using technology

What are the 5 V’s of big data?

1. Volume

2. Value

3. Variety

4. Velocity

5. Veracity

What is volume in Big Data?

The amount or sheer volume in data sets, its what makes big data BIG.

One Exabyte = 1 quintillion bytes

What is value in Big Data?

It is the way data can be used.

-Big data increases significantly depending on the insights gained from using it

What is variety in Big Data?

It is the type of data stored.

-Structured data is augmented by unstructured data

-Unstructured data is a fundamental concept where it has no rules.

What is velocity in Big Data?

The speed and magnitude at which big data is generated, gathered, and analyzed

What is veracity in Big Data?

It is how valid the data is, how representative it is to its claims.

-Are there any discrepancies?

What is a Pop-up Habitat?

• Bird Return is a project by The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

• It collects and studies data from birdwatchers, NASA satellite images, eBird, and other sources.

• This data helps predict when and where bird flocks will appear.

• The information is used to find areas that need temporary wetland habitats.

• TNC rents land from farmers and floods it so birds can nest, drink, and rest during migration.

• Farmers benefit because the program also provides them with water for their crops.

What is project premonition?

• Microsoft and U.S. colleges work together to detect viruses before they cause epidemics.

• AI analyzes the blood that mosquitoes collect from animals in an ecosystem.

• A robotic trap catches certain mosquito species and preserves them for testing.

• Their blood is tested using genetic sequencing and data analysis to find dangerous virus strains.

• This research could help prevent diseases like Zika virus, dengue fever, and other mosquito-borne illnesses.

What is Intel’s anti-poaching rhino chip?

• Over 1,000 rhinos are killed each year in Southern Africa.

• Intel created a small Galileo board (credit-card-sized) with storage and 3G connectivity to help stop poaching.

• Endangered rhinos are fitted with this device and a solar panel that charges the battery.

• The board tracks each rhino’s location and movements, with data encrypted so poachers can’t access it.

• Each rhino’s horn has an RFID chip for identification.

• If the system detects the horn and ankle are separated, it alerts anti-poaching teams immediately.

What are the limitations of Big Data?

1. Data privacy concerns

2. Data quality issues

3. Complexity

4. High Costs

5. Overfitting and Bias

What are Data privacy Concerns?

Handling vast amounts of personal data raises privacy and security concerns.

What are Data Quality issues?

Inconsistent, incomplete, or inaccurate data can affect the reliability of insights

What is Complexity?

Analyzing and managing large datasets requires advanced tools and expertise

What are high costs?

Storing, processing, maintaining big data infrastructures can be expensive

What are overfitting and bias?

Algorithms may find patterns that are not meaningful, leading to misleading conclusions

What are the Armadillo Lab Limitations?

1. Closed Population

2. Random Mixing

3. No marking effect

4. Accurate marking and recapture

5. Equal capture probability

What is closed population?

The population size remains constant between the marking and recapturing phases, meaning there are no births, deaths, immigration, or emigration.

What is random mixing?

After being marked, individuals must mix randomly back into the population, so marked and unmarked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured.

What is no marking effect?

The process of marking does not affect the animals' survival, behavior, or likelihood of being recaptured.

What is Accurate marking and recapture?

All marks must be retained and identifiable between the two sampling events, and no marks should be missed during recapture.

What is equal capture probability?

Every individual in the population has an equal chance of being captured in both the initial capture and recapture events.