UNAVCO Investigator Manual - Campaign Procedures


UNAVCO Investigator’s Manual

1 December 2009

Updated from original manuscript dated 1 November 2001

This manual is intended as a resource for anyone planning the logistics and technical support that is necessary for successful GPS campaigns. It features general information, UNAVCO support procedures for both proposal preparation and field project data collection, and technical planning outlines for large scale GPS projects. Principal Investigators and field team leaders are encouraged to review this manual at the initial stages of project planning, and to refer back to it at the various stages of the GPS campaign planning process.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

1-1 Assisting with GPS in Geosciences Research
1-2 What is GPS?
1-3 Why UNAVCO?
1-4 UNAVCO Today
1-5 Who Guides UNAVCO?
1-6 Member Institutions

2. Guidelines for Use of UNAVCO Resources

2-1 Proposal Preparation
2-2 After Receiving Funding Announcement
2-3 Project Scheduling
2-4 Project Planning
2-5 During Project
2-6 Data Archiving
2-7 Emergency Use of UNAVCO Equipment
2-8 UNAVCO Board of Directors Members

3. UNAVCO GPS Project Schedule

3-1 Scheduling Procedure
3-2 Questions Regarding Scheduling

4. UNAVCO Principal Investigator’s Outline

4-1 Proposal Preparation
4-2 After Receiving Funding Announcement
4-3 Initial Planning Meeting with UNAVCO (“120 Day Meeting”) 4-4 90 Day Deadline
4-5 60 Day Deadline
4-6 30 Day Deadline
4-7 10 Days Before Shipping
4-8 Arrival at Field Staging Site
4-9 During GPS Tracking
4-10 End of Project
4-11 Post Project

5. Agent Projects

5-1 UNAVCO Equipment Loan Agreement
5-2 Key Agent Issues
5-3 Training
5-4 Project End

6. UNAVCO Project Checklist

6-1 Project Overview
6-2 Project Preparation Schedule
6-3 Costs
6-4 Equipment
6-5 Logistics
6-6 Shipping
6-7 Travel Preparations
6-8 Participants
6-9 Insurance
6-10 Operator’s Notebook
6-11 Contacts

7. UNAVCO Project Engineer’s Outline

7-1 Project Assignment – Initial Planning Meeting with Principal Investigator
7-2 90 Day Deadline
7-3 60 Day Deadline
7-4 30 Day Deadline
7-5 10 Days Before Shipping
7-6 Shipping Day
7-7 Arrival at Field Staging Site
7-8 During GPS Tracking
7-9 End of Project
7-10 Return to UNAVCO Facility

8. Field Training Outline

8-1 Overview
8-2 Equipment
8-3 Tripod and Tribrach
8-4 Antenna
8-5 Measure Height of Antenna
8-6 Power Setup
8-8 Documentation
8-9 Downloading
8-10 Packing up and Preparation for Next Day
8-11 Run your own survey
8-12 Troubleshooting
8-13 Suggestions

9. UNAVCO Emergency Contact Outline

9-1 Emergency Contact Lists
9-2 When an Accident or Theft Occurs

10. Shipping Outline

10-1 Clean, Pack and Inventory All Boxes
10-2 Return Boxes to Shipping Agent
10-3 Required Information
10-4 Instructions for Shipper
10-5 Shipping Agent Should Contact Denver Shipper
10-6 Contact UNAVCO Facility if You Have Any Problems

11. UNAVCO Data Management Guidelines

11-1 Introduction
11-2 Data Management Timeline
11-3 Media
11-4 Information to Provide UNAVCO Before Campaign Begins
11-5 Information to Send to UNAVCO After Campaign Ends
11-6 Extracting Data from the Archive

12. UNAVCO Facility Information

12-1 UNAVCO Facility Addresses
12-2 UNAVCO Facility Staff Phone & E-mail List
12-3 INTERNET Access - World Wide Web & FTP

1. Introduction

1-1 Assisting with GPS in Geosciences Research

This manual contains information prepared by the UNAVCO to assist principal investigators in the successful preparation and execution of research projects utilizing the Global Positioning System (GPS). UNAVCO is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to make GPS resources available for geoscience research.

UNAVCO is a national program, governed by universities and funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, to assist university researchers using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in Earth sciences applications. UNAVCO provides information, support, and scientific infrastructure to principal investigators making use of GPS satellites for Earth science and related research. The aim of UNAVCO is to extend the capabilities of the university community, nationally and internationally, to better understand the behavior of the Earth and the global environment, and to foster the transfer of knowledge and technology for the betterment of life on Earth.

1-2 What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a constellation of 24+ satellites designed for navigation and positioning. GPS satellites are to the space age as lighthouses were to the sailing age. Although GPS was developed mainly for military use, valuable civilian and scientific applications have been developed.

1-3 Why UNAVCO?

In the early 1980s:

To address this opportunity, university researchers formed a consortium to establish a pool of GPS equipment and provide technical assistance to investigators working in high-accuracy differential GPS surveying. The earth sciences community built the UNAVCO program on the concept of shared responsibility between universities and the UNAVCO Facility, with encouragement and funding from the National Science Foundation.

UNAVCO began establishing a GPS equipment pool and providing technical and field support to university investigators in 1986. Since that time, UNAVCO has assisted scores of researchers in hundreds of field projects employing state-of-the-art GPS equipment and methods.

1-4 UNAVCO Today

UNAVCO’s primary mission is to provide GPS equipment and technical support to university-based investigators. Applications include the study of plate tectonics, earthquakes, crustal motion, volcanoes, sea level, ocean currents, ice dynamics, and atmospheric sensing. More than 100 universities and research institutions participate as members of UNAVCO. Investigators and students at these institutions have access to a variety of equipment and support services.

Continuous GPS Station Support. UNAVCO provides complete support and turnkey solutions for investigators using continuously tracking GPS stations and networks for the highest accuracy applications of GPS. This support includes standardized power and communication solutions, discounted GPS equipment prices, network monitoring and maintenance, daily data retrieval, data management software, and archiving services.

GPS Equipment for Campaign Support. High accuracy GPS receivers and auxiliary equipment are available to the community through the UNAVCO equipment pool. Although GPS equipment is complex and a variety of user options are available, UNAVCO equipment is standardized. This ensures simplified training, operations, and data analysis, as well as higher scientific productivity and quality. Participating investigators who are applying GPS to their research interests can obtain assistance in planning, training, logistics, field operations, as well as data analysis and archiving.

Technical Assistance. Investigators can also obtain assistance in troubleshooting, accuracy improvement, new applications, software development, equipment testing, data analysis and other technical areas.

Archiving Services. The scientific value of high-accuracy geophysical positioning data tends to increase with the passage of time. UNAVCO maintains a map-oriented relational database to archive GPS data and make it readily available to investigators.

Rapid Deployment. Unique research opportunities often precede and follow major geophysical events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Equipment and technical support is often provided to investigators on short notice following major events. Serving the rapid deployment needs of the community is a continuing priority of UNAVCO.

1-5 Who Guides UNAVCO?

Program guidance for UNAVCO is provided by a board of directors elected by member institutions to represent the university community. The UNAVCO Facility is managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. UCAR is a consortium of universities in the United States and Canada. UCAR oversees a wide range of programs and facilities that serve its members and the world scientific community. UCAR also manages and operates the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

The UNAVCO program is funded under a peer-review grant from the National Science Foundation and under contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

1-6 Member Institutions

http://www.unavco.org/community/membership/information/information.html

2. Guidelines for Use of UNAVCO Resources

Principal Investigators (PIs) are encouraged to follow these guidelines in order to facilitate the smooth planning and execution of projects. Note that failure to comply with the 30 day Purchase Order (PO) deadline (see Section 4-6, 30 Day Deadline, Chapter 4) may lead to downgrading in priority, postponement, or cancellation of UNAVCO support for your field project.

2-1 Proposal Preparation

2-2 After Receiving Funding Announcement

2-3 Project Scheduling

The project will be scheduled by UNAVCO when both (1) the support request has been received by UNAVCO, and (2) the project is funded by a source (normally NSF or NASA) that UNAVCO is mandated to support.

2-4 Project Planning

2-5 During Project

2-6 Data Archiving

2-7 Emergency Use of UNAVCO Equipment

One of UNAVCO’s principal objectives is to provide GPS equipment for the detection of post-seismic strain associated with major earthquakes. Deployment of UNAVCO equipment within a day or so of the event is important. Following a major earthquake, any researcher who believes that crucial strain measurements are likely to be obtained if GPS equipment were immediately deployed should contact UNAVCO immediately.

Users of UNAVCO equipment are advised that re-allocation of scheduled equipment may occur in the event of a major earthquake. Rescheduling of equipment will be given top priority for investigators who suffer delay of scheduled use of UNAVCO equipment.

2-8 UNAVCO Board of Directors Members

http://www.unavco.org/community/governance/governance.html

3. UNAVCO GPS Project Schedule

3-1 Scheduling Procedure

These procedures must be followed to ensure UNAVCO support:

3-2 Questions Regarding Scheduling

Please contact Jim Normandeau, (303) 381-7475, normandeau@unavco.org, for questions regarding project scheduling.

4. UNAVCO Principal Investigator’s Outline

The following outline is to aid Principal Investigators (PIs) in preparing domestic and international GPS projects that utilize services provided by the UNAVCO Facility. This is a guideline for international and domestic campaigns and permanent station installations, and all items will not be relevant for every project. UNAVCO is primarily responsible for providing equipment and training, permanent station installation, data acquisition, GPS operator safety, and logistic support. Further services provided by UNAVCO include permanent station network monitoring, data archiving, advice in GPS network design and (on a case-by-case basis) post-processing of GPS data.

4-1 Proposal Preparation

4-2 After Receiving Funding Announcement

4-3 Initial Planning Meeting with UNAVCO ("120 Day Meeting")

4-4 90 Day Deadline

4-5 60 Day Deadline

4-6 30 Day Deadline

4-7 10 Days Before Shipping

4-8 Arrival at Field Staging Site

4-8.1 Training

4-8.2 Operators

4-9 During GPS Tracking

4-10 End of Project

4-11 Post Project

5. Agent Projects

In many cases the PI receives equipment and training from UNAVCO, but no direct project support from a field engineer. Such projects are called “Agent Projects”, and a designated research organization representative (Agent) assumes responsibility for equipment security and damage, operator training, data acquisition, GPS operator safety, and logistic support. A signed “UNAVCO Equipment Loan Agreement” is required for all Agent projects. Agent projects differ from those supported by a UNAVCO field engineer in several ways:

This chapter contains issues specific to Agents managing UNAVCO supported GPS field projects. The Agent should also review the rest of the UNAVCO Investigator’s manual.

5-1 UNAVCO Equipment Loan Agreement

The Equipment Loan Agreement spells out the responsibilities of the PIs research organization when borrowing UNAVCO equipment. The primary responsibilities of the agreement are:

5-2 Key Agent Issues

5-2.1 Operator safety is the Agent’s first priority.

The Agent should be aware of all possible safety issues, both political and natural. The Agent should maintain a daily contact schedule where operators can contact them if necessary.

5-2.2 Equipment safety is the Agent’s second priority.

5-2.3 Meeting project goals is the Agent’s third priority.

Although this goal is listed third it is an important goal. The UNAVCO Facility will provide any preplanning assistance necessary to successfully meet the proposed goals of the project. In addition, the other chapters of this manual will provide helpful information.

5-3 Training

5-3.1 Operator Training

The Agent agrees to train others who will be using UNAVCO equipment. This includes confirming the ability, competence, and commitment of all of the operators. The Agent should understand all points in the training outline and be able to relay these points to the observers.

5-3.2 Optional Training

5-4 Project End

A list of the data including disks, log sheets and site descriptions must be forwarded to the UNAVCO archive immediately following the project. Copies of the data must arrive at the UNAVCO archive within one year of the project, in accordance with the UNAVCO data policy (kb.unavco.org).

6. UNAVCO Project Checklist

The following is a list of items to aid Principal Investigators (PIs) in preparing for domestic and international GPS projects that utilize services provided by the UNAVCO Facility. This document lists the items that need to be addressed in outline form for the Initial Planning Meeting and subsequent meetings with UNAVCO. Although some of these items will be handled by the UNAVCO project engineer, all items should be discussed at the Initial Planning Meeting. Agent project PIs will also find this list useful for managing their own projects.

6-1 Project Overview

Present an informative summary of the proposed project. Many of these subjects will be covered in depth later in the checklist.

6-2 Project Preparation Schedule

6-3 Costs

Prepare a budget including estimated costs related to project (see budget template):

6-4 Equipment

6-5 Logistics

6-6 Shipping

6-7 Travel Preparations

6-8 Participants

6-9 Insurance

6-10 Operator’s Notebook

6-11 Contacts

7. UNAVCO Project Engineer’s Outline

The primary role of the UNAVCO engineer or agent is to organize and prepare all GPS and conventional survey equipment for international and domestic projects, assume responsibility for shipping to and from a project, provide shipping and customs documentation, inventory and safeguard equipment while it is in the field, repair (engineers only) equipment when necessary, and ensure operators and equipment are deployed safely into and out of the field during GPS measurements. The following checklist is the assigned engineer’s or agent’s responsibility; however, the engineer or agent may delegate responsibility as needed to ensure a successful project.

7-1 Project Assignment – Initial Planning Meeting with Principal Investigator

7-2 90 Day Deadline

7-3 60 Day Deadline

7-4 30 Day Deadline

7-5 10 Days Before Shipping

7-6 Shipping Day

7-7 Arrival at Field Staging Site

7-8 During GPS Tracking

7-9 End of Project

7-10 Return to UNAVCO Facility

8. Field Training Outline

This outline is a supplement to the instructions received from the UNAVCO engineer on GPS data collection procedures. Verbal, visual, and, most importantly, hands-on instruction are necessary for an operator to learn proper field techniques. These skills need to be attained during the training period - not out in the field. Upon completion, operators must demonstrate the ability to operate and care for field equipment responsibly.

8-1 Overview

8-2 Equipment

8-3 Tripod and Tribrach

8-4 Antenna

8-5 Measure Height of Antenna

8-6 Power Setup

8-7 Start-up Receiver

8-8 Documentation

8-9 Downloading

8-10 Packing up and Preparation for Next Day

8-11 Run your own survey

8-12 Troubleshooting

8-13 Suggestions

9. UNAVCO Emergency Contact Outline

The following is the emergency procedure to be followed while on a field project. An emergency involves either the injury or death of personnel involved in the campaign, substantial damage or loss of equipment or both.

9-1 Emergency Contact Lists

9-2 When an Accident or Theft Occurs

When personnel are injured or equipment is destroyed or stolen the UNAVCO Facility must be informed immediately. The order of information flow should go as follows:

9-2.1 Injury of Personnel

The immediate concern should be to see to the medical needs of the injured person. All necessary medical attention should be administered. Paperwork must be filled out to ensure compensation from the insurance company or workman’s compensation. For example, UNAVCO employees are required to do the following:

9-2.2 Death of Personnel

9-2.3 Severe Equipment Damage or Equipment Loss

A police report must be taken and a copy given to the UNAVCO Facility. Any other official statements documenting the loss must also be copied to the UNAVCO Facility.

10. Shipping Outline

Below is a checklist for returning equipment to UNAVCO. Please follow these steps and FAX the requested information to your UNAVCO Facility contact.

10-1 Clean, Pack and Inventory All Boxes

All boxes should be cleaned, packed and inventoried as per the manifest. Each manifest should agree exactly with the contents of the matching equipment box. Each box should be banded. Ensure that each case is clearly marked with the return address and UNAVCO contact and phone number.

10-2 Return Boxes to Shipping Agent

Return the boxes to the shipping agent to whom the UNAVCO Facility delivered the equipment. For international projects the shipping agent can help you with return customs clearance.

10-3 Required Information

The following information should be FAXed to the UNAVCO Facility. They will forward it to the local customs broker for international shipments.

10-4 Instructions for Shipper

10-5 Shipping Agent Should Contact Denver Shipper

The shipping agent should contact the receiving shipper in Denver. Your UNAVCO contact should give you their address, phone and FAX number before departure. Be sure you have this.

10-6 Contact UNAVCO Facility if You Have Any Problems

The UNAVCO engineer or Agent should not leave the field area until the equipment is on its way back to the UNAVCO Facility.

11 UNAVCO Data Management Guidelines

11-1 Introduction

UNAVCO has developed a comprehensive data management strategy to safeguard the present and future scientific value of GPS project data. This strategy encompasses most aspects of a typical project. It includes pre-project planning, data acquisition, conversion and verification in the field and at the Facility, and long-term archiving and data retrieval. The process involves project investigators, field operators, and Facility field engineers and archiving staff who are most familiar with the data. UNAVCO’s data management strategy supports new modes of operation including continuously operating networks and mixed mode occupation strategies for regional GPS geodesy. UNAVCO’s goal is to provide a flexible, reliable service that meets the needs of the expanding users of the UNAVCO Facility.

11-2 Data Management Timeline

UNAVCO deadlines for data management are designed to meet NSF and NASA guidelines on data accessibility. At present, NSF requires that data be made available to the public one year after the project ends. NASA requires that data be made available six months after the project ends. To preserve the data integrity and to meet these deadlines, the data should be archived immediately after return from the field. Data are made public at the specified deadlines, not at the time of archiving. Exceptions can be made (section b.) at the request of the PI. UNAVCO will represent PI’s needs in these matters to the Board of Directors and the sponsor whenever necessary.

11-3 Media

The UNAVCO engineer will recommend a media source and will acquire media, labels and forms used in the campaign. Typical options include CD-RW, DVD, and external hard drives.

11-4 Information to Provide UNAVCO Before Campaign Begins

11-5 Information to Send to UNAVCO After Campaign Ends

11-6 Extracting Data from the Archive

A catalogue of archived data is available on the UNAVCO web site. The directory, or browse file, is a listing of campaigns and general information about the region of the campaign and the data accessibility (security level). The data are accessible based on the previous arrangements of the original PI at the time of the Initial Planning Meeting.

To request data, send an e-mail to archive@unavco.org. Include the name of the campaign, site name, date and times of interest, and any other details. UNAVCO archive personnel will respond with information concerning data availability. Data may also be requested by regular letter mail to the UNAVCO Archive.

12 UNAVCO Facility Information

12-1 UNAVCO Facility Addresses

UNAVCO
6350 Nautilus Drive
Boulder, CO 80301, USA

12-2 UNAVCO Facility Staff Phone & E-mail List

http://www.unavco.org/contact/contact.html

12-3 INTERNET Access - World Wide Web & FTP



Article ID: 26
Created: November 24, 2009
Last Updated: November 24, 2009
Author: Freddy Blume

Online URL: https://kb.unavco.org/article/unavco-investigator-manual-campaign-procedures-26.html