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<title>CUCC Expo Handbook - Data Management</title>
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<h2 id="tophead">CUCC Expedition Handbook - Data Management</h2>

<h1>Why cavers need effective data management</h1>

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Cave exploration is more data-intensive than any other sport. The only way to "win" at this
sport is to bring back large quantities of interesting survey, and possibly photos or scientific 
data. Aside from the data collection requirements of the game itself, setting up a game (an 
expedition) of cave exploration often involves collection of personal information ranging from 
dates available to medical information to the desire to purchase an expedition t-shirt.
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<img class="onright" src ="../i/qm-image.jpg" />

If an expedition will only happen once, low-tech methods are usually adequate to record 
information. Any events that need to be recorded can go in a logbook. Survey notes must be 
turned into finished cave sketches, without undue concern for the future expansion of those sketches.

<h2>Recurring expeditions</h2>
<p>
However, many caving expeditions are recurring, and managing their data is a more challenging 
task. For example, let us discuss annual expeditions. 

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<li>Every year, for each cave explored, a list 
of <a href="/cave/qms/1623-290">unfinished underground leads</a> (which we call "<a href="qmentry.html">Question Marks</a>" or "QMs") must be maintained to 
record what has and has not been investigated. Each QM must have a unique id, and information 
stored about it must be easily accessible to future explorers of the same area. 
<li>Similarly, on 
the surface, aprospecting map showing which entrances have been investigated needs to be 
produced and updated at least after every expedition, if not more frequently. This is the  <a href="../essentials.html">"entrances.gpx"</a> file.
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<p>When we have hundreds of explored shafts, and thousands of potential holes on the plateau, it is absolutely essential that we record holes we have already looked at.


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<p><em>From "<a href="/expofiles/documents/troggle/troggle_paper.pdf" download>Troggle: 
a novel system for cave exploration information management</a>", by Aaron Curtis (2006) and
updated as "<a href="/expofiles/documents/troggle/troggle2020.pdf" download>Troggle: 
a revised system for cave data management</a>" in 2020.</em>

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