This report documents UTIG’s approach to managing aerogeophysical data in the field. This
approach to fieldwork has taken shape in the course of over 20+ years of polar campaigns
based out of over 10 Antarctic stations. Aerogeophysical survey is not simply about the act of
making measurements and observations. A key component of conducting surveys is managing
data as it is collected and providing feedback for quality control. We want to document that
institutional knowledge for the benefit of researchers who are continuing in this work as well as
for the users of our data.
While this document focuses on data management in the field, we start by providing the context
for a typical aerogeophysical campaign and describe how the work is broken up amongst
teams. We then discuss the philosophy behind field data processing, with a focus on what the
goals are for preliminary processing and how it differs from the final products. With that
motivation, we describe how the Base Operations team typically meets those goals, along with
case studies of how we have applied this approach when based at a variety of stations and field
camps, with the differing logistical challenges imposed by each.
Companion documents focusing on instrumentation and airborne operations are forthcoming.Institute for Geophysic