My big days so far - 2024 edition
I like to dig into analytics. My daily routine includes flipping through the metrics on my smartwatch and keeping track of my sleep and fitness data.
So, I thought it would be fun to explore the patterns in my biodiversity-observing habits by pulling out the individual days where I made the most photo observations and doing the compare & contrast exercise.
My Big Days
| Date | Observations | Species | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-Sep-13 | 484 | 62 | Pacific Deep-sea Canyons, CAN |
| 2023-Sep-04 | 393 | 113 | Golden Ears Provincial Park, CAN |
| 2024-Jun-15 | 381 | 164 | Acadia National Park, USA |
| 2024-Jul-07 | 335 | 172 | Southwest Nova Scotia, CAN |
| 2024-May-18 | 301 | 153 | Ministers Island, CAN |
My Biggest Day
My biggest day is an underwater snapshot of how I 'iNat' in the oceans by using a standard technique in deep-sea biodiversity research - benthic visual transects using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
The images I posted from this day is an example of the data workflow that can come with the use of cameras in underwater biodiversity surveys. Using ROVs, we fly straight lines while hovering <1 m above the seafloor, and take videos and photographs at set intervals along the way. Science-class ROVs have high-accuracy, GPS-derived telemetry at depth (± a few metres) which allows us to georeference photographed species by embedding the ROV coordinates into the image EXIF data. This is also why so many of my deep-sea observations have such specific location data.
A lot of the species observation photos aren't 'pretty' because research scientists often prefer data generated through standardized surveys. Standardized survey protocols better controls for observer bias when the data are collected specifically to assess environmental factors that influence where and when species are found, as well as their abundance. However, I do plan for 'off-transect' sections to get some of those pretty photos as well.
My Other Big Days
My other big days were on land and from my weekend hikes through national parks, provincial parks, and other biodiversity conservation areas. These big days were also my first visits to these locations, where I hiked along trails while taking photos with iNaturalist in mind. Similar to my ROV data workflow, I used the GPS on my smartwatch to track my route and embedded those lat-longs into my photos' EXIF data afterwards.
Differences between Land and Sea
My deep-sea surveys are for work and predate my iNat use. On land, I iNat for fun, and it seldomspills over into my actual work. With that in mind, there are still some notable observation differences that aren't entirely a result of a work vs. play mindset; the number of different species I observed during my biggest day in the deep-sea is outnumbered by a big day on land by 2-3 times.
When in the deep-sea, there's a trade-off between area coverage and unique species detectability. Here, the default mindset is to "record everything simultaneously on multiple cameras along the way and stay on the trackline". Arguably not always the best approach, but I have managed to cover 15-20 km over a continuous 40-h period. Video is always being recorded and some of the still cameras can be set with a software-based intervalometer; although the latter option results in a lot more blurry photos because of the challenges of finding focus in water with a lot of floating particulates. But in general, the cameras and lighting are all focused on a spot on the seafloor that is slightly forward of the ROV, and given that it is pitch black at the bottom of the ocean, only a visual field of ~2 m2 can ever be 'seen'. In general, underwater photography is one of the more technically challenging forms of photography, especially since water and electronics don't mix!.
When on land, I am swapping lenses and have the ability to take photos from full 2:1 macro to the equivalent of a 750 mm telephoto focal length during a hike. The visual field spans multiple levels of magnification as well as an unobstructed field of view of likely ~2km2. My weekend hikes are also non-standardized in that I'm actively stopping, searching, and framing for the quality of each photo while trying to photograph as many unique species as possible. On land, I am only limited by my own physical and mental stamina which I am also constantly trying to figure out ways of improving.
Dare I consider starting a cross-training regiment of [Cross-fit]*[Where's Waldo Books] to level-up this iNat hobby of mine? Given my work background, I'll probably end up going the techy route and strap more cameras to myself and become the human equivalent of a Google Maps Street-View car but for mapping species distributions.
