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(IVAR) - Final Report - Strategic Environmental Research and ...

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ecause no one was observing or the measurements that were made were not retained in a fully<br />

documented form.<br />

Conclusion<br />

We conclude from our analysis that automated digital avian radar systems can sample bird<br />

populations at a lower per-hour cost than human observers, perhaps as much as five-times lower.<br />

In addition, because the data are generated <strong>and</strong> stored in real time in a ready-to-use digital<br />

format, these avian radar systems can further reduce the lifecycle cost of maintaining, using <strong>and</strong><br />

reusing the measurement data.<br />

However, one should not conclude from these arguments that wildlife biologists can be replaced<br />

with avian radars. Radars are a sampling tool, <strong>and</strong> there are still many tasks the human observers<br />

can perform that the radar cannot. The optimum balance is to use avian radars for routine,<br />

surveillance sampling, which frees up the biologists <strong>and</strong> BASH managers to concentrate on what<br />

humans do best - interpret the radar data <strong>and</strong> follow the leads those data provide.<br />

6.6.2 Qualitative Performance Criteria<br />

6.6.2.1 Ease of Use [PE1.2]<br />

Objective<br />

Our objective in designing Performance Criterion PE1.2, Ease of Use, was to arrive at a<br />

qualitative assessment of how difficult it would be for potential users with no prior radar<br />

background or training to learn to use an avian radar system. We established as our success<br />

criterion that it was achievable that these users could learn to operate <strong>and</strong>/or use the avian radars<br />

systems evaluated by the <strong>IVAR</strong> project.<br />

Methods<br />

Two formal training sessions were held during the 3-year period of the <strong>IVAR</strong> project. The first<br />

was organized by the CEAT project <strong>and</strong> was held at the Port of Seattle (SEA) International<br />

Airport on 8-9 July 2008. This session provided an overview of radar systems in general <strong>and</strong><br />

avian radar systems in particular, with the primary emphasis being how to configure <strong>and</strong> use the<br />

DRP <strong>and</strong> TVW user interfaces. The second training session was organized by ARTI at their<br />

facility in Fonthill, Ontario, Canada on 9-10 June 2009. The latter session was more directed<br />

toward the actual operational use of the Accipiter® avian radar systems. Neither of these<br />

sessions was organized by the <strong>IVAR</strong> project, but both were attended by members of the <strong>IVAR</strong><br />

team. The instructors at both sessions were ARTI employees.<br />

Results<br />

Table 6-37 lists the number of participants who attended the two formal avian radar training<br />

sessions that were held during the course of the <strong>IVAR</strong> project. Of the 27 participants who<br />

attended the training sessions, eight attended both sessions.<br />

Two of the participants (Drs. Gauthreaux <strong>and</strong> Beason) are expert radar ornithologists, but Dr.<br />

Beason <strong>and</strong> some of his USDA colleagues at MCASCP had much exposure the digital<br />

Accipiter® components before the <strong>IVAR</strong> project began. Likewise, three of the other participants<br />

were familiar with the analog BirdRad avian radars that had been installed at their facility: Only<br />

260

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