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

eam and the VTs have difficulty locating it. While 240 RFCs could potentially be completed in
a two-hour session (2/minute X 120 minutes), a session typically yields 60-70 RFCs.
Ending a Session
This cycle is repeated until the two hours of the session has elapsed, at which point the RT
broadcast to all VTs that the session had ended and the time it ended.
RT: “Session 5 has ended at zero-seven, two-six, four-nine.”
Both VT and RT Recorders note the end time on their field data forms and the VTs acknowledge
the end of the session.
VT: “VT-2A acknowledges Session 5 has ended.”
The RT and VTs turn off the DARs and check over their field data forms.
Post-Processing the Observations
Even though everyone is tired at the end of session, it is vitally important to have a postprocessing
session immediately following each session, while the events and information is still
fresh in everyone’s minds. During the post-processing session, one representative from the RT
(usually the Recorder) and one from each of the VTs meet to review the field data from that
session. For each RFC, the RT representative reads out the Target Number and pVT specified in
the RFC. The RT representative follows that with “Aborted” if that RFC was aborted, and the
pVT representative responds “Aborted” to acknowledge an “A” was recorded on that team’s
field data form. If the RFC was not aborted, the representative from the pVT responds with either
a “Confirmed” if the pVT confirmed that target or “Non-Confirmed” if they did not. The RT
checks that the pVT’s response matches what is recorded on the RT field data form for that RFC
(see Table B-1). After the pVT responds, any sVTs that also confirmed that target respond
“Confirmed by Team [team name]” and the RT checks if the sVT’s confirmation is noted
correctly on the radar field data sheet (Table B-1 39 ). Any discrepancies between the RT and VT
field data forms with a comment in the Notes field of both forms that begins “PP …” to indicate
the comment was added in post-processing.
All other discrepancies between the RT and the VT field data forms should fall into one of two
categories (see Table B-1):
H – The pVT (and sometimes all VTs) did not hear the RFC broadcast (e.g., the noise
from an aircraft near a VT may have downed out the broadcast); or
O – Any other issue that invalidated the RFC (e.g., the DRP rebooted during an open
RFC).
39
Blank Confirmed values were replaced with one of three categories of incomplete RFCs codes (A=Aborted,
H=did not Hear, O=Other) during the data processing stage to reduce ambiguity over why the Confirmed field had
been left blank.
315