The Hardware

The equipment we're using for this project is pretty sophisticated. All of the data is logged on this rugged little tablet PCs. And it is all done using a program written expressly for our project. The program actually didn't get finished (due to some monetary issues) until the day before we started. This means that there are tons of bugs in it, but it is still pretty neat.

I won't go into too much detail of how the program works, but it allows us to log the attacks on a map of the site so that when we are finished with the project we will be able to analyze the attacks and effectiveness of attacks not only by zone, but by exact location.

Equally as exciting as the program are the tablet PCs. These things are pretty serious. They start at around $1900 and are super rugged. I don't remember a lot of the specs offhand, but I do remember reading that they are fine in rain up to 4 inches per hour. Which is important given the quality of the weather this week.

And here's a picture of me in the full getup. They also got us 4-point harnesses so that the computer can stick straight out of our stomach while we walk around. It's nice if you're walking all day (such as when there are no birds to watch), but is annoying otherwise and impossible if you're trying to bike.


Also makes me feel a bit like a gargoyle (for those of you who have read Snow Crash).