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Case 5c :

Data Management—A Matter of Natural Security

The radio signal cracked menacingly as the Hong Kong Observatory representative forebodingly instructed listeners that,

"The typhoon signal number 10 has been hoisted at 2235 along with the Black Rainstorm signal, Landslip warning and all those residing in the New Territories are advised to beware flash flooding".

Andrew paced the floor of his 29th floor, shared flat, as it swayed in the winds. He was concerned about his field research facility just north of the Sheung Shui site.

Just last year, the team had purchased the field building, completed the study grid, and started the painstaking process of excavation, layer by layer. Andrew's supervisor, Professor Pong, said they might be halfway done, but Andrew already had most of the data he needed, archived in painstaking photos and field drawings. Archaeological research in Hong Kong was always going to be difficult, but now, the biggest typhoon to hit Hong Kong since the 1970s was causing Andrew's flat to sway like a dancer at a grand ball.

Andrew complained quietly as he paced,

"All of that work, gone. Doomed. I'll be here forever rebuilding the data we will lose if there is a landslip there".

Sophia, Andrew's new girlfriend, a fellow PhD student, inquired,

"Why will you lose your data, Andrew? Isn't it backed up at the university?"

Andrew said quietly, with a notable tone of regret,

"We backed up everything to the university over Chinese New Year holidays. It's July. We all got so busy and so excited with the new burials that we found that no one has backed things up. I have a few pictures stored on my portable memory drive, but only a few very good photos I shared with my mom when I went home. All we can do now is hope we did not destabilize the slope".

The next morning, looking out over the debris lined streets of Yuen Long, Andrew turned on the radio again to hear the HK Observatory representative say,

"The observatory reports 14 landslip incidents in Hong Kong in the past 24 hours. All are advised to be cautious along slopes and waterways, particularly in the Northern New Territories".

Andrew's heart sank.

• What problems of data management is Andrew encountering now?
• What problems of fieldwork is Andrew encountering now?
   

Imagine you are Andrew:

• What should you do now? If there has been a landslip in your field site, what are your options?
• What should you have done to help yourself and the research team before this typhoon?
• What tools, university offices, or assistance might there be for you if you did lose almost a year worth of excavation data?