During a coastal bird survey, a field team collects photographs, GPS tracks and a spreadsheet of observations from six beaches. At the end of each day, the ...
Question 1 Report
During a coastal bird survey, a field team collects photographs, GPS tracks and a spreadsheet of observations from six beaches. At the end of each day, the team copies information from camera cards and tablets to a laptop. The project leader has found duplicate files with names such as IMG_0045.JPG and new sheet.xlsx. The leader also needs evidence that the data were backed up before the laptop is taken into the field again. The final chart and document will be sent to a conservation charity, but confidential volunteer contact details must not be included.
(a) Create a naming convention for the survey files. Your convention must include a date, beach code, file content and version where needed. Give one example filename for a photograph and one for a spreadsheet. [5]
(b) Create a folder structure that separates raw field information, checked information, volunteer contact details and files ready to send to the charity. [6]
(c) Use an appropriate backup method for the daily survey folder. Describe the steps the team should take and the evidence they should check after copying. [6]
(d) Explain why contact details should not be stored in the same folder as the final information sent to the charity. [4]
Answer Details
(a) Use a consistent pattern such as YYYY-MM-DD_BeachCode_Content_Version.extension [5]. For example: 2026-05-14_BRN_Oystercatcher_001.jpg and 2026-05-14_BRN_Observations_v01.xlsx. The date, beach code and content make files searchable; a version identifier distinguishes revisable files.
(b) A suitable structure is [6]:
Coastal_Bird_Survey/ ├── Raw_Field_Data/ │ ├── Photos/ │ ├── GPS_Tracks/ │ └── Observation_Spreadsheets/ ├── Checked_Data/ ├── Contact_Details_Restricted/ └── Charity_Export_Final_Output/
This separates unverified field records from checked data, confidential contacts and files intended for external sharing.
(c) Back up the complete daily survey folder to a separate external drive or cloud location, using a dated backup name such as 2026-05-14_Backup [6]. Do not delete the laptop originals. Verify the copy by comparing file counts and sizes, or by using a checksum/verification tool; then open a sample image and spreadsheet from the backup. Record the backup date and location as evidence that the backup was completed and checked.
(d) Volunteer contacts are personal and confidential, whereas the charity needs survey data rather than contact information [4]. Keeping them separate reduces accidental sharing and permits restricted access permissions on the contact-details folder.
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