[Geysers] Webcam reporting protocol

[Lynn Stephens]

>
>So what will be the new protocol for reporting
>winter/out of season eruptions on Geyser Hill?
>
>Something like:
>Beehive 1127wc ???

Old Faithful eruptions extracted from the webcam in prior years have been 
coded "c" and I see no reason to change this practice for other eruptions 
that are extracted from the webcam.


>Will these be recorded in the logbook?

Probably not.  If someone in the Visitor Center sees them on the webcam, 
then they MAY be recorded in the logbook.  (NOTE:  The OFVC staff frequently 
does not hear eruptions reported on the radio, so those eruptions are often 
not getting reported in the logbook either.)  No one in the past has been 
assigned responsibility to extract reports on the listserv to include them 
in the logbook and I know of no plans to do so in the future.  It can take a 
lot of time to match times reported via some other method against times 
already recorded in the logbook.


>And for
>that matter, can the time on the screenshot be
>considered accurate for record keeping purposes?

No, the time on the screenshot cannot be considered "accurate."  In the past 
the webcam computer has been as much as two minutes off.  This morning it is 
was off by about a minute (I ddn't try to check to see how many seconds, but 
the minute was off when compared to atomic timekeeping pieces).  
Additionally, until everyone has streaming video, I believe there may be a 
lag of up to 30 seconds or so between picture captures.  Some of Donnie 
Grisso's times for Beehive corresponded to visual times; others did not.

One question that was not asked was "If they are to be reported, to whom 
should they be reported?"

I don't believe NPS staff has time to compile reports on eruptions captured 
via the webcam to enter them into the OFVC logbook.

Since I don't believe the electronic logbook should include times that are 
not also recorded in the OFVC logbook, I won't consider entering them into 
the electronic logbook except when I am physically present in the Park and 
have access to the OFVC logbook.

Admittedly, I have been complaining that the OFVC logbook is bare because 
very few people bother to visit the Visitor Center to turn in times.  Maybe 
someone on the listserv wants to set up a logbook for the webcam times that 
are submitted and make it available to everyone.

Lynn Stephens

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