DATA COLLECTION AND HANDLING - Wind Resource Assessment: A Practical Guide to Developing a Wind Project - page 97

7
DATA COLLECTION
AND HANDLING
The main objective of the data collection and handling process is to make the meteo-
rological measurements from a wind monitoring campaign available for analysis while
protecting them from tampering and loss. This chapter highlights the key aspects of
meeting this objective, including data storage, retrieval, protection, and documentation.
7.1 RAW DATA STORAGE
Data are typically stored in the data logger in a compact, binary (non-text) file format,
which cannot be read without special software. In this form, they are commonly
referred to as raw data . To ensure high data recovery during the monitoring program,
the data logger's internal storage medium should be nonvolatile, meaning its data are
retained even if the logger loses power; and the raw files should be retrieved from the
logger before its storage capacity is reached.
Once transferred from the logger to a computer, it is critical that the logger's raw
data files be permanently archived and preserved, as they provide the best evidence
that the data collected from the mast have not been altered, and they also contain an