ISSS608 2017-18 T3 Assign Nevil Bruno
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Overview
Mistford is a mid-size city is located to the southwest of a large nature preserve. The city has a small industrial area with four light-manufacturing endeavours. Last year, in a study conducted by a post-doc student studying at ornithology at Mistford College, Mitch Vogel, discovered that the Rose-Crested Blue Pipit, a popular local bird due to its attractive plumage and pleasant songs, has decreased in numbers. The investigation conducted produced riveting results that point fingers at a local manufacturing company, Kasios Office Furniture, for unethical waste disposal practices that have harmed the surrounding environment. Kasios supposedly used the banned substance Methylosmolene in their manufacturing process. They secretly dumped process waste in the northeast region of the preserve and Methylosmolene was detected in their smokestack emissions. Researchers believe that Kasios’ unethical waste disposal practices in the preserve territory has caused the population decline of the Rose-Crested Blue Pipet.
However, Kasios insists that they have done nothing wrong! Kasios now claims that the analysis was flawed and biased. They assert that grad student Mitch Vogel and his professors are mere media-seekers trying to draw attention away from their sub-par research. Kasios presents itself as an extremely eco-friendly organization. They have launched their own very public investigation into the issues raised last year and are reporting very different results.
Kasios has a set of audio recordings taken across various locations within the preserve. They claim these recordings are of Pipits, hence, they are thriving population in the preserve. We are also provided with a map of the preserve and audio recordings taken across different time periods for all the bird species found in the preserve. We are tasked with validating these claims and derive other findings and/or anomalies using this data.
The Key Questions
Based on the analysis performed, we will be able to answer the following questions:
- Q1: Characterize the patterns of all the bird species in the Preserve over the time of the collection. Are there any trends or anomalies in the patterns?
- Q2: Does the set of bird calls supplied by Kasios support the claim of Pipits being found across the Preserve?
- Q3: Formulate a hypotheses concerning the state of the Rose Crested Blue Pipit with evidence to support the assertion. What next steps should be taken in the investigation to either support or refute the Kasios claim that the Pipits are thriving across the Boonsong Lekagul Wildlife Preserve?
