Data Transmission

While deployed on the study species, the tag records and archives data. It is designed to then release from the tether (and animal), surface, and transmit the recorded data. To conserve the battery life of the transmitter and ensure maximum data retrieval, tags will transmit during Satellite-in-View (SiV™) windows, meaning that they will transmit at those times when a satellite has a higher chance of being in view above the horizon. By utilizing its real-time clock and calculated location, the tag predicts when satellites will be within view, and thus more likely to receive transmissions.

During any transmission process, it is possible for data messages to become corrupted. To help address this, MTI engineers have implemented a sophisticated embedded CRC checksum with bit error detection capability to identify errors in the raw Argos messages, resulting in a more reliable and complete dataset.

Data Processing

Once a tag has finished transmitting through the Argos system and the complete dataset has been sent to us, MTI parses and organizes the data for each individual tag into a Microsoft Excel file and sends it directly to the user via email. Reports will vary depending on the type of transmitter, the transmitter's programming, and whether or not the tag was physically recovered. It is the user’s responsibility to contact MTI for data processing and provide the necessary Argos data and deployment information (date and location).

Tag Recovery

While our tags are capable of transmitting vast quantities of archived data, limitations in data throughput (Argos) and transmitter battery life restrict the amount of archived data that can be successfully received through the Argos location and data collection system. For this reason, receiving a tag’s complete dataset through Argos is rare. However, when a tag is physically recovered and returned to our facility, it is possible to extract additional data. For Standard Rate programmed X-Tags, the entire 2-minute (high-resolution) dataset can be obtained. For PSAT PTT-100s and High Rate X-Tags, data extraction yields 100% of the transmitted dataset. Contact us for instructions on handling a recovered tag.

For more information:

Photo by Chad Cohen