U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| REPORT |
| This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information |
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| Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-007 Date: January 2016 |
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-007 Date: January 2016 |
FLD-DS-LS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Local
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Data, Document, and Image Storage—Local |
|---|---|
1. |
Data Collected |
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|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | None. This protocol provides the requirements for local data, document, and image storage during field assessment. | |
2. |
Onsite Equipment and Personnel Requirements |
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| 2.1 | Equipment: | |
| 2.1.1 | External hard drive with appropriate space for backups. | |
| 2.1.2 | Laptop computer. | |
| 2.2 | Personnel: None. | |
3. |
Methodology |
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| 3.1 | Ensure that all data, documents, and images are stored on several devices. | |
| 3.2 | When possible, use the data storage within the data collection device itself. | |
| 3.3 | Back up data to a laptop internal hard drive every hour or at a reasonable breaking point in the assessment technique, whichever is more frequent. | |
| 3.4 | Back up the laptop internal hard drive to an external hard drive every 4hours. | |
| 3.5 | Further backup requirements are discussed in FLD-DS-RS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Remote. | |
4. |
Data Collection Table |
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| 4.1 | None. | |
5. |
Criteria for Data Validation |
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| 5.1 | Identify a team member responsible for validating that data are stored appropriately. | |
6. |
Commentary/Background |
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| 6.1 | Local storage occurs for all data collection techniques at three distinct physical locations (data collection device, laptop, and external hard drive) as described herein. The goal is to maximize redundancy in data storage without slowing or otherwise adversely affecting field data collection operations. | |
| 6.2 | Cameras, data acquisition systems, and NDE equipment all typically provide local data storage on the equipment. These devices are augmented with both an internal laptop hard drive and an external hard drive. | |
| 6.3 | The frequency of backup from device to computer depends on the data collection assessment technique. For the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, the desired frequency is the most frequent between the following intervals: every hour or a reasonable breaking point in the assessment technique (e.g., between load stages or between application techniques). Certain data (video) may require constant writing on the laptop internal drive. Avoid duplicate data. When backing up the laptop, make a full backup (not a differential backup) of the laptop to an external drive, and encrypt the hard drive to protect data in the event of loss of the physical hardware. | |
7. |
References |
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| 7.1 | LTBP Protocols: FLD-DS-RS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Remote. | |
| 7.2 | External: None. | |
