Created 08/11/2017 at 2017:11AM

Alas, I’m finally back in my comfort zone of prodding around the numbers and data analysis. We have so much complex data from this experiment, with 3 subjective surveys, per participant, per task, physiological data, and communication data.

iPython notebook with the packages JSON, numpy, and matplotlib have been my best friends for quick data visualization and organization. Even though the graphs don’t have much visual aesthetic or appeal without further customization, their ease of use in producing quick, readable results was extremely useful. Now that we have finally gather a good portion of our data, I’m really excited to use other tools, such as network analysis of potential motifs in the communication patterns.

To uncover patters of communication, there really isn’t a clear method out there right now that will automatically code/recognize them for us, so we have to do it ourselves. This entails carefully watching video records of our trials, and classifying each type of communication, or labeling it with a particular “code.”

I’ve had my perspective opened to the intricacies of communication, and how words in a different context really do have different impacts, and communication needs. While this may seem intuitively obvious, distinguishing between the different types of communication on a spreadsheet was challenging at times, because you would expect a verbal communication i.e. the word “run” to signal a command, when in actuality these communications sometimes are more of a signal for continuation of action in a routine-procedure. For transcript coding of one trial, we coded the utterance “squeeze” as AG - agree, instead of MN - manage. At first I was completely convinced that it was a ‘manage’ type command, but now understand that as it was part of the routine, “squeeze” functioned more of a “yes” or a “go ahead” rather than a new instruction.

For the next week I hope to accomplish as much data analysis and compile results before the summer comes to an end. Through DREU, I was also accepted to present a poster at Grace Hopper Conference, in early October. I’m excited for this opportunity to meet people passionate about computer science, potential collaborators, and developments in the current worlds of computer science. Although that’s still a ways away, there’s still quite a bit of cleanup data-wise, statistical analysis, and writing to be done before the poster presentation, and it’s easier to do now before school kicks up again. So, onwards!

In downtown Annapolis, they are quite fond of stringing light bulbs overhead outdoors. The music fills the air in the summer nights, and you can stop quite the selection of bars for a live show. Listening to some bearded person on their guitar, under the summer night sky, illuminated by soft glows of the strings of lights, is quite the experience. Overall, I’ve quite enjoyed my tourist experience here in Annapolis, with maybe too much ice cream, beautiful views, and wonderful friends and new perspectives.