Data aquisition, image analysis, constructing database (data management) and visualizing data make up the major part. While working with huge video files which on average eat up 3 external hard drives for each student, the details (e.g. imaging parameters, experiment parameters) in these videos are also crucial and easy to cause errors in the subsequent analysis. These facts make my workflows not as robust in the early days, and could be distracting for other students that have similar workflows.

The issue for me is that although I have been trained to do some lab work, neither training nor discussion is going on about data management, meaning that it is our own responsibility to learn to manage the data well. I understand that in the old days, physicists or chemists don't need to process big volumes of data, so a notebook could be enough to do the job well. But as the equipments and methods are getting more and more advanced, we are doing more complex experiments (e.g. fluid dynamics), and advanced tools are needed so that a graduate student can handle the data he/she generates.

Hence, I am trying to develop some tools that are helpful for image analysis, data management and visualization. The design should fit the specific workflow in our lab.

8/15/2018