flâneur

Salmon in the Loop

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One of the most fascinating problems that a computer scientist may be lucky enough to encounter is a complex sociotechnical problem in a field going through the process of digital transformation. For me, that was fish counting. Recently, I worked as a consultant in a subdomain of environmental science focused on counting fish that pass through large hydroelectric dams. Through this overarching project, I learned about ways to coordinate and manage human-in-the-loop dataset production, as well as the complexities and vagaries of how to think about and share progress with stakeholders. Let’s set the stage. Large hydroelectric dams are subject to Environmental Protection Act regulations through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity across the United States. The commission has jurisdiction over a wide range of electric power activities and is responsibl

One of the most fascinating problems that a computer scientist may be lucky enough to encounter is a complex sociotechnical problem in a field going through the process of digital transformation. For me, that was fish counting. Recently, I worked as a consultant in a subdomain of environmental science focused on counting fish that pass through large hydroelectric dams. Through this overarching project, I learned about ways to coordinate and manage human-in-the-loop dataset production, as well as the complexities and vagaries of how to think about and share progress with stakeholders. Backgroun

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