Who else uses scouting sheets?

[AndyB]

I just got done printing out 80 scouting sheets for IRI 2006. We are using scouting sheets, and then I, on friday night, put all of the data from all of the sheets into an Excel file that I created. Having a laptop is really nice for competetions. I have a main page, team list, friday's rankings, cheatsheet, and draft table sheets. We also have a sheet for each team in the competition, so when it comes time to pick or stratagize, i just arrow over to the correct sheet and all of the data is right there for me.

I warn you, this process usually leads to getting ABSOLUTLY no sleep on friday night.

If any body wants the Excel file(s), I can email it to you. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see a team scouting, especially after being picked by teams in the past who havent scouted. I can send you excel files of:

The scouting sheet we use
The scouting data review program I use (Set up for IRI 2006)

It isnt really a program, just an Excel file with a million sheets (tabs)

[Katie Hans]

We use scouting sheets when we're in the pits, as well as take pictures with a digital camera. Additional information on the robots can be written on the back of the sheet, since it's blank (or at least the ones we used this year are).

Anyways. After the scouting is more or less finished, the information that we wrote on the back of the sheets is transferred to a Word document and saved as that team's number, and the same goes for the robot pictures. That way, it's a little easier to find information and match it to the robot.

The night before alliance selection, we have a scouting meeting, attended by everyone who helped with scouting and the team leaders. That's when we review information and pictures, and that's when we make the decision of who we might pick as alliance partners if we're seeded. Or, we try to make a decision.

That's how it works on our team, as far as I know. I'm not very experienced, but that's how we did it when I was helping.

[AndyB]

Sorry to get off-topic here, but I had to host the given file for someone, so I decided just to post it up for anyone who wants it. It is preformated for IRI 2006. You might find it useful.

http://www.ihud.com/file.php?file=fi...I+Scouting.zip

If you want the scouting sheet we are using, just ask.

[234smidget]

cyberblue 234 uses scouting sheets at all competitions sites...on or off season events


i found scouting very interesting you learn more about different designs of robots it may not help this year but next year during design process that design may come up and be useful

[AndyB]

Yeah, scouting definitly gives you some ideas in in the long run, makes you MUCH smarter. You learn how everything works, and the idle way to make it work. We had a mentor spend an hour at nationals on his hands and knees looking over Beatty's bot.

God bless scouting.

[nparikh]

Originally Posted by AndyB

Yeah, scouting definitly gives you some ideas in in the long run, makes you MUCH smarter. You learn how everything works, and the idle way to make it work. We had a mentor spend an hour at nationals on his hands and knees looking over Beatty's bot.

God bless scouting.

Hahah, well put. That's absolutely true. Scouting is quintessential to doing well at a FIRST competition. And not only does it help you do well, but it also increases the number of jobs you have, so kids aren't left with nothing to do!

But back to the point. For those of you that saw Team 25's scouting 'pit' at NJ/Vegas this year, be prepared for the beast to be unleashed next year. As I said before, we designed our own program from Java this year, but next year's program is being written in conjunction with some higher level programmers...hope it turns out well!

*note to newer FIRST teams*
always keep a paper copy. always, always, always, always! it's a fact of life, when you need the data the most, your computer will probably crash. The way we do it is to have the data recorded on paper scouting sheets and then entered into the server/computers for statistical analysis and sorting purposes. It works out very well in cases where we have anomalies in data, or ...well our computers crash!

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by nparikh

But back to the point. For those of you that saw Team 25's scouting 'pit' at NJ/Vegas this year, be prepared for the beast to be unleashed next year. As I said before, we designed our own program from Java this year, but next year's program is being written in conjunction with some higher level programmers...hope it turns out well!

*note to newer FIRST teams*
always keep a paper copy. always, always, always, always! it's a fact of life, when you need the data the most, your computer will probably crash. The way we do it is to have the data recorded on paper scouting sheets and then entered into the server/computers for statistical analysis and sorting purposes. It works out very well in cases where we have anomalies in data, or ...well our computers crash!

Hmmm...could this warning be because of that prank we pulled on you at the Vegas Regional?...

[nparikh]

Originally Posted by calhounian

Hmmm...could this warning be because of that prank we pulled on you at the Vegas Regional?...

*hurts Kristian*

What they're referring to is at the Las Vegas Regional..I stepped outside our 'scouting pit' for 5 minutes to talk to someone. They urgently call me and start screaming that all the data's been lost and that the hard drive's have gone bad, etc, etc. On the scream it says that there's been a CHK DISK error and something about cyclic redundancy. So whilst I'm flipping out, they scream out all together.."GOTCHA".

It turns out the programmers had just edited the code to freak me out. I guess payback for working everyone to the bones .

[Cactus_Robotics]

I know the members on my team have a whole scouting network, we have one scout with a form to watch each robot in a match then enter all the results into the computer. Also 2 years ago if anyone at AZ remembers, we had a wireless network set up using pringles cans aimed at stands and one at our pit and it sent all the scouting info over the network and other teams linked up to it with us. it was pretty sweet.

[addictedMax]

We did at IRI (camping chairs up in the corner)

[Astronouth7303]

For one of the regionals we visited, I created a single page scouting page and then printed a bunch. I also loaded the same sheet on my tablet, so that I had pretty much unlimited paper in a 1"-thick package.

[Nica F.]

We use scouting sheets, but also input them onto an excel program one of our members made, but in addition to just having them on the computer, we compile them into a binder as well.

[Pirate_Nelly354]

We used scouting sheets at the regional event but it ended up being a messy-ish job = | Some team members watched the matches and remembered info mentally instead ^^;;

[pyrr101]

Our team uses people in the stands, one per robot and then sends them to a team of people to input them into a network that has a program to analyze the data and able to print summaries of the teams.

This works well but takes several people working and rotating out to keep it working well.

Click here for our website, from it you can get to the program info that we developed for the game.

[DevilChild]

We have a Scouting captain (he prefers to be called "The Scouter") who writes up an in-depth, yet comprehensive sheet, and we assign sheets to every person on the team. It's just as good as any technology, in our opinion.