How do you scout?

[kramarczyk]

We have generally done a web based system so that we can do multiple inputs while simultaneously having the field team access the data. It really helps when we can put up a wi-fi network (yeah, yeah, 2009) so that we don't hae to run between the stands and the pit. It also allows us to share the data easily with anyone interested.

You can check it out at http://gearheadcrossing.org/2008/

[TheOtherGuy]

How do I scout?

...carefully

I finally compiled and ran a Wii homebrew program (check out the scene), and several nifty graphics libraries have been released recently. If all goes well, we'll have some wifi within the next half year (pleeeease!), so I can combine the DS scouting with an automatically updating Wii database program that displays in the pits Now, to me at least, that would be epic!

[smurfgirl]

Another suggestion I just thought of for if your team is so small that you can't afford to devote more than, say 2 or 3 people to scouting:

On Thursday, have your scouters do pit scouting. Have them watch matches on Friday and Saturday to contribute to the pit scouting, but set up a partnership with a larger team that has an established system. A lot of teams are happy to share their data, so you can get all the number facts from them that you might not have quite enough people to gather, but you can supplement that with qualitative and more subjective data that you can use for analysis.

[AnthonyN1983]

So pretty much, my name is Anthony Nguyen and i was the head scout for skunkworks team 1983. This past season was my first year with the team and my first year scouting. If you like I could send you our scouting plan/manual for last years game. The items that it includes are: scouting sheets, robot directory, how to compose a scouting notebook, excel spreadsheets, graph(s), pit scouting sheets, blahblahblahblah and the list goes on.

But all in all it is a very good start for any team who wants to scouting. But i have to warn you, it is not fully edited, so there is going to be a LOT of grammar errors as well as redundancy.

If you are interested, send me a message back with your email address.

Anthony

[smurfgirl]

Originally Posted by akeisic

No matter what you system you derive, I think there's a balance you need to strike between the Excel spreadsheets and the paper notes. The Excel sheets make quick work of all the calculations, but is slow to navigate. The paper version is just the opposite.

This is good advice. You want the facts- how many hurdles, how many laps, what it does in hybrid, etc., but you also want other details about it, things you can't just capture in the numbers.

When I was talking to our scouters about what I wanted to know about other robots as a coach, I made up this example of a "scouting report" on a team that could have been written up quickly, but gave good data:

Team XXXX:
An average robot.
Is capable of hurdling, but has a lot of trouble with ball control.
Needs to pick up ball from against wall.
Average speed.
Auto is capable of crossing 3 lines and knocking off 1 ball, but is fairly inconsistent.
High COG.
Several penalties- crossing the plane, interfering with a hurdler, entanglement.
Very fragile robot- broke during two matches.
Cannot place trackballs.

For defense ideas:
Keep balls away from walls,
Hit on left rear corner.

Other things that are good to include on the scouting sheet, no matter the year:
- a picture of the robot, so you can bring an image to mind when you talk about it
- how many years of experience the team has
- how many years of experience the drivers have
- how many hours of experience the drivers have
- if any, how many regionals has the team been to this season? results?

All of these things can be important, but some things end up outweighing others. Think about how a robot would interact with your team, if they would be partners, how you can strategize against them if they will be on the opposing alliance, etc.

To answer some of your other questions:

- On Thursday, our team only does "pit scouting", which consists of taking pictures of each robot and asking each team questions about their robot (based on the above stuff). It's usually pretty accurate if you bear in mind that the numbers are probably inflated (they're used to practicing by themselves, not playing under match conditions with 6 robots on the field). You can use this to get a head start for Friday matches, and compile it with the data you collect during qualifications.
- On Friday/Saturday during matches, our team uses a system of 7 scouters; one for each robot and one lead scouter to compile all the data. In the past, when we've had fewer scouters, we've tried it with one person per alliance, but that gets tricky and you get less data. You can have people swap out if you want.