Activity #2 – Analyzing and Interpreting GO3 Data
Activity Description and Objectives: this activity will guide you and your students through the procedure of
interpreting GO3 data. Students can complete this assignment every month as the monthly summaries are
available from GO3. This will allow them to compare measurements from many locations with variable climates,
populations, industries, and many other factors that influence ozone production. They will begin to identify data
trends and factors that affect ozone formation at their school and other schools around the world.
Part 1 of the lesson focuses on familiarizing students with the online graphing program that allows them to
graph or download data.
In Part 2 of the lesson, students will use the monthly data summaries posted by GO3 to interpret data collected
at all GO3 Schools.
Materials:
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Computer
Internet access
Worksheet (included)
Websites Used in the Activity:
Monthly Ozone Graphs: http://go3project.com/network2/index.php/pages/o3-monthlygraphs
GO3 Ozone Data Graphing: http://go3project.com/network2/index.php/pages/o3-graph
GO3 Curriculum, Lesson 11: http://go3project.com/network2/index.php/pages/go3curriculum-o3
Instructions for Part 1 – Graphing Data Online
1. Go to the GO3 Website and click on the Ozone Data tab, then on the Graph GO3 Data tab. The
direct link is listed above.
2. Click on Show Available Schools Table, choose your school from the list and click Next.
3. Select a start date and click Next.
4. Choose an end date, select Graph and then press Next.
5. The program will confirm your selections. If everything looks good click Next.
6. Select what you would like to graph, with up to two variables. Your selections will be graphed with
time on the x-axis. If you wish to graph only one variable, select the same variable twice.
7. Choose a scatter plot or a line graph and click Plot It! Note: You can also choose to download the
data or display it online as a list.
8. Have the students print a copy of the graph they plotted (optional). Right click on the graph and
select Save Picture As to save the image to your computer. Right click on the file and select Copy
and paste it into a Word document. Print the graph and attach it to the assignment.
Instructions for Part 2 – Analyzing GO3 Data Every Month
1. Go to the GO3 Website and click on the Ozone Data tab, then on the Monthly Graphs tab.
2. You will see a downloadable file for each month of data. Catch up to the current month by starting with
summer data, which is often the most interesting time for ozone. August would be a good place to
start, but you can start earlier in the year if you would like.
3. For each month, have the students fill out the worksheet.
4. To help your students analyze the plots, refer to Lesson 11 of the GO3 Curriculum. The most recent
version of the curriculum is available under the Curriculum tab.
Worksheet – Analyze Monthly GO3 Data
1. Download the pdf of the GO3 data for the month you are analyzing. Look over all of the graphs to get a
sense for the ozone measurements in each location.
2. As a means of analyzing the data, we will look at the location with the highest ozone value and the
location with the lowest ozone value. Since ozone often goes to zero, we will focus on the lowest peak
ozone measurement, not the lowest overall measurement (which would be zero).
3. Find the school and location with the highest peak ozone value. Record the following information
about the peak and where it occured.
a. School:
b. Location (City, State, Country):
c. Peak Measurement (don’t forget units):
d. Date:
e. Approximate Time:
4. Research this location to see if you can figure out why they have the highest ozone peak. Look up
information about the city online, possibly using Wikipedia and Google Maps/Earth to see the layout of
the city. You can also find people on the GO3 Social Network from that location to ask them questions
about their city.
a. What is the climate like in this location at the time of year the measurement was made?
b. What is the population of the city?
c. What are people’s driving habits? For example, is there a good public transportation system
that people frequently use? Or do they typically drive everywhere?
d. Are there any big industries in the area that could contribute to the high ozone?
e. Anything else you found in your research that would help explain the high ozone?
5. Review the monthly graphs again to find the lowest ozone peak value.
f.
School:
g. Location (City, State, Country):
h. Peak Measurement (don’t forget units):
i.
Date:
j.
Approximate Time:
6. Research this location to see if you can figure out why they have the lowest ozone peak. Look up
information about the city online, possibly using Wikipedia and Google Maps/Earth to see the layout of
the city. You can also find people on the GO3 Social Network from that location to ask them questions
about their city.
f.
What is the climate like in this location at the time of year the measurement was made?
g. What is the population of the city this school is in?
h. What are people’s driving habits? For example, is there a good public transportation system
that people frequently use? Or do they typically drive everywhere?
i.
Are there any big industries in the area that could contribute to ozone formation?
j.
Anything else you found in your research that would help explain the low ozone?
*If you’re having trouble remembering what contributes to ozone formation, refer to the GO3 Curriculum.
7. Based on your research, what information would you use to predict which cities would have high ozone
and which cities would have low ozone for the month you are analyzing?
8. Did you see any data that you suspect is bad data? Like the ozone monitor is malfunctioning? List the
schools that have potentially bad data.
9. If you do see schools with what you suspect is bad data, let them know on the GO3 Social Network!
Post a comment on the main feed of the network.