A research question before a sensor

Choosing a sensor before defining the research question can produce precise data that do not answer the original concern. This essay works backwards from a hypothetical river-colour problem to distinguish community concern, a researchable comparison, and the decision a limited study might inform. It examines competing explanations, representative locations, event timing, existing records, and plans for unsafe access or missing samples. The National Inuit Strategy on Research supplies governance context, and NOAA's network assessment illustrates why more observations at an unsuitable location do not repair every gap. Equipment selection follows the required quantity, discrimination, and coverage, with maintenance and stewardship included. Rehearsing a possible result using explicitly invented values tests whether the proposed observations could distinguish explanations without predetermining the finding.