Behind the Code (technical deep-dive)
When I began my internship at the Henry’s Fork Foundation (HFF), I knew I’d be working with data, but I didn’t realize how deep those waters would go. Over the summer, I’ve had the chance to build, expand, and refine some of the core data tools HFF uses to understand the Henry’s Fork and the larger Snake River system. I know not everyone reading this is a data nerd like me, but I’d love to give you a glimpse of the work I did. I promise to keep it clear, even if some of the details sound technical! One of my first projects was updating and expanding HFF’s real-time water quantity app. This tool takes data from stream gages and reservoirs and makes it available online for the public, anglers, and water managers. When I arrived, the app mostly focused on Henry’s Fork. My work expanded its reach to include the South Fork of the Snake River and the Snake River headwaters. This meant writing scripts to automatically pull in new data sources, clean them, and link them to the app’s database. It may not sound glamorous, but it means more people can see, in real-time, how water is moving
