3.6 Data Collection
Marcos Antonio de Lima Filho, PhD.
For grounded theory, “all is data” (Glaser, 1998, p. 8). Classic grounded theory uses data of all types and media (Holton, 2007, p. 268). It is a general method that can use either quantitative or qualitative data, however qualitative data are most often used (Nathaniel, 2020). This research used both quantitative data (product specifications, production lists, and market share) and qualitative data (academic literature, and technical literature). The subsections that follow describe the data sources, how they were collected, and why they were collected.
Product Specifications
A data sheet, spec sheet, or product specification is a document that describes the characteristics of a product. Manufacturers are usually the ones that disclose this information. A product specification allows a buyer to understand what the product is, and how it performs against key performance measures.
A spec sheet is to a product what a genetic code is to a species. The comparison of product specifications can reveal not only how a product evolves, but also how its use evolves, and ultimately how society evolves. For instance, data on aircraft engine emissions indicate a trend toward increased fuel efficiency and decreased hydrocarbon emissions. These trends indicate a broader cultural driver in favour of economical and greener transportation. In this use, product specifications and production lists can serve as a window into a social process; their comparison can reveal how a society is consuming and developing its technologies.
As previously stated, the inquiry began with an inductive and exploratory analysis of smartphone specifications. This data collection created the research’s primary datasets: a collection of smartphone spec sheets from models introduced between 2000 and 2020. This time frame enabled an examination of the evolution of mobile handsets, which include feature phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and smartphones. For each model, a total of 91 product characteristics and performance indicators were gathered (Table 3.6.1).
The smartphone specifications were obtained from websites specialising in mobile phone comparisons, such as GSMArena, Kimovil, and PhoneDB. It was not always viable to get this information from manufacturer websites. Given the short life cycle of smartphones, the majority of the models surveyed had already been phased out of the market or were no longer supported by manufacturers. As a result, product information was often removed from official websites.
Initially, data was collected manually by copying and pasting the information into a spreadsheet. Later on, the data collection process became more automated through the use of data scraping software (www.webscraper.io). Web Scraper is a free Chrome extension that automates data collection by extracting specific data from a webpage and storing it in a spreadsheet. The growing dataset was then migrated from a spreadsheet programme to a statistics application. With this technique, the dataset grew to 13,212 mobile phone specifications.
When it comes to commercial passenger aircraft, the release of a data sheet is a necessary step in the certification process. The TCDS (Type Certificate Data Sheet) specifies the important design and operational characteristics of the aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). These documents are available to the public from the FAA website (www.faa.gov). This database was implemented in 1999 and, therefore, does not contain all historical records, including the data sheet of older aircraft models.
Fortunately, an annual specialised publication has been in print since 1909. Each year, Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft series profiles all current civil and military aircraft in development or under production, from all over the world. The yearbook has served many generations of aeronautical engineers, being an indispensable source for vital aircraft statistics (Kundu et al., 2019). The aviation community regards this series as one of its most credible sources. Archive.org has several of these yearbooks available for download, some of which date back to 1913. Flight International Magazine, founded in 1909, was also an important addition to JAWA.
The aircraft data sheet contains information on 55 variables. This data sheet specifies the aircraft’s model, manufacturer, role, basic configuration, passenger and cargo capacity, performance, propulsion, avionics, fuel efficiency, and engine emissions (Table 3.6.2).
Aircraft Production Lists
The aircraft dataset includes commercial aircraft models with a minimum seating capacity of 30 passengers, with a data sheet and product list available in the public domain. However, due to the limited performance of aircraft produced in the 1930s, the first requirement was lowered to 20 passengers for this specific decade.
An aircraft production list contains the identification of the individual airframes manufactured for each aircraft model. It records information such as serial number, model type, registration, airline, date of first flight, and current status. Three websites excel at collecting and organising aircraft production lists, serving as data sources for this study: Airfleets.net, Planespotters.net, and Rzjets.net.
Additional databases were consulted when these sources could not provide historical data on specific aircraft models. Some production lists could be sourced from aviation authorities databases, such as the American FAA, the British Civil Aviation Authority, and the French Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile. Websites specialised in aviation history also contributed with production data: Aviation Safety Network, Air-Britain, Airport-Data, AussieAirliners, Sikorsky Archives, and The Hugo Junkers Homepage. Russianplanes.net was especially valuable for supplying aircraft registries from the Soviet era.
Technical Literature
It is helpful to distinguish technical literature from academic writing, as the first tends to be more descriptive and less theoretical. As seen in the previous section, the literature review covered the theory of evolution and related concepts. Through technical literature, I developed familiarity with a subject (aviation) over which I previously had limited knowledge.
Aviation technical literature consists of a mixture of marketing materials, analyst opinions, press releases, and other organisational documents. This comprises brochures, booklets, web pages, wikipedia articles, analyst articles, investor communications, programme status reports, market projections, backlog information, and delivery outlooks. Such data was produced and published by aircraft manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, ATR, Comac, UAC, Mitsubishi, Sukhoi), service and component suppliers (Pratt & Whitney, GE Aviation), aviation analysts and consultants (Aerospace Technology, Leeham News and Analysis, Air Insight Research), technical magazines (Flight International, Airfinance Journal, FAST, Aircraft Interiors, AERO), leasing banks (DVB Bank), and aviation authorities (FAA, EASA, IATA, ATAG). Atlas.ti assisted in archiving, coding, and later retrieval of this data (see Data Analysis).
Market Share Data
StatCounter is a continuous survey of web usage analytics that openly shares its data. Its tracking code is installed on more than 2 million sites globally, and the stats are calculated based on more than 10 billion page views per month (Statcounter, n. d.). StatCounter provides data on mobile vendors and mobile operating systems’ market share worldwide.
StatCounter data needed to be treated. Their sample of Mobile Vendor Market Share lists 68 different vendors, and the Mobile Operating System tracks 21 systems. This large number of major and minor participants clogged the data visualisation. To solve this, I focused on the major market participants (19 vendors and 10 systems). Unknown vendors and operating systems were also eliminated, as they do not provide insight into market trends. The raw and updated data are available for download on StatCounter’s website (gs.statcounter.com).
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