Protocols are methods used by scientists to collect data.
Scientists share information and data with each other.
In order to easily compare and use data, it must be collected following the same protocols. Your data will be used by CAP LTER scientists and other students, and you may want to use their data too. That's what real scientists do. In ecology, baseline data comes from doing initial surveys of particular areas. To answer these questions, ecologists design experiments focusing on particular parts of the ecosystem.