AusPlots collects standardized ecological data from permanent plots across Australian rangelands to facilitate long-term monitoring and decision making. Field data is collected using a custom mobile app, AuScribe, which follows a rigorous protocol. This generates clean integrated data that is easily curated and published through various platforms. The iterative development of AuScribe and a component-based architecture allowed for fast results handling the complex data needs while mobile. The standardized long-term data made available through AusPlots informs ecological research and management.

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09/03/16, Andrew Tokmakoff
AusPlots field data collection with
AuScribe
Infrastructure for Ecological Monitoring

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Objectives
✤ To cover:
✤ introduce AusPlots, and explain why it exists
✤ show how AusPlots data is collected (and handled and
published)
✤ a small demo of the AuScribe field data collection App
✤ For you to consider:
✤ what our work might mean for you

3. What is AusPlots Rangelands?
✤ AusPlots is based at Adelaide University and is one of 12 Terrestrial
Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) facilities
✤ AusPlots identifies, prioritises, and fills data gaps in environmental
monitoring of Australian rangelands bioregions (81% of the continent)
✤ AusPlots has defined a standardised survey methodology and
undertakes surveys over a national network of permanent 1 hectare
plots, collecting baseline vegetation and soils ecological data.
✤ This work facilitates ongoing evidence-based decision making at local,
regional, national and international levels.
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4. So, what do Australian
Rangelands look like?
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6. Collecting field data in a
prescribed methodology
✤ Prescribes a survey methodology for
collecting plot-based vegetation and
soils data
✤ consistency of both data and collection
method
✤ allows analysis of consistent data
over time, by future researchers
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7. What is collected? General
✤ High accuracy (DGPS) location
data for the plot’s corners, centre
and transect start/end points
✤ Site observations in
regard to condition,
erosion, drainage,
micro-relief, lithologies
and landform
pattern/element.
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8. What is collected? Vegetation
✤ Vouchering
✤ Vouchered vegetation
species (barcoded) over
the plot; later sent for
Herbarium Determinations.
✤ Genetic vouchering
(barcoded) of species and
extra sampling of dominant
species (up to 4 samples).
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9. What is collected? Vegetation
✤ Point Intercept
✤ consists of 1010 points,
where each point records:
✤ any vegetation intercept(s),
indicating the species and intercept
height
✤ the substrate;
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10. ✤ Basal Area
✤ recordings in each of the 9 segments of the plot, each consisting of:
✤ a set of vegetation species under observation, the associated wedge
factor and the number of ‘hits’
What is collected? Vegetation
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11. What is collected? Vegetation
✤ Leaf Area Index (LAI)
✤ Site Structural Summary
✤ recording the three most dominant species in the Upper, Middle and
Lower strata, (with floristics comments).
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12. What is collected? Soils
✤ Characterisation of soils (barcoded)
✤ 1 metre deep pit, in 10cm increments (ec, ph, texture and colour)
✤ 9 subsite samples:
✤ barcoded meta-genomics surface soil samples
and soil samples in 10cm increments to 30cm depth
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13. What is collected? Soils
✤ 3 bulk density measurements, which quantify soil fine earth and gravel.
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14. Where are the plots?
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15. Australian Transect Network
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16. The AusPlots Approach: tooling
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17. Some requirements..
✤ Core function: support data collection according to the protocol
✤ Minimise data double-handling
✤ Maximise integrity of data (e.g. transcription errors)
✤ Use ‘off-the-shelf’ where appropriate (rapid development)
✤ Be able to function without a network (remote locations)
✤ Offer efficiency gains vs. traditional data collection methods
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18. System Architecture
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19. AusPlots Rangelands
Field Data Collection App
‘AuScribe’
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A quick demo…

20. Publishing curated data
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21. ✤ Soils 2 Satellites offers visualisation
✤ (e.g. for land managers, consultants)
✤ Aekos offers raw data access,
data enrichment and search
✤ (e.g. for ecological scientists)
Publishing to external services
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Field App
cron
REST/
JSON
(Cloud) SWARM Server

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image of 2s2 map page

24. Reflecting..
✤Benefits:
✤ Integrity of data
✤ Speed of data availability
✤Challenges:
✤ getting the UI right; resistance when it is slower than “recording
audio” (with subsequent data entry later on).
✤ dealing with legacy data at the same time as introducing new tools.
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25. Looking ahead…
✤ New modules and protocols
✤ Woodlands, Soils,Veg Condition, and Fauna are likely to be first
✤ iOS support
✤ ‘R’ API to
AusPlots
data
(via Aekos)
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26. Summary
✤ The AusPlots field data collection App generates clean data that is readily
curated and easy to publish.
✤ The solution was developed iteratively, based upon experience from field
use and adopted a component-based design for fast results.
✤ Complexity of the data collected led to a custom solution.
✤ ÆKOS and S2S provide publishing platforms for
AusPlots data.
✤ Together, we have a field-to-web solution that
makes data accessible for use in long-term
studies and facilitates informed ecological
decision-making.
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27. Any Questions?
andrew.tokmakoff@adelaide.edu.au
Andrew Tokmakoff
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Opportunities:
Protocol training,
collecting AusPlots data,
using collected AusPlots data