Checklist Survey
Record species presence/absence with counts and observations.
Overview
The Checklist method is the simplest and most flexible survey type in FieldEco. It’s designed for recording species presence/absence with optional counts and observations.
When to Use Checklist
- Biodiversity inventories
- Quick species surveys
- Opportunistic observations
- Habitat assessments
- Educational field trips
Supported Taxa
Checklist surveys work with all taxonomic groups:
- Plants (Plantae)
- Birds (Aves)
- Mammals (Mammalia)
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Invertebrates
- And more…
Setting Up a Checklist Survey
Basic Configuration
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Name | Descriptive identifier | Yes |
| Date & Time | When the survey occurred | Yes |
| Location | GPS coordinates | Yes |
| Habitat Type | Environment category | Recommended |
| Observer | Person conducting survey | Recommended |
Habitat Types
Choose from predefined options:
- Forest
- Grassland
- Wetland
- Coastal
- Urban
- Agricultural
- Other
Optional Environmental Data
- Weather conditions (auto-fetch available)
- Temperature
- Cloud cover
- Wind speed
- Recent precipitation
Site Documentation
Site Photos
Document your survey location with up to 5 site photos during setup:
- Open survey setup
- Scroll to Site Photos section
- Tap Add Photo
- Take or select photos showing:
- Overall habitat view
- Representative vegetation
- Key landmarks
- Any disturbances visible
- Photos are GPS-tagged automatically
Disturbance Recording
Record habitat disturbances observed at your survey site:
| Disturbance Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Grazing | Livestock grazing impacts |
| Fire | Recent burn evidence |
| Lopping | Branch/stem cutting |
| Trampling | Path/soil compaction |
| Road | Vehicle tracks, roads nearby |
| Construction | Building, infrastructure |
| Collection | Resource extraction, harvesting |
Select all disturbance types observed at your survey site. Multiple selections are allowed.
Weather Data (Auto-Fetch)
When connected to internet, FieldEco can automatically fetch current weather:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Wind speed & direction
- Atmospheric pressure
- UV index
- Cloud conditions
Tap Fetch Weather in the environmental section to populate fields automatically.
Data Collection
Recording an Observation
- Tap Add Observation or +
- Search for species by name
- Set the count (default: 1)
- Choose abundance scale if unsure of exact count
- Add optional details
- Take photos (up to 5)
- Save
Abundance Scale
When exact counts aren’t possible:
| Scale | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Rare | 1-2 individuals |
| Uncommon | 3-10 individuals |
| Common | 11-50 individuals |
| Abundant | 51-100 individuals |
| Very Abundant | >100 individuals |
Additional Observation Fields
- Life Stage: Seedling, Juvenile, Adult
- Confidence: Certain, Uncertain
- Notes: Free-text observations
- Photos: Visual documentation
Best Practices
Field Efficiency
- Pre-load common species lists
- Use voice-to-text for notes
- Take photos of uncertain species
- Record habitat with each observation
Data Quality
- Be consistent with naming
- Note weather conditions
- Record survey duration
- Document search effort
Analysis Integration
Checklist data supports these analyses:
- Species richness - Total species count
- Diversity indices - Shannon, Simpson
- Abundance patterns - Relative frequencies
- Accumulation curves - Sampling completeness
Export Options
Export your checklist data to:
- CSV spreadsheet
- Excel workbook
- ZIP with photos
- KML for mapping (Premium)
Related Documentation
- Transect Survey - For line-based sampling
- Diversity Analysis - Analyze your data
- Field Tools - GPS and measurement tools