Improving Geospatial Data Capture of Biological Features: Development of a Handheld Tool for Field Inventory and Mapping

Natureserve, Arlington VA

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT One of the significant challenges in biodiversity research and the evolution of observation oriented data networks is the effective field collection of data, connecting the data to geospatial coordinates, assuring data quality, and affiliating the necessary metadata to assure later access and interoperability. This research project will develop a handheld field data capture device software and associated desktop applications for a handheld device that would permit field ecologists to record data linked to specific geographic location. The handheld field collection device enabled by the proposed software development will: 1) improve the accuracy, precision, and documentation of geospatial data for inventories of species and ecological communities, and decrease time from data capture to data sharing; 2) increase the efficiency and productivity of field researchers by introducing elements of location-aware computing into the field data collection process, and; 3) enhance information sharing and interoperability between collections and observation-oriented data networks.