SERIC

In Field Data Collection using PDAs.

In 2007 SERIC undertook a trial in partnership with the South East Natural Resources Management Board to collect pest and weed data using Personal Digital Assistant devices (PDAs). The objective of the trial was to develop a set of materials and to provide training support to Authorised Officers, staff who have responsibility for undertaking pest animal and weed control work across the South East region. The use of PDAs allows officers to capture data on weed infestations and pest programs involving bait trails on regional maps using Global Positioning devices built into the PDAs. Using an extensive data base created by SERIC in consultation with the SENRMB, officers are able to record specific information using a series of drop down forms from a menu. Data is logged onto the device while the officer is on site and is then down loaded to the regional database via the PC in the office when the Authorised Officer returns from the field.

Over the past two years, the project has moved from its trial phase to full implementation. Officers have gained increasing confidence in using the devices and navigating their way around the formats required for detailed reporting. It is now possible to show on a map developed for each officer, where new weed species have been observed, the extent of weed infestations of high priority under the SENRMB”s plan and actions that have been undertaken to address pest animals such as rabbits, foxes and deer.

SERIC continues to plays a major role in this project through its technical support to Authorised Officers, ongoing development of the data base, upgrading maps and imagery and the production of district and regional scale maps which the SENRMB require for reporting and evaluation purposes. The PDAs currently used are relatively low cost ASUS models, which are light weight and easy to handle. Future development of this initiative will see more robust units trialled which, while not being as easy to handle will be much more robust They have their drawbacks in that their light weight    

In previous decades, records of actions taken to control invasive weed species and feral animals were kept in a variety of ways, from diaries and notebooks to simple computer records, to Weeds and Pest data bases that were introduced over the past ten or twenty years. Prior to 2005, each council was responsible for weed and pest management within its council boundaries and over time considerable variation in the means and detail of record keeping emerged. In 2005, when the SENRMB took on the responsibility for weed and pest animal control across the whole South East region, a regional perspective on weeds and pests was difficult to quantify. The emergence of the PDA and development of associated databases and complimentary tools now provides the capacity to capture and represent all data in the same formats, with the potential for sharing information, analysis and planning far beyond anything possible in previous times.